The Cowboys won the battle against the Giants in Week 4’s Thursday night battle. But they may well have lost the wider war, as the team suffered significant injuries to star defenders Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence.
The team is certain to be without Lawrence for at least four weeks, as he hit the injured reserve with a foot injury. But the Dallas Morning News reports that Lawrence could be out as long as eight weeks as he suffered a broken bone—a Lisfranc injury—in his right foot.
The news is better on Parsons, who suffered an ankle injury and was carted off the field in the Giants win. Parsons is not likely to play in Week 5, but it is possible. Either way, he won’t have to hit the IR, which is worthy of a sigh of relief in Dallas.
“I think Micah is week to week,” said executive vice president Stephen Jones to 105.3 The Fan last week, via the Cowboys’ website. “Every player is different in how their body responds, so Micah is week to week. We haven’t ruled him out this week, for that matter.
“We’ll just see how things go.”
With their already banged-up defense taking yet more slings and arrows, the folks at Bleacher Report have a suggestion for the Cowboys: At least give Frank Clark a look-see.
Frank Clark Has Earned 3 Pro Bowl Spots
Clark is a 31-year-old veteran and three-time Pro Bowl defensive end who won championships in Kansas City in both 2019 and 2022. Clark was let go by the Chiefs after the second championship, and bounced between the Broncos and Seahawks last year, playing just 178 snaps on the year.
He might not have much left as an NFL-level pass-rusher, but it would be worthwhile for the Cowboys to find out.
As B/R wrote: “Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence went down with injuries on Thursday and both could miss a significant amount of time. While the Cowboys have Carl Lawson to turn to, it couldn’t hurt to add one more veteran into the mix.
“Clark was released by two teams last season, but he did log five sacks in 2022 with the Chiefs, so it might be worth it for the Cowboys to at least bring him in for a workout and see if he has anything left in the tank.”
Cowboys Will Elevate Carl Lawson, Consider Options
As it stands, the Cowboys will elevate Carl Lawson, the former Bengals and Jets star, from the practice squad to take over one of the pass-rushing spots. Lawson has played 30 snaps in two games thus far for the Cowboys, and played only six games in New York last year before he fell out with the team’s coaching staff.
The Morning News reported, “Discussions about potential roster moves are ongoing, but the current plan is to elevate defensive end Carl Lawson from practice squad for Sunday’s game against Pittsburgh, while bringing in several other players for workouts.”
The Cowboys’ backups are Marshawn Kneeland and Chauncey Golston. On the season, Golston has one sack and eight tackles in four games and Kneeland has eight tackles and three quarterback hits.
If Parsons is healthy enough to go in Week 5, the Cowboys might not need to make further moves, provided Lawson is up to the task of being in the end rotation.
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Cowboys Urged to Add 2-Time Super Bowl Champ to Replace DeMarcus Lawrence