Randall Cobb: The Unknown of the Dallas Cowboys

Injuries that cause Cobb to miss playing time…

Let’s clear something up. Almost every player deals with injuries because that is the nature of the game. However, some injuries are more severe such that players have to miss extended playing time in order to recover. This is a problem for Cobb.

For example, last season Cole Beasley was the starting slot receiver. Beasley did not miss an entire game last season, yet he dealt with an inguinal groin strain from training camp, and ankle sprain in week 2, and a pedal foot sprain in late November. In fact, Beasley has played every game in 4 of the last 5 seasons. (In 2017 he played 15 games)

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Cobb on the other hand dealt with a nagging hamstring injury for most of the season and ended up in concussion protocol week 16. As a result of both these injuries, Cobb only played 9 games and only started 6 of them. By comparison, Cobb has played every game in 2 of the last 5 seasons but a more important 0 in the last 3 seasons.

I’m not criticizing Cobb for his injury history as injuries occur due to bad luck, however, how effective can one be if he or she is missing time due to injury? For how much the Cowboys covet Cobb’s skill set, do they have a contingency plan in the likely event he can’t play?

Does it make sense to start someone with injury concerns knowing you have younger and more explosive talent on the bench?

The last question is clearly an overreaction, but the others are fair questions. How can the Cowboys get the most out of Cobb and vice versa if Cobb isn’t on the field to play for them?