The Dallas Cowboys ruled cornerback Caelen Carson as doubtful to play in Thursday night’s game against the New York Giants because of a shoulder injury, further thinning secondary depth for an important NFC East matchup.
Safety Markquese Bell (ankle) is also doubtful to suit up, but the Cowboys reported no other injury concerns leading into the game. While Bell served in a reserve role the first three games of the season, Carson has started as an outside cornerback since Week 1.
A fifth-round rookie out of Wake Forest, Carson stepped into the starting job in late August when Pro Bowler DaRon Bland underwent foot surgery. Bland is eligible to come off injured reserve as soon as next week and is expected to return to the field before the end of October.
In the short term, the Cowboys (1-2) must face the possibility of playing the Giants (1-2) without either Carson or Bland as they aim to stop a two-game losing streak.
To replace Carson, Dallas could move slot corner Jourdan Lewis to the outside and ask Israel Mukuamu to step onto the field. Mukuamu played mostly safety for the Cowboys last season but showed capabilities to defend slot receivers and tight ends during training camp and the preseason.
If Lewis remains in the slot, Andrew Booth could play a large role in his first regular-season game for Dallas.
The Cowboys acquired Booth in a training camp trade with the Vikings. The 2022 second-round pick played in 23 games, making two starts, for Minnesota the past two seasons and has been inactive for Dallas each of the team’s first three games this year.
Another option to fill in for Carson isn’t even on the 53-man roster. Veteran cornerback Amani Oruwariye played in 54 games, starting 36, for the Lions and Jaguars before joining the Cowboys’ practice squad at the end of August. Oruwariye, a 2019 fifth-round pick out of Penn State, amassed six interceptions and 11 passes defended in his best career season for the Lions in 2021.
Oruwariye’s playing time and production dipped after that. He spent time with the Giants last season, giving him familiarity with the Cowboys’ upcoming opponent, but did not appear in a game before the team released him in October.
New York is also dealing with injuries to its secondary. Cornerbacks Adoree’ Jackson and Dru Phillips are both sidelined by calf injuries, robbing the Giants of their two best slot cornerbacks. That could bode well for Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, one of the NFL’s most productive pass-catchers in recent seasons when working out of the slot.