The injury news continues to be positive for Cowboys linebacker Anthony Hitchens.
Initial reports after he hurt his knee last weekend were that Hitchens would miss the entire season, but further evaluation showed a tibial plateau fracture rather than a torn ACL. Nick Eatman of the Cowboys website reports that MRI results have confirmed that there’s no ligament damage and that Hitchens will not need to have surgery as part of his recovery.
As a result, Hitchens is not expected to be a candidate to go on injured reserve with the possibility of returning after eight weeks on the list. He’s still expected to miss time, but Eatman reports that there could be a chance he returns before their bye in Week Six of the regular season.
In the meantime, Jaylon Smith and Justin Durant are expected to fill the middle linebacker role for Dallas. Team owner Jerry Jones called them “one player” in terms of how they’ll replace Hitchens this week, although he also said that Hitchens’ injury will lead to an “accelerated approach” for Smith after he missed all of last season with a knee injury.
