4 key Cowboys players get injury added to insult in San Francisco

C.J. Goodwin

Cowboys' special teams ace CJ Goodwin received MRI results early this afternoon from an injury in San Francisco that forced him to leave the game.

It's not good news.

Goodwin has been diagnosed with a torn pectoral muscle, and has already been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

Casual Cowboys fans might not bat an eye at this injury, but I can guarantee you ST Coordinator John “Bones” Fassel is crying under his desk.

Goodwin has been the Cowboys' best special teams player since he arrived in Dallas for the 2018 season.

The eight year veteran is an important piece of Fassel's kickoff and punt coverage teams, and those units will definitely be affected by this loss.

KaVontae Turpin

Another huge blow, KaVontae Turpin was diagnosed with a high ankle sprain this morning, and is expected to miss four to six weeks.

Turpin was returning a kick and was tackled right on the boundary of the sideline.

His leg rolled up under the defender as he was being dragged down, and that's where the injury occurred.

The news could be worse. Remember last postseason Tony Pollard fractured his leg on the same type of tackle.

So far this season, Turpin has been utilized as a key piece on the offense.

Mike McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer have made it obvious they are trying to utilize Turpin's speed and shiftiness to bring a new element to the offense.

Turpin has 11 touches (five rushes, six receptions) for 117 yards and two touchdowns, including the only touchdown the Cowboys scored last night.

It was a great over the shoulder catch that was much more difficult than it looked on your television screen.

Losing Turpin is another gut punch to John Fassel as well, as the speedy wide receiver is his main returner of kicks and punts.

Leighton Vander Esch

The Cowboys' top true linebacker on the roster left the game in the 4th quarter after being blocked into Micah Parsons as both were running to make a tackle.

Leighton Vander Esch was falling forward, and flew head first into Micah's back, prompting a scary situation that had his Cowboys teammates kneeling in prayer.

Vander Esch has a history of neck injuries that nearly ended his career once before.

There are no details as to the severity of the injury at the time of this writing, but losing Vander Esch for any stretch would be a blow to the defense.

Vander Esch and Damone Clark are the only true linebackers on the 53 man roster, and Dallas is supremely thin at the position.

Donovan Wilson

Dallas' versatile S Donovan Wilson left the game in the 4th quarter with what is being listed as a right foot/leg injury.

Wilson was participating in his third game after returning from a calf strain suffered in training camp that kept him out for the first two games of the season.

All we can do is hope that the news on Vander Esch and Wilson isn't as serious as the news for Goodwin and Turpin.