Cowboys lose starting defensive tackle Trysten Hill for 2020 with torn ACL

Cowboys DT Trysten Hill is done for the season.

The Dallas Cowboys knew that they were going to have a major problem on defense as they started their pre-season program, but the injury to Gerald McCoy forced a raw second-year player in Trysten Hill into the spotlight. Hill has had a rough go of it in 2020, but he suffered a serious injury just as he was starting to turn the corner.

Hill suffered a torn ACL in yesterday’s 37-34 win over the New York Giants, ending his 2020 season after just five games. Former USC defensive tackle Antwuan Woods came into the game to replace Hill after his injury.

Trysten Hill has struggled in his first season as a starter

After a college career at UCF, Hill was picked in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, as the Cowboys were betting on his athletic ability to eventually help him flourish into a stud interior pass rusher. After just seven tackles as a rookie, Hill has started all five games, recording 11 tackles and three quarterback hits. PFF hasn’t been very kind to Hill, giving him one of the worst grades of any interior lineman. 

Hill has become more known for some extracurricular activities than his play, as he was fined for two hits in a loss against the Seattle Seahawks, one of which looked like he was trying to injure running back Chris Carson. While Hill has the athletic ability to become a star, he is still figuring out how to put it all together.

This injury is clearly nowhere nearly as impactful or as horrifying as Dak Prescott’s ankle injury, but the Cowboys losing a prized second-rounder on a defensive line that is already one of the thinnest in the league is certainly not an ideal situation for Mike Nolan.