Cowboys fans receive mixed bag of news on the injury front ahead of Week 2 matchup vs Saints

The Dallas Cowboys started rookies Tyler Guyton, Cooper Beebe, and Caelen Carson in Week 1 of the 2024 regular season but although second-round rookie Marshawn Kneeland didn't register an official start, he might as well be put up with those three names as he played in 58% of the defensive snaps.

Kneeland's heavy involvement in Mike Zimmer's defense shouldn't be a surprise, as the defensive coordinator had teased a big role for the defensive end ever since Sam Williams suffered a season-ending injury in training camp.

Fortunately, Kneeland took a step in the right direction on Thursday after not practicing on Wednesday's opening practice of the week ahead of the team's Week 2 matchup against the New Orleans Saints. Kneeland was in full pads for the portion of practice open to the media, per Nick Harris of Forth Worth Star-Telegram.

Kneeland is nursing a calf injury, which can linger if not properly healed before returning to game action.

In his debut, Kneeland was actually very productive, recording five pressures, two quarterback hits, a pass deflection, and an 11.8% pass rush win rate than ranked second best among Cowboys edge rushers behind Micah Parsons. Pro Football Focus graded him as the best run defender on the team in the team's win against the Cleveland Browns.

If Kneeland can't go on Sunday, which is a possibility, the Cowboys' depth at DE would take a major hit. It could even force the team to call up veteran Carl Lawson from the practice squad and force Zimmer to not move Parsons around that much, as the Saints will be challenging the edges with their wide zone scheme that resembles a Shanahan offense.

Kneeland's week turning around ahead of gameday would be huge for the Cowboys but right now the rookie's status is up in the air.

Not everything is positive for Dallas as Ferguson wasn't in pads early on in practice as he worked to the side with a wrap around his knee. He appears to be trending to missing practice for the second consecutive day as he navigates a knee injury. The Cowboys have suggested he has a chance to play against the Saints but the team might be forced to exercise caution to avoid making the knee bruise any worse.

Cowboys vs Saints full injury report for Thursday

Jake Ferguson (knee) was officially listed as a non-participant once again, just like fellow tight end John Stephens Jr. (hamstring), who didn't pay last week. The former was spotted working with the rehab group to the side in the portion of practice open to the media.

Meanwhile, Kneeland got upgraded to "limited." The Saints might have some trouble brewing at left tackle as Taliese Fuaga got downgraded to "DNP." This is a matchup the Cowboys could exploit on Sunday as they did last week against the Browns' backup tackles.

Related: Micah Parsons makes bold prediction about Cowboys' rising star that just made his regular-season debut