Cowboys Nearing Return Of ‘Impact Player’ For Week 3 vs. Cardinals

The Dallas Cowboys have gotten off to a scintillating 2-0 start this season thanks much in part to their defense, which has given up just 10 points and ranks No. 1 in the NFL in yardage allowed.

The scary part is, their defense is about to get even better.

On Wednesday, Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy announced that safety Donovan Wilson, who has missed the first two weeks of 2023 due to a calf injury, could be making his return this Sunday against the Arizona Cardinals.

McCarthy called Wilson an “impact player.”

“His teammates feed off his play style,” said McCarthy, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. “He’s a big part of our standard of how we play defense. … You feel Dono when he’s on the field.”

Wilson, who played his collegiate football at Texas A&M, was selected by the Cowboys in the sixth round of the 2019 NFL Draft.

His playing time was incredibly limited early on, as he logged just two tackles during his rookie campaign. However, during his sophomore season, Wilson played in 14 games and made 10 starts, totaling 71 tackles, 3.5 sacks, two interceptions, three forced fumbles and a pair of fumble recoveries.

Injuries then limited Wilson to just nine games in 2021, but last season, Wilson had a breakout year of sorts, racking up 101 tackles, five sacks, a pick, a couple of forced fumbles and a fumble recovery. He started all 17 games for Dallas in 2022.

The Cowboys whipped the New York Giants 40-0 in Week 1 and followed that up with a resounding 30-10 win over the New York Jets this past Sunday.

Dallas is aiming to make the playoffs for the third straight season, which would mark the first time the club achieved that feat since the 1996-97 campaign.

Of course, the Cowboys’ ultimate goal is to win their first Super Bowl in 28 years.