Dallas Cowboys QB Andy Dalton back at practice as he’s finally concussion, COVID free
Quarterback Andy Dalton is back at practice and seemingly on track to play when the Dallas Cowboys face the Minnesota Vikings after last Sunday’s bye.
Dalton, who has missed the last two games, has been cleared from the concussion and reserve/COVID-19 protocols, and practiced with the team on Monday.
And owner Jerry Jones said it’s his expectation that Dalton will start against the Vikings on Sunday.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy is taking it slower but he said Dalton looks good.
“He’s cleared for practice and had a good day today,” McCarthy said on Monday. We had a mock game type practice for us and he was a full participant. We’ve got to get through the whole week of practice. He hasn’t been involved in a couple of weeks now. He looked good today, so we’ll take it one day at a time.”
Dalton’s return should give the Cowboys some stability at the quarterback position for the first time in more than a month.
Dalton, a 10-year veteran who played in college at TCU, initially replaced Dak Prescott as the starter when he suffered a season-ending fractured ankle on Oct. 11.
Dalton played in the 38-10 loss to the Arizona Cardinals on Oct. 19 but then suffered a concussion in the Cowboys’ Oct. 25 loss to the Washington Football Team.
He missed the Nov. 1 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in concussion protocol as the Cowboys turned to rookie Ben DiNucci.
The Cowboys had hoped Dalton would return for the Nov. 8 matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers but and he was placed on the NFL’s reserve/COVID-19 list on Nov. 3.
Garrett Gilbert got the start in the 24-19 loss to the Steelers, preceding last week’s bye.
Because Dalton was on the COVID list and not able to be at the team’s facility, he did not complete the concussion protocol.
But now he is back, COVID-19 and concussion free, and seemingly ready to go.
McCarthy wouldn’t officially name as the starter on Sunday and said conditioning is a concern.
But so far so good.
“I think it’s something that he’s really hit over the weekend,” McCarthy said. “I mean, stating the obvious, Andy is a pro. He’s in tune with where he needs to be, but it was great to have him in there today. He’s off to a good start.”
Gilbert was impressive in his first career start against the Pittsburgh Steelers and there is sentiment towards continuing on with him to see what he has for the future.But the Cowboys plan to stick with a healthy Dalton, who has completed 52 of 85 passes for 452 yards with one touchdown and three interceptions in 2020, as long as they are still in playoff contention.
Despite riding a four-game losing streak, the Cowboys (2-7) are just 1 1/2 games behind the Philadelphia Eagles (3-5-1) for first place in the NFC East and have a favorable closing schedule to build on starting Sunday against the Vikings.
This story was originally published November 17, 2020 at 6:00 AM.
