NFC Notes: Cowboys, Panthers, Washington

Cowboys

Cowboys LT Tyron Smith made the decision to have surgery and go ahead and fix the neck stinger issues he’s been having and that caused him to miss two games early this year. He’ll now miss many more but the team hopes Smith will be back to 100 percent in 2021 and ready to return to his role as a cornerstone left tackle. 

“They’ll get in there and fix it but certainly feel like he should be good to go after this,” Cowboys EVP Stephen Jones said via the Athletic’s Jon Machota. “He’s a warrior through and through, and was trying to push through it. But just seems like every time that he took some time off, did some things to treat it, that unfortunately he’d get in a game with full contact and start feeling it toward the end of the game. Just feel like we need to fix it. Now’s a good time to fix it, and fix it to where he can come back and continue his career.”

• Regarding Dak Prescott‘s serious ankle injury, David Chao explains that Prescott likely suffered an ankle fracture that will require surgery, but isn’t a career-ending issue.
• Chao says that this isn’t a similar type of injury to what Alex Smith suffered a few years ago.
• Prescott specifically suffered a compound right ankle fracture and is undergoing surgery tonight.
• McCarthy said of Prescott: “I feel terrible for him. He was having a tremendous year. He’s made such an impression on me. He’s the leader of this team. … This will just be another chapter in a great story. He’s a fine young man.” (Jon Machota)

Panthers

• In an interview on SiriusXM NFL Radio, Panthers HC Matt Rhule said RB Christian McCaffrey is still “probably a couple of weeks away.”
• McCaffrey is on injured reserve with an ankle injury but Rhule says “we owe it to him” not to bring him back until he’s 100 percent. 
• In an interview with Josina Anderson, Panthers WR Robby Anderson said he’s happy to be used as a complete receiver after feeling like the Jets pigeonholed him as just a deep threat: “I love being in this system because for so long it was, ‘Oh, he’s only a deep threat.’ It used to eat me up because I’m like, ‘I know what I can do.’ I love that I’m in this offense, where I really get to catch and run and play football.”

Washington

Washington HC Ron Rivera told reporters after Sunday’s game that Kyle Allen will remain the team’s starting quarterback moving forward, as long as he’s healthy to play. 

“If Kyle [Allen] is ready to go, Kyle will be our starter,” Rivera said, via NBC Washington. 

Rivera explained that they decided to hold Allen out in an “abundance of caution.”

“[Allen] took a pretty good shot. He was still sore, but he was cleared to play,” Rivera said. “Why risk putting him back out there and taking another big shot that might cause a little bit of damage? I didn’t want him to take another shot.”

• 106.7 The Fan’s Grant Paulsen says the final straw for Washington QB Dwayne Haskins in the eyes of the coaching staff this week was his attitude during and after the loss to the Ravens last week. 
• He was jovial with Ravens backup QB Robert Griffin after the loss and was bragging about his stat line of over 300 passing yards in the locker room after the game. Maturity has been one of the team’s criticisms of Haskins. 
• Haskins was set to be inactive for Sunday’s game against the Rams but will not be on the sidelines. WUSA9’s Darren Haynes says Haskins has had a stomach virus the past two days and was told by the team to stay home. 
• Per NBC Sports’ JP Finlay, Haskins told the team this morning he was feeling sick and was told to stay home.