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The Dallas Cowboys chartered plane departed from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport on Thursday night around 8:30 p.m. local time for Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as they begin their trek to South America for the franchise\u2019s second-ever international regular season game on Sunday against the Baltimore Ravens. They did so without four players on the plane.<\/p>\n
Safeties Malik Hooker (forearm fracture) and P.J. Locke (plantar fasciitis), linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (hamstring strain) and cornerback Cobie Durant (hamstring strain) remained back in Frisco to rehab injuries from the first two games of the season.<\/p>\n
In their place, Markquese Bell and Shavon Revel Jr. are expected to earn their first starts of the season on Sunday in Brazil at safety and cornerback, respectively.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re both pros,\u201d head coach Brian Schottenheimer said about the duo on Thursday morning. \u201cMarkquese has been around a long time. He\u2019s attacking this the exact right way that you would expect. It\u2019s good because the plan for us is easier because we can put those guys in spots. We\u2019re featuring what they do really, really well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Both Bell and Revel played a significant amount of snaps in the Week 2 win over the Washington Commanders after mid-game injuries to Locke and Durant.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought both guys having played and getting that experience last week was good,\u201d Schottenheimer said. \u201cBut it\u2019ll definitely be different, and we\u2019re not going to play perfect. We\u2019re not going to coach perfect, but at the end of the day, we feel really good about the plan and both of those guys\u2019 preparation.\u201d<\/p>\n
At linebacker, rookie Jaishawn Barham will draw his second consecutive start after Overshown was injured in the Week 1 loss to the New York Giants.<\/p>\n
\u201cYou see a guy that understands schemes and concepts,\u201d Schottenheimer said about Barham. \u201cI don\u2019t know how many rookie linebackers in their second game are wearing the green dot. So, that tells you a lot about him in terms of his understanding of the scheme and what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n
While all four players that were left back are expected to miss multiple games, none of them have been placed on injured reserve. The team will have until Saturday to make that transaction to have Sunday\u2019s game in Brazil count as one of the four required games missed as a result of being on IR. Overshown and Hooker will not revert to IR, as both are expected to return a four-week window since their Week 1 injuries. Overshown is further along in his rehab and could return as soon as the team\u2019s Week 4 game in Houston.<\/p>\n
It will be a quick turnaround for the Cowboys when they return from South America, as they will land early Monday and take off through Tuesday before a quick practice week in Frisco ahead of its trip to Houston. Then, the team will quickly turn around once again for a Thursday night clash with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 5.<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019d be a hypocrite if I said I think it\u2019s a tough task,\u201d Schottenheimer said about the tough upcoming schedule. \u201cBut we\u2019re up to it. We\u2019re mentally tough. We need to be. This is a long season, and I can\u2019t be a \u2018win the day\u2019 type guy and be angry about it. But in reality, it\u2019s a long trip, come home, Houston, short week.\u201d<\/p>\n