The Dallas Cowboys are hoping for some good news on the injury front Sunday night. That might be asking for a lot after their emphatic opening salvo of the 2024 season earlier in the day, but hope for it they will. The Cowboys traveled to Cleveland, OH to take on the AFC’s Browns in the season opener in a matchup of two playoff squads from 2023.
Dallas escaped the Dawg Pound with a 33-17 win that was nowhere near as close as the 16-point final margin would indicate; it was a thorough beatdown from all three phases of the team. But there was one huge question mark on every fans’ minds following the game. Would tight end Jake Ferguson be okay?
Ferguson, a 2023 Pro Bowler in his second season after hauling in 71 receptions, had just three catches for 15 yards in this contest. But fans know how integral he is in the passing offense so when he went down with a leg injury in the third quarter, Cowboys Nation collectively held their breath.
With just over six minutes remaining in the third quarter, Ferguson caught a short, first-down pass from QB Dak Prescott, when he was tackled awkwardly by linebacker Jordan Hicks who landed on his lower leg.
It seems though that the worst concern has been avoided, that his ACL is intact, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer, via Twitter.
According to multiple sources, the ACL looks to be intact upon initial testing of TE Jake Ferguson. Again, he will undergo an MRI on Monday to determine the injury and if he will miss time.
Ferguson isn’t out of the woods, but it does seem that he will be able to rejoin the club at some point during the season and there is a window where it’s sooner rather than later.
Archer’s confirmation comes on the heels of The Athletic’s Jon Machota sharing the words of quarterback Dak Prescott, who first indicated that serious injury was avoided.
Dak Prescott said he got good news from Jake Ferguson about his knee injury. Prescott: “I think we dodged a big one. Talking to him, he gave me a lot of confidence that he’ll be OK.”
Without Ferguson, 2023 second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker assumes the mantle as the team’s top tight end. UDFA rookie Brevyn Ford is the third string and the club also has second-year man John Stephens, Jr., though he was inactive with a hamstring injury on Sunday.
Second-year tight end Princeton Fant is on the club’s practice squad.