Twenty-four hours after Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence made a surprise appearance on the Wednesday injury report with an apparent foot issue, there seems to be a difference of opinion on how concerning the situation actually is.
It all depends on who’s answering the question.
When Mike McCarthy was asked about Lawrence’s foot on Thursday, the head coach didn’t sound particularly worried about the ninth-year edge rusher.
“It was an injury in the game [Sunday], but we’ve always taken care of DeMarcus on Wednesdays,” McCarthy told reporters at the top of his Thursday morning press conference. “Just being smart with him. The intent is for him to play on Sunday.”
Lawrence ranks second on the team in sacks and has played 62% of the defensive unit’s snaps this season. While his absence would be a significant blow with games against two top NFC squads coming within the next week, McCarthy chalked up the injury report add as a veteran’s rest day and said Lawrence would take it easy again in Thursday’s padded practice.
“He’ll be limited again today.”
For the next eleven minutes the coach was at the podium, Lawrence’s name wasn’t brought up again.
Shortly after, he was seen working with Cowboys director of rehabilitation Britt Brown prior to the team portion of practice.
DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) working on resistance cords during today’s practice. He’s still expected to play Sunday pic.twitter.com/aeqdRYQ01t
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) November 17, 2022
But Lawrence himself painted a different picture when asked about his foot later in the day.
The two-time All-Pro also said he expects to play in Week 11, but he also admitted that he’s working through injuries on both feet, and more than just normal midseason dings.
“Right knee hurts worse than the feet,” he said, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News. “I’m dealing with so much right now. Just trying to stay focused on the task at hand.”
Lawrence, 30, said that the left foot injury sustained in Green Bay could even be related to the fracture he suffered to the same foot last September. That injury required surgery and sidelined him for 10 games.
Ed Werder of ESPN tweeted that “Lawrence didn’t completely dismiss” the possibility that he suffered a repeat fracture.
But the former second-round pick says he’ll soldier on.
“It’s all about trying to maintain what I have but also taking care of me throughout the week so I can be fresh [on Sunday],” he said, according to Jon Machota of The Athletic.
Contradicting what Coach McCarthy had anticipated, Lawrence showed up on Thursday’s practice report as a non-participant.
[listicle id=705462]
[listicle id=705471]
[listicle id=705489]
[lawrence-newsletter]