Going into the regular season, Brian Schottenheimer thought the Cowboys had all bases covered. But by the time Week 1 rolled around, the team was facing an entirely new issue: injuries. If there’s one part of the team that has taken the hit harder than any other, it’s the secondary. And by the end of Week 2, it’s only gotten worse. 

Dallas may have walked away with their first win of the season against the Washington Commanders, but Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb’s heroics overshadowed the real cost the team paid. Two players on the secondary, cornerback Cobie Durant and safety P.J. Locke, now face injury trouble. 

“Cobie’s got the hamstring strain and P.J., you know, has tore the plantar fasciitis in his foot, so both those guys could be a few weeks,” Schottenheimer said in Monday’s press conference (via Dallas Cowboys on YouTube).

For an already shaky secondary, this smells like trouble. Both players had been crucial for the Dallas defense. Locke finished with one tackle, while Durant recorded one tackle and one pass deflection as Dallas beat the Commanders 37-20. 

Locke, who replaced injured starter Malik Hooker, went down during Washington’s first offensive possession. There was no contact involved, as he started limping while running in the open field. He was later ruled out for the remainder of the game, and according to ESPN’s Todd Archer, he was wearing a walking boot on his right foot afterward.

Meanwhile, Cobie Durant’s injury happened in the second quarter. While Durant was lying near the back of the end zone, Cowboys safety Markquese Bell accidentally stepped on him. Durant received attention from the medical staff before being ruled out with a hamstring injury.

Now, Locke’s status depends on how severe the tear is, putting his return window anywhere between 3 and 12 weeks. That’s why he asked whether Locke could be put on injury reserve. Schottenheimer replied, “We haven’t finalized any decisions yet.”

But all hope isn’t lost yet. Earlier on Monday, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones had offered an update on the two players during his appearance on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas. 

“It is so hard, a day into it. It’s just difficult until you see them work, whether it is a hamstring, whether it is a plantar fasciia, we’ll see how they respond and what they’re able to do this week, and then you start to get a better feel for the length.”

“Right now, whether it is Hooker or D-Mo from last week, you take PJ and Durant from this week, those are all two-to-four week type injuries, whereas we knew Tyler would be four. We just have got to take a long, hard look at it and then we’ll make moves according to there. Right now, if we knew it was going to be four-plus then obviously we would use the IR DTR tool for one of those players. But right now I don’t have an indication that this is going to be a four-plus week injury other than Tyler Smith, who we did put on the IR DTR.”

Dallas already had concerns in its defensive backfield, with Malik Hooker and DeMarvion Overshown getting injured in Week 1. Losing Durant makes the situation even tougher. With him out, Shavon Revel is expected to get more playing time. And to replace Locke, Markquese Bell remains an obvious choice.

The Cowboys’ secondary had a rough start to the season against the Giants. They allowed the Giants to complete 79.3% of their passes, give up 230 passing yards, and score three passing touchdowns. That clearly showed Dallas was having trouble covering receivers and stopping the passing game.

However, against Washington, the secondary looked better. The Commanders could only complete 66.7% of their passes for 207 yards and two touchdowns.

But with these recent injuries and the relative lack of time Dallas has before the Week 3 game against the Baltimore Ravens in international waters in Rio de Janeiro, it will test their depth.

Besides losing Locke and Durant, the Cowboys also faced more injury scares against the Commanders. One of them was linebacker Dee Winters, who left the game against Washington in the first half after suffering a shoulder injury. He was initially listed as questionable to return, which raised concerns for Dallas.

However, Winters was able to return to the game, suggesting the injury was not serious. His brief absence was still concerning because the Cowboys are already without linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, who is dealing with a hamstring injury from Week 1.

Then there was fellow LB Jaishawn Barham, who briefly left the game in the second half after dealing with a stinger. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the rookie suffered a couple of stingers during the game, but he was able to shake them off and return to the field.

Dallas also had a scare involving tight end Jake Ferguson in the fourth quarter after he apparently had a helmet hit. Officials stopped the game and sent him off the field for a medical evaluation. Though he didn’t return to play, he later spoke with reporters, indicating he was doing well.

While Locke and Durant are confirmed to be out against the Ravens, it remains to be seen whether Hooker and Overshown can return from their Week 1 injuries to play in Brazil. Brian Schottenheimer has indicated the shorter break before the Week 3 game will probably push his decision down to the wire.