The Dallas Cowboys are hoping for some good injury news on Sunday night. That may be a lot to ask after their emphatic start to the 2024 season earlier in the day, but they’re hoping for it. The Cowboys traveled to Cleveland, Ohio, to face the AFC’s Browns in the season opener, a matchup of two 2023 playoff teams.
Dallas escaped the Dawg Pound with a 33-17 victory that wasn’t nearly as close as the 16-point margin suggested; it was a thorough beating of all three phases of the team. But after the game, there was a big question mark in the minds of all fans. Would tight end Jake Ferguson be OK?
Ferguson, who is in his second Pro Bowl season in 2023 after catching 71 passes, caught just three passes for 15 yards in this game. But fans know how important he is in the passing offense, and when he went down with a leg injury in the third quarter, Cowboys Nation held its collective breath.
With just over six minutes left in the third quarter, Ferguson caught a short first-down pass from quarterback Dak Prescott, but was unluckily tackled by linebacker Jordan Hicks, who landed on his lower leg.
However, the worst fears seem to have been averted: his anterior cruciate ligament is intact, as ESPN’s Todd Archer announced on Twitter.
According to multiple sources, TE Jake Ferguson’s anterior cruciate ligament appears intact in initial testing. He will undergo another MRI on Monday to assess the injury and determine if he will miss time.
Ferguson is not out of the woods yet, but it looks like he could return to the club at some point during the season and there is a chance that will be sooner rather than later.
Archer’s confirmation came shortly after The Athletic’s Jon Machota shared the words of quarterback Dak Prescott, who first stated that a serious injury had been avoided.
Dak Prescott said he received good news from Jake Ferguson regarding his knee injury. Prescott: “I think we avoided a serious injury. In talking with him, he gave me a lot of confidence that he’s going to be OK.”
Without Ferguson, 2023 second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker takes over as the team’s top tight end. UDFA rookie Brevyn Ford is the third pick and the club also has second-year player John Stephens Jr., who was unable to play Sunday due to a hamstring injury.
Tight end Princeton Fant is in his second year on the club’s practice squad.
