The Dallas Cowboys will face the Detroit Lions without defensive tackle Henry Melton who suffered a right knee injury against the Washington Redskins in week 16.
Jason Garrett has officially ruled out Melton for Sunday's game and his agent has stated he thinks Melton will be out at least a few weeks. Melton has a bone bruise on the same knee he had surgical procedure performed on last year.
Melton has played in every game this season and is second on the team in sacks with 5. Melton will be a significant loss for the Cowboys who are already thin on the defensive line as it is, but it's worth noting that Melton hasn't recorded a sack since week 9 and had been noticeably less productive the second half of the season.
Rookie linebacker Anthony Hitchens suffered a high ankle sprain against the Redskins as well, but has not been ruled out of Sunday's game. Hitchens was a fourth round pick and has been one of the Cowboys most pleasant surprises on the defensive side. He has been playing as well as any Cowboys linebacker over the last month and been one of their most versatile at the position.
While the Cowboys may be without Hitchens for Sunday's game they'll have Rolando McClain back after he missed last week's game due to illness.
Right tackle Doug Costless's status is also questionable at this point as he's been dealing with ankle and foot injuries the past couple weeks. Jeremy Parnell has played well in his absence and will get the start if Costless is unable to go.
The team is also hopeful that defensive tackle Josh Brent will be able to play this week after he was suddenly deactivated before the Redskins game. Brent's calf began acting up in pre-game warmups and as a result was deactivated for the game.
More shall be known on the Cowboys' injury report later on in the week.
