Cowboys avoid worst case scenario with Hitchens injury

While improving to a 3-1 preseason mark, the Dallas Cowboys dodged a season-ending injury to defensive standout, linebacker Anthony Hitchens.

For the Dallas Cowboys, it’s no secret that their weak link is their defense. The order of the day is churning out first downs and controlling the ball via their punishing rushing attack. As the old saying goes, the best defense is a good offense, right?

While this is mostly true for two of the past three seasons, it also warrants mentioning that one of their most important defensive players suffered a serious injury in the waning moments of the first half on Saturday night. Linebacker Anthony Hitchens sustained a tibial plateau fracture in his right knee when he got caught in a scrum.

The scene didn’t look good at first. You had training staff performing the usual range of motion tests as Hitchens lay supine on the stadium turf. I pretty much expected them to bring the cart out and wheel him off. So it was a bit of a surprise when he rose and walked off the field, albeit with much assistance. Initial reports feared the worst: a torn anterior cruciate ligament and a lost season.

Consequently, it was a somewhat pleasant surprise when we learned this morning that his injury won’t cost him the year. The news still isn’t good, however. The usual healing period for this injury is eight weeks. This will stretch beyond the bye week and will likely culminate in a return against San Francisco or Washington, depending on his progress.

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For a defense in search of an identity, this is a huge blow. Early indications are that the job will go to veteran journeyman Justin Durant, who is in his second stint with the club. And while Durant is familiar with defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s scheme, the drop off from Hitchens to Durant would seem quite pronounced. While no one would say that Hitchens possesses a knack for the spectacular like his line mate Sean Lee, he possessed the most important ability in today’s NFL: availability. In his three seasons with the Cowboys, he started all 48 regular season games, in addition to three playoff games.

That kind of reliability simply doesn’t grow on trees in this day and age. While no one would call Hitchens a Pro Bowl standout, it certainly made him a constant. It made him dependable. Above all, it made him solid. Anthony Hitchens is one of those glue guys that every team needs. The Cowboy defense was going to have their hands full one way or another with him. It will be interesting to see how they cope without him.

Of the four preseason games, Saturday night’s provided the most glaring example of a Cowboy defense that may not exactly be in fighting trim. It’s a big difference when there’s a bona fide NFL quarterback manning the first team offense. To be sure, Derek Carr’s touchdown pass to Amari Cooper made the defense look a bit foolish. Not a huge crime, but a grim reminder nonetheless.

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What’s evident now is that the Cowboys are two weeks away from Sunday Night Football and the New York Giants. They’ll enter the campaign without the seasoning and experience Anthony Hitchens brings. For a defense wrought with suspensions and uncertainty, his absence will only make a bad situation worse.

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