They won the game, but they lost another defensive player for the season in the process. The Dallas Cowboys entered the Week 11 battle with the Detroit Lions working through injury issues in their defensive backfield, with starting strong safety Jeff Heath sidelined due to injury to his knees and shoulders -- and the issue of secondary depth is now much more pronounced after seeing cornerback Anthony Brown suffer a triceps injury during the 35-27 victory at Ford Field.
Brown will not return for the Cowboys this season, requiring surgery to repair a tear in the tricep -- the team announced on Monday -- and is readying to land on injured reserve because of it. It's not the first time the former sixth-round pick has battled injury in 2019, having missed the team's Week 7 fight with the Philadelphia Eagles due to a hamstring injury, which led to backup cornerback Jourdan Lewis getting the start. Lewis again played exceptional in Brown's stead, leading to the latter losing his starting position and registering just six total defensive snaps in his two games returned -- prior to taking the field in Detroit.
With Lewis now the starter, the absence of Brown does create depth issues at the position. The team hasn't yet determined what move they'll make to fill Brown's spot on the roster, but they do have two defensive backs on the practice squad that will get first look this week. One of them is D.J. White, a former Georgia Tech standout signed by the Cowboys in late October, and the other is Donovan Olumba, who has been impressive in both preseasons with the team after being signed as an undrafted free agent in 2018.
The edge goes to Olumba here, assuming the Cowboys don't dip their toe into the free agency pool, with another option being to poach a player from another team's practice squad over promoting one from their own. They lost rookie fifth-round pick Michael Jackson to the Lions on Oct. 30 due to poaching, which is why White was signed, but Jackson was inactive in the Week 11 contest.
Had he been present still in Dallas, there's a great chance he would've landed the promotion to back up Lewis.
As for Brown, questions surrounding his future with the Cowboys now take center stage. Set to be a free agent in 2020, the team was already set to make a decision on him as they work to secure big name talent like Dak Prescott, Amari Cooper and Byron Jones, potentially leaving Brown the odd man out, unless he was/is willing to work a team-friendly deal. Given how his contract year has gone with the club -- be it with multiple injuries and having lost his starting spot -- he might be more amicable come March to reducing his asking price. If he feels he can still be a starter somewhere else in the league, though, he may wish to take his talents elsewhere.
In the end, the decision is as much his as it is that of the Cowboys.
Brown's shortened 2019 season featured only four starts in nine available games, where he delivered only five pass break ups and zero interceptions. The Cowboys would love to keep him around for depth in 2020 and beyond, but time will tell if both sides can come to terms on what his value is going forward. It's doubtful he'll again regain his starting post over a ballhawking Lewis, leaving only backup duty available for him in North Texas.
