Cowboys news: Mingo received MRI on Sunday, could miss time depending on results
Wait, hope, and see with Mingo.
The Dallas Cowboys came out of Saturday night’s preseason game against the Baltimore Ravens with several injury concerns.
The most notable was wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, who is feared to have suffered a posterior cruciate ligament (PCL) injury in his right knee. Mingo landed awkwardly while trying to make a catch in the end zone during the third quarter, one play after recording a 49-yard reception. He went to the medical tent and was ruled out for the remainder of the game.
Mingo is scheduled to undergo an MRI on Sunday to determine the severity of the injury. Early reports suggest he could miss time, depending on the results.
Acquired by Dallas at last season’s trade deadline, Mingo is competing for a roster spot in his first training camp with the team. A significant absence would complicate that competition and may force the Cowboys to make adjustments when setting the 53-man roster.
It was another poor showing from Dallas in the second preseason game.
Joe Milton could be the Cowboys’ quarterback of the future. He could also end up being another wasted fourth round pick that was traded away.
Ghosts of Trey Lance, anyone?
For the second straight week, Milton struggled in the first half.
By the time he seemed to settle down and started moving the team in the second half, it was too late. He needs to get settled in by no later than the second drive of the game.
He’s clearly pressing, trying to force things that simply aren’t there.
That’s on Schottenheimer to start calling plays to get Milton into a rhythm.
Maybe even calling run plays. Especially when backed up close to the goal line?
Not that the running backs did much better on Saturday.
Miles Sanders had a couple of good runs. But he had two negative runs that helped set up the sack of Milton that gave the Ravens a safety.
Nor did we learn much about the receivers on Saturday.
They rarely had chances to make plays on most of the passes.
As for the offensive line, they didn’t shine. They didn’t stink up the place either.
I suppose that’s a win, of sorts.
Difficult decisions are on the horizon, and these three players did themselves no favors Saturday.
Joe Milton had a horrible day throwing the football. That certainly did not help the young receivers fighting for a spot on the team. Jalen Cropper is in his third season with the Cowboys after spending most of his time on the practice squad. Now in year three, he continues to struggle while other receivers behind him make plays.
The play that stands out from the Ravens game came late in the first quarter. Milton threw one of his best passes of the day that might have kick-started the Dallas offense had it been caught. Instead, Cropper dropped the ball while he was in mid-stride. He had a step on his defender and while the safety was coming ready to make a hit, he should have held on to the ball.
Cropper looked like he hesitated when the safety started coming over. Instead of reaching out, he short-armed the ball. First-round pick Malachi Starks might have looked pretty intimidating coming in, but still. With all the receivers in camp this year, Cropper needs to take advantage of every ball thrown his way in preseason.
Another way Cropper is trying to make the team is on special teams. He has been one of the primary returners in the first two games. However, he has shown little to stand out there and undrafted rookie Josh Kelly is starting to get more chances back there.
Cropper is on the verge of not only falling down to the bottom of the depth chart but potentially being cut after the Falcons game. Dallas is still looking for their fourth and fifth receiver. Unfortunately, right now, Cropper is far from being that guy.
Don’t forget, it’s still the preseason.
However, a second straight disappointing preseason performance shouldn’t be enough for the fanbase to go into full meltdown mode.
After the game, head coach Brian Schottenheimer even ensured fans that pushing the panic button is not the right move at the moment.
The preseason is not going to be any indication of what this team will look like during the regular season. Also, not all was lost in the performance against the Ravens.
It was great to see rookie guard Tyler Booker in action, and linebacker Marist Liufau’s star continues to grow brighter every time he steps on the field.
But it cannot be denied that the weaknesses of this team have been highlighted in their first two preseason games.
The run defense is going to be a problem once again this season, and counting on players like Mazi Smith to be the player the franchise hoped for is no longer a realistic dream.
Still, counting this team out in August doesn’t make sense. Let’s wait until we see them at full force before making any judgments.
What did you take away from Saturday’s action?
Miles Sanders didn’t have a great showing against the Ravens. He bobbled a toss that was nearly a fumble, and he had seven carries for 15 yards. What makes that worse is that he was the Cowboys’ leading rusher for the night. The much-anticipated debut of Tyler Booker was as expected from a player of his caliber, but he couldn’t save the rushing attack for the Cowboys. His replacements, Deuce Vaughn and Phil Mafah, had worse efficiency, totaling 8 carries for 18 yards combined. You can’t blame balance this week either. The Cowboys ran the ball 20 times and threw it 23 times for almost an even split. Whether it’s the backup tackles, tight ends, or otherwise, the Cowboys have a lot to work on to have a better running game by the preseason finale on Friday.
Defensively, the numbers are a little skewed to seem better than they are, but Dallas still allowed the Ravens to run for almost 150 yards on the ground. Mazi Smith played a sizable chunk of the game, and at times, he was slow off the snap and pushed far beyond the line to gain by the opposing offensive line. Jay Toia also could have put on a better performance, but overall, the interior defensive line was just not adequate enough.
