Wade Phillips Right To Rest Dallas Cowboys Starters

Head coach Wade Phillips announced that the Dallas Cowboys starters will not play in Thursday night’s game against the Miami Dolphins.

Despite the dreadful performance in Houston, Phillips’ decision is just what this Cowboys team needs.

The extra length of this preseason has taken its toll on this team.

Marc Columbo, Kyle Kosier, Gerald Sensabaugh, and Keith Brooking are all starters that have missed multiple preseason games due to injury.

Tight end John Phillips, who was forcing Marcellus Bennett off of the roster, is lost for the year.

First-round draft pick Dez Bryant has not played a down this preseason.

All four starters and Bryant are expected to be ready by the opening game against Washington.

The extra week of rest allows the team to be cautious with these guys rather than suiting them up to play in a meaningless game. The starting units will have a minimum of ten days between the Houston game and the regular season.

Additionally, these injuries have shown signs of having larger surrounding circumstances.

Tony Romo has been harassed behind an offensive line missing two starters. Both Felix Jones and Marion Barber have struggled to find room to run behind that same line. Is risking the health of Romo or the two injury-prone running backs worth trying to see the offense score a touchdown against the Dolphin reserves?

Conversely, the injuries to Brooking and Sensabaugh have allowed young players to get valuable extra reps with the starters that will prove beneficial later this season. Sean Lee has made up time lost early in training camp. Rookies Barry Church and Danny McCray have been able to play their way onto the roster. The added depth will only help the Cowboys as the season progresses.

The bigger concern is whether or not 10 days will be long enough to stop the steady decline on the offensive side of the ball.

After a strong showing against Cincinnati, Dallas has struggled to move the ball throughout the rest of the preseason before looking completely inept against the Texans.

One way to stop negative momentum is to stop the action and regroup, which is what Jason Garrett and the offense will be able to do. Giving the starting unit a night off will help break up the negativity surrounding the Houston performance.

While many fans want to see the offensive starters to work the kinks out on the field, there is no guarantee that another couple of series will go according to plan. An additional negative series sends the team into the regular season reeling rather than having an opportunity to step back and reassess.

In the past, coming off of extra time has been beneficial for this team. The Cowboys have won at least three games in a row after their bye week for the past three seasons.

Though seeing the offense look good against Miami would make the fans feel better, Wade Phillips made the right decision to continue his tradition of sitting the starters to end the preseason.