The Dallas Cowboys are coming off another embarrassing loss, as they fell to the Green Bay Packers in a 23-13 finish at Lambeau Field on Sunday night.
But to make matters worse, the Cowboys lost starting linebacker Dee Winters to an injury during the game.
Winters has an Achiles strain, an injury that will force him to "likely miss" Week 7's matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, per Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Dee Winters Injury Timing is Bad For Dallas
The injury timing is unfortunate for multiple reasons.
Winters is coming off a game against Green Bay where he had his first interception of the season, one that he appeared to return for a touchdown before replay went back and ruled him down.
But on top of that, the Cowboys are still without linebacker DeMarvion Overshown due to a hamstring injury. Fortunately, there's a chance he makes his return from a five-game absence in Week 7 against the Philadelphia Eagles, but hamstrings can be tough to fully bounce back from, especially for a player with an injury history like Overshown's.
The Cowboys defense is already dreadful as is, so they can't afford to have a starter like Winters miss extended time. Hopefully the team gets him back sooner rather than later.
So far this season, Winters has started all six games while posting 35 total tackles (23 solo), one fumble recovery and one interception.
Who Steps Up at LB for Dallas Cowboys With Dee Winters Out?
With Winters out, fans should expect rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham take on an even bigger role than he already had, but this will also impact the depth behind him.
Schottenheimer praised Shemar James and Justin Barron while speaking with the media on Monday. Both players could take on larger roles with Winters set to miss time.
"We're getting a lot of guys reps. Shemar James, like I said, is doing a really good job," Schottenheimer said. "Justin Barron last night did a really good job. We put him in on a couple passing situations. They actually tried him on a little wheel route immediately when he came in the game and he played it beautifully. That's a position that normally gets dinged up and beat up a little bit, and both those guys Shemar and Justin have played really well for us."
The Cowboys and Eagles will kick off from Lincoln Financial Field on Monday Night Football in Week 7 at 7:15 p.m. CT/
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