Two familiar names returned to limited work Thursday, giving the Dallas Cowboys' secondary some welcome flexibility without answering the question that matters most for Sunday.
Caleb Downs and P.J. Locke moved from non-participation Wednesday to limited participation Thursday. Both remain in the NFL's concussion protocol, however, so Dallas can prepare with the possibility of their return while refusing to treat either player as available for the trip to Indianapolis.
That is the right balance between taking encouraging news seriously and letting an injury designation do more work than it can support.
The concussion process governs the decision. It has five steps, carries no fixed timetable and requires approval from the club physician and an independent neurological consultant before a player may enter contact practice or play in an NFL game. Limited participation tells us what Downs and Locke did Thursday.
It does not reveal their place in that process, whether they have been cleared for contact or whether Sunday participation is approaching.
Downs' potential return would matter because Dallas has already used him across the defensive backfield. Against Arizona on Nov. 1, he took 53 defensive snaps, mostly at slot corner while also contributing to the safety group. He made four tackles, including a fourth-down goal-line stop of Jeremiyah Love.
That workload gives the Cowboys a player who can affect more than one personnel plan, even though Thursday's report says nothing about a confirmed role against the Colts.
Locke's situation requires a separate line of thinking. He had missed practice Wednesday, after returning from a foot-injury absence for the Arizona game and then sustaining a concussion in that contest. Thursday's limited work is a step forward in preparation, not a medical verdict.
Dallas should be ready to incorporate him if the required clearances arrive, but the defensive plan should still function if they do not.
That caution is especially important because the Cowboys' defensive problems against Arizona were larger than the availability of one or two defensive backs. Dallas kept Arizona to three first-half points and forced two turnovers, then allowed Arizona touchdowns on four successive late possessions late in a 33-30 overtime defeat. The late failure cannot responsibly be assigned to Downs' or Locke's absence.
It points instead to a defense that must execute its calls, finish possessions and withstand a game as it changes shape.
Williams’ recent production provides another warning against treating one encouraging item as a complete defensive answer. Over the previous three weeks, as reported Wednesday, he had 14 tackles and four sacks, with seven tackles for loss. Dallas still needed to close the Arizona game. Getting more defensive backs into the plan could help, but availability and effective play remain separate requirements.
