FRISCO, TX — It was a convincing win for the Dallas Cowboys over the Cleveland Browns in Week 1, crushing them 33-17 at Huntington Bank Stadium, and the Cowboys remained mostly unscathed — the key word being “mostly.” However, they lost Pro Bowl tight end Jake Ferguson to a knee injury in the third quarter and did not return to the contest.
He would reach 15 yards on three catches.
Ferguson was seen walking unassisted from the dressing room after the game, without a knee brace or crutches, with only an ice pack taped to his knee. Initial tests showed his anterior cruciate ligament was intact, but an MRI scan was scheduled for Monday morning in Dallas.
The news was good, as Ferguson shared on social media.
According to multiple reports, including NFL.com, Ferguson only suffered a strained medial ligament during the attack, and the injury is far from season-ending. He will likely be out for some time, and the extent of it is yet to be determined, but all in all, this is great news for Ferguson and the Cowboys.
After the game, All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott spoke to the media about Ferguson’s status and value to the offense.
“I don’t even start talking about what we would miss, (because) I think we dodged a big mistake,” Prescott said. “… Just talking to him gave me a lot of confidence that he’s going to be OK and that he’s going to be able to respond. And whether it’s nothing or whether it’s a couple of weeks, I know I can’t even think about what we would miss about this guy.
“Just his mentality, what he brings to the game, where we’ve grown and our connection. We’ll be fine. He’ll be fine.”
Just a few hours later, Prescott’s words came true and the Cowboys were able to breathe a collective sigh of relief at the news, even if they have to adjust in the meantime.
That adjustment will largely consist of undrafted rookie tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford and second-year talent John Stephens Jr. taking on the bulk of the work that would have otherwise fallen to Ferguson, with former second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker helping them in that area; and Princeton Fant will likely be brought up from the practice squad on game days to assist tight ends coach Lunda Wells.
Stephens, however, was unable to play in the season opener due to a hamstring injury, so he will need to get healthy again to play in what will be his NFL debut in 2023 following a torn ACL suffered as a rookie.
While Schoonmaker is actually able to catch the football, he makes his money by blocking, while Spann-Ford and Stephens do the opposite: They make their living by being able to catch the ball and make life difficult for smaller linebackers and nickel corners with their athleticism.
Ferguson is coming off a stellar season and his production will not be easy to replace. However, with the Cowboys not risking putting Spann-Ford on the waivers list, there is enough talent in him to replace some of that.
