The Dallas Cowboys rebounded from a Week 6 loss with a solid performance against the Detroit Lions in Week 7, but they’ve also lost a key player for the 2022 season.
Injuries have been an issue for Dallas in 2022, despite the team now improving to 5-2. Injury recovery for wide receivers Michael Gallup and James Washington have been major talking points and quarterback Dak Prescott has just returned after missing five games with a fractured thumb.
Now, the Cowboys will need to figure out a solution at corner. According to ESPN reporter Todd Archer, Jourdan Lewis suffered a serious lisfranc injury against the Lions and has already had surgery.
“There’s no waiting on foot surgery for Jourdan Lewis,” Archer tweeted on October 23. “Source said he’s having it tonight. Major injury. Long road back. Big loss for the Cowboys.”
Before the injury was confirmed, Dallas Morning News’ David Moore explained that it will likely be Lewis’ final appearance for the Cowboys in 2022.
“It appears Jourdan Lewis’ season is done,” Moore tweeted. “The veteran CB suffered what is believed to be a Lisfranc fracture of his right foot on his interception, people w/ knowledge of the injury said. Rookie DaRon Bland will now move into Lewis’ role.”
Lewis Started 2022 Strong
While 2021 All-Pro corner Trevon Diggs understandably wins the headlines, the Cowboys have had a lot to be excited about when it comes to Lewis this season. As a sixth-year veteran, Dallas knows what Lewis brings to the table, but he was showing some of his best work in 2022.
According to Pro Football Reference, Lewis has allowed an opposing QB rating of just 74.2 and has not given up a touchdown this season. His opposing completion percentage of 73.9% isn’t amazing, but he is allowing just 9.3 yards on an average completion.
What may be the most unfortunate is that Lewis got his first interception of the season on the way to his injury. Dallas was still in a tight 10-6 game in the fourth quarter when Lewis picked off Lions QB Jared Goff.
If you’re going to go out, go out with a bang. Jourdan Lewis gets an INT on what will likely be the last play of his season. #DallasCowboys save $5M cutting him in the offseason so his career may be done in Dallas #DC4L
As Moore mentioned above, the next man up is now Bland, who will join Diggs and fellow starting CB Anthony Brown as the nickel corner.
Cowboys Rookie Making an Impact Early
Lewis being ruled out for the season definitely stings, but it helps that Dallas has seen early contributions from Bland. The Dallas rookie joined the squad after being drafted in the fifth round of the 2022 NFL draft and has shown he can adapt to the NFL.
Due to a previous injury to Lewis, Bland got a significant amount of defensive snaps against the Washington Commanders in Week 4. Of his 66 defensive snaps this year, 59 of them came against Washington.
Bland made it count, bringing down his first NFL interception to put an exclamation point on an NFC East victory.
Daron Bland First Career INT
It’s a great moment for Bland, who will get plenty of opportunities in the coming weeks. That being said, Dallas still has until November 1 to make a trade for a new corner if they don’t feel confident in Bland or their defensive back group as a whole.
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Cowboys Star Suffers Season-Ending Injury in Win Over Lions