Inside Practice: How Are the Paper-Thin Cowboys Surviving Their Eagles Prep Week?

FRISCO - Some of the guys who usually work on the scout team are presently rotating in with the first- and second-teams. And some of the guys who usually work with the first- and second-teams are presently helping on scout team. That's the overview of how the injury-ridden and paper-thin Dallas Cowboys are surviving their pre-Eagles work week.

The injury list is one thing, and of course the Philadelphia Eagles have one of those, too; our impression is that Philly receiver DeSean Jackson and left tackle Jason Peters might not play on Sunday night at AT&T Stadium, and those can be game-changers.

But Dallas' game-changer problems run so deep that they are also practice-changers. To wit:

*Receivers Amari Cooper (quad) and Randall Cobb (back) are not available. That is forcing the Cowboys to examine whether undrafted rookie Ventell Bryant, a special-teams helper, is also ready to take snaps at wideout.

*Cooper and Cobb sidelined also might mean more of rookie running back Tony Pollard in Sunday's game plan - not that this is neccessarily a bad thing; owner Jerry Jones has talked a great deal of wishing to see Pollard and Ezekiel Elliott in the backfield at the same time. The absence of Cobb and Cooper may cause a trickle-down to Pollard that grants him his wish.

*Tackles Tyron Smith (ankle) and La'el Collins (knee) aren't practicing, and on Wednesday, center Travis Frederick was out for personal reasons. So it's Cam Fleming and Brandon Knight at the tackles, and for one day at least, Joe Looney at center ... and in a position group that requires rhythmic coordination? It's probably lacking.

*Cornerbacks Byron Jones and Anthony Brown (hamstrings) aren't practicing. Jones may make it back for Sunday; Brown is less likely. So for now, I bet Jourdan Lewis is in for Byron and playing right corner opposite Chidobe Awuzie. Nothing wrong with that. But in the Nickel, I Lewis moves inside. Nothing wrong with that. Except it means special-teams ace C.J. Goodwin takes over at right corner. There will be some things wrong with that.

I wouldn't be surprised if as the week goes on Donovan Olumba gets a crack at a rotational job. Or maybe rookie Mike Jackson makes the leap.

Olumba and Jackson, though, are on the practice squad. Their elevation would mean a roster move ... and further "thinness'' somewhere.

*And just as Pollard might be the offensive trickle-down result at receiver, Sean Lee might be the defensive trickle-down result at cornerback. 

What if the best available solution is to face the Eagles using more base defense, featuring Lee, and bothering less with unproven Nickel backs?

*One more issue: D-lineman Tyrone Crawford (hips) is on IR. Dallas added a body here with the signing of fringe NFL defensive tackle Justin Hamilton. He's a 6-2, 315-pound run-stopping body ... whose body might not be able to help right away as he hasn't played football since training camp. Can he play Sunday? What about another practice-squadder, rookie Daniel Wise? is he ready for the varsity? And shouldn't top rookie Trysten Hill be ready right now to help?

The paper-thin Cowboys will keep searching for answers ... but when they search around the practice field this week, they'll need to know where to look. Because a bunch of these guys who are scout-teamers have suddenly become rotational, and a bunch of the rotational guys are suddenly scout-teamers.