What Jonathan Hankins’ injury could mean to the Cowboys’ defensive line

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For a victory as impressive as we’d seen from them all season, it wasn’t all good news for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.

Their 33-13 triumph over the Philadelphia Eagles enabled them to take control of the NFC East, thanks to a superior record against that division.

In the third quarter of that contest, though, defensive tackle Jonathan Hankins suffered a high ankle sprain.

According to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, however, it’s not as bad as initially thought.

Speaking to 105.3 The Fan on Monday, Jones said, “We don’t think that it’s gonna be a severe one. He’s gonna be getting further looked at in terms of exactly what we’re dealing with here. We’ll know more as the day goes by.”

The injury happened on the Eagles’ first possession of the second half, on a D’Andre Swift carry, where Hankins bent backwards after many bodies fell on his ankle.

There’s no timetable for his return, but Mike McCarthy has options if Hankins isn’t available at Buffalo this Sunday.

Cowboys Backup Plan

In his second season as a Cowboy, Hankins has three sacks and 26 tackles, 13 of which were solo ones.

Those three sacks are 0.5 more than he registered in his previous six NFL seasons combines with Dallas and the Raiders, per ESPN, with many of those campaigns cut short through injury.

It’s been rumoured that the Cowboys go out and sign a veteran presence like Ndamukong Suh, though that seems highly unlikely.

The three-time All-Pro has been away from the gridiron since the conclusion of the 2022 campaign, and it’s hard to envision him being a difference-maker at 36.

Mazi Smith though looks ready to take a step forward and help this team.

A 22-year-old first-round selection by the Cowboys in 2023, Smith has 10 tackles and one stuff in his rookie campaign.

The First-team All-Big Ten out of Michigan has a massive frame, allowing him to shrug off chip blocks and handle double-teams.

Putting him into the lineup and upgrading Carl Davis off the practice squad could make sense.

Davis has bounced around the league lately, with the Cowboys being his seventh team.

Nonetheless, he’s a capable alternative just in case something happens to Smith.

A Freak of Nature

In August 2022, The Athletics’ Bruce Feldman rated Mazi Smith #1 on his annual college football “freaks” list.

At 6’3”, 337 pounds, his power and agility are a rarity for players his size.

Yes, he’s young and doesn’t have as much experience as Suh or Davis, but is wise beyond his years.

Smith was credited with being the vocal leader of the Wolverines defense in 2022.

He also played under a pretty savvy and successful coach in Jim Harbaugh.

Harbaugh knows how to make his mark fast, leading the San Francisco 49ers to three NFC Championship appearances in four seasons as head coach.

He also has an all-time winning record with the Wolverines of 84-25.

Smith played for a winning program and has been a winner on the field, so it makes sense that he gets to step in.

By all accounts, Hankins should be back sooner rather than later, but if Smith gets more reps this weekend versus Buffalo, the Cowboys might not be losing as much as we think.