Tag: ACL tear

Cowboys lose up-and-coming weapon to another ACL injury

From @ToddBrock24f7: The 2nd-year tight end suffered the same injury to the same knee last preseason. He’s expected to undergo surgery and miss the rest of 2024.

Just as the Cowboys were starting to look like they were getting healthy coming off the bye week, a promising emerging talent has suffered a brutal setback to his young career.

Tight end John Stephens Jr. tore an ACL in Wednesday’s practice, according to a report from ESPN’s Todd Archer, who cited sources.

The 25-year-old joined the club as an undrafted free agent last spring. A wide receiver at both TCU and Louisiana, the 6-foot-5-inch Stephens was converted to tight end during his rookie training camp with the Cowboys.

While the team had high hopes for Stephens, his first pro campaign was lost to an ACL injury in the second game of the 2023 preseason.

This latest injury is to the same knee; Stephens is expected to undergo surgery and be placed once again on season-ending IR.

Stephens had not been active for a game yet in 2024, but the team had positive reviews for him and his development.

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Jake Ferguson remains the starter at the position in Dallas. Behind him are Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford. Princeton Fant occupies a spot on the practice squad.

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Cowboys lose 2 rising stars for ’23 season to ACL tears

From ToddBrock24f7: LB DeMarvion Overshown and TE John Stephens Jr. will see their rookie seasons end with ACL tears suffered on the turf in Seattle.

When it rains, it pours. Especially in Seattle.

The Cowboys fell in their second preseason game to the Seahawks by a 22-14 score, but their personnel losses are far more devastating, with much longer repercussions.

Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and tight end John Stephens Jr., both rookies who had turned in very impressive training camp performances, suffered torn ACLs at Lumen Field on Saturday night.

Both rookies underwent MRIs on Sunday upon returning to the Metroplex; both are now lost for the entire 2023 season.

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Utah’s Cam Rising continues to be on schedule in rehab from ACL tear

Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham offers an update on quarterback Cam Rising.

In a recent interview with Josh Newman of The Salt Lake Tribune, Utah Utes head coach Kyle Whittingham offered an update on Utes start quarterback Cam Rising.

“Whittingham told The Salt Lake Tribune last week in a wide-ranging interview that Rising is on, if not ahead of schedule in his recovery,” Newman said in his article regarding Rising’s return. He suffered an ACL tear in the first half of Utah’s Rose Bowl 35-21 defeat to Penn State on January 2.

However, while he remains on schedule, it still is unclear if he will be ready for week one of the Utes season when they host the Florida Gators on August 31. Newman notes that for Rising to play in their season opener he would likely have to be available to practice at least by the mid-way point of the Utes fall camp.

“If he’s not ready until a few days before the game, it’s unlikely he would play in that game because he just wouldn’t be completely sharp in all other areas,” Whittingham also said in the interview.

For Rising, the ACL injury marked the second-straight season he suffered an injury in the Rose Bowl which kept him from finishing the game. In the 2022 Rose Bowl, Rising suffered a concussion early in the fourth quarter against Ohio State. The Utes would eventually go on to lose 48-45 on a field goal as time expired.

Rising, entering his sixth year of college football completed 64.7% of his passes in the 2022 season for 3,034 yards and 26 touchdowns while also adding 465 yards and six additional touchdowns on the ground.

If Rising is unavailable for the Utes’ season opener on August 31, the Utes will decide between fourth-year quarterback Bryson Barnes and a pair of second-year quarterbacks, Brandon Rose and Nate Johnson.

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ACL tear claims Cowboys RT Terence Steele for rest of season, playoffs

The third-year undrafted lineman had played over 95% of the team’s offensive snaps this season; Jason Peters stepped in Sunday as a fill-in. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Tests performed Monday have confirmed what the Cowboys feared Sunday. Starting right tackle Terence Steele suffered a torn ACL during the team’s 27-23 win over Houston in Week 14 and will be lost for the rest of the season and playoffs.

Steele, the 25-year-old in his third season after going undrafted out of Texas Tech, had played over 95% of the offensive snaps for Dallas this season before the second-quarter injury in which he was rolled into during a pass play.

He needed considerable help from the team’s training staff in getting off the field.

Josh Ball came on in relief of Steele, but was largely ineffective. Ball was replaced for the game’s final drive by nine-time Pro Bowler Jason Peters. Peters is a traditional left tackle who had also seen time playing left guard this year for the Cowboys, his first with the team. The 40-year-old had not taken a snap at the right tackle position since 2005.

“Man, I had no idea that I was gonna do that,” Peters said following the win, via the team website. “The O-line started going down, and they dressed me for a reason, so I just went in and tried to help the team out and get the win.”

Steele saw 14 starts in his rookie season of 2020 and then saw profound improvement in 2021 filling in for the suspended La’El Collins and even starting in place of an injured Tyron Smith at left tackle. The 320-pounder capped off his sophomore year by catching a touchdown pass against Washington.

Steele’s more-than-solid performance helped make Collins expendable in the offseason and cemented his own place in the 2022 Cowboys starting lineup at right tackle.

Peters as a break-glass-in-case-of-emergency option worked on Sunday. But with Steele lost, now the Cowboys will need to devise a plan for the regular slate’s final four games and the postseason.

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Report: Cowboys WR Michael Gallup to have surgery for ACL tear

Michael Gallup has been waiting since January 2 to have his left knee repaired; then he’ll have to wait to learn if he remains in Dallas. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Michael Gallup’s fourth season in the NFL has been marked by a series of long waits. His latest wait is about to come to an end, but it won’t be his last.

The Cowboys wide receiver suffered an ACL tear in Week 17, the team’s penultimate game of the regular season, a loss to Arizona. He’ll finally undergo surgery to repair the ligament next week, according to a report from Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

Cowboys head team physician Dr. Dan Cooper will perform the procedure, per Gehlken’s source. Gallup is expected to be ready for the start of the 2022 season, though his future with the Cowboys remains unclear.

The former third-round draft pick out of Colorado State entered 2021 looking to put up big numbers in a contract year, but a calf injury sustained in the season opener relegated him to the sideline until Week 10. Upon his return, he tallied 31 more receptions, 409 additional yards, and a pair of touchdowns prior to the left knee injury against the Cardinals (which came on an acrobatic scoring grab). He was put on injured reserve to finish the season.

Gehlken notes that ACL injuries typically involve a delay of multiple weeks before surgery, to allow “for symptoms like swelling to improve, which studies have shown to facilitate post-operation rehabilitation.”

With a long list of players about to hit free agency, the Cowboys will have a decision to make on Gallup. Fellow wideout Amari Cooper currently commands a large contract; if the club opts to retain him, it is widely assumed they may move on from Gallup. Releasing or trading Cooper would ostensibly free up enough money to issue the 25-year-old a new deal and have funds left over for other players.

Gallup logged a 1,000-yard season in 2019 and scored a career-high six touchdowns- in only 14 games- in just his second year in the league. His numbers trailed off last season, but much of that drop can be attributed to the revolving door at the quarterback position in Dallas following the injury to quarterback Dak Prescott in Week 5.

What happens next for Gallup may come down to whether he showed the Cowboys enough in nine games this season to warrant betting on him over a four-time Pro Bowler.

That means more waiting for Gallup.

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‘He said he felt it pop’: ACL tear confirmed for Cowboys WR Michael Gallup

The fourth-year wide receiver made an acrobatic catch even after suffering the injury. MRI results have confirmed a clean ACL tear. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Elation over Michael Gallup’s acrobatic touchdown grab late in the second quarter of the Cowboys’ Week 17 game against Arizona was quickly tempered by the realization that he had injured himself making the catch.

Now frustration over the team’s eventual 25-22 loss to the Cardinals is compounded by the confirmation that whatever Dallas does in the postseason, it will have to do without their talented fourth-year receiver. NFL insider Ian Rapoport reported Monday afternoon that Gallup’s MRI results show a clean ACL tear.

Gallup’s injury looked immediately serious as the Colorado State product lay on the turf, clutching at his left knee. While he was able to make it to the sideline with assistance, he was ruled out for the rest of the contest in short order, with suspicions of the worst coming from the sideline.

Those suspicions were echoed by team owner Jerry Jones following the game, but were not confirmed until Monday’s MRI.

Gallup finished the day with three catches and 36 yards- including the Cowboys’ first touchdown of the day- on four targets from quarterback Dak Prescott.

“It was tough,” Prescott said after the game of losing Gallup. “It was very tough. And then obviously, just coming in at halftime and going to see him. Just unfortunate. He’s a guy that I love, a teammate. Can’t get a better teammate that M.G. Sick about it. I mean, obviously, [he] did a hell of a job going up and getting the touchdown. Honestly, I haven’t seen it, I haven’t seen the play, [I] don’t know how he did it. I didn’t see the replay of the catch. But I know I put it up there, and he went and did what M.G. does.”

“You saw his play-making ability,” fellow wideout Amari Cooper explained to reporters. “He said that he felt it pop before he caught the ball. He’s tough enough to go up and still make the play, and he knew he was hurt. It speaks to how tough M.G. is and how much of a baller he is. It’s unfortunate that he went down like that. He’ll be all right, and I know he’ll come back better.”

Gallup ends the season with just 35 receptions for 445 yards and two touchdowns. He suffered a calf injury in the season opener and missed Weeks 2 through 9 as a result.

While the “clean tear” of his ACL will make for an easier rehab, the former third-round draft pick will now prepare to test the free agent waters while seriously injured.

On Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones said Monday that the injury would not change the team’s approach to Gallup this offseason.

“I know he was looking forward to what free agency was going to bring & hopefully right here in Dallas,” he said per a tweet from USA Today’s Jori Epstein. “We know we have our (cap) challenges here but no one thinks more of Michael Gallup than the Dallas Cowboys, his teammates, the coaching staff and the organization. Just a class act all the way.”

Gallup himself was on Twitter before Sunday’s game was even over, voicing his support of Cedrick Wilson, the teammate who replaced him in the second half and scored a fourth-quarter touchdown.

Jones called Gallup’s injury, “obviously…a very difficult blow,” as per Epstein, adding, “he’ll come back strong & better than ever & ultimately Michael will get his.”

Whether or not it comes from the Cowboys or another club remains to be seen.

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LB Jabril Cox to miss remainder of Cowboys’ season with ACL tear

Cox was injured on a third-quarter play while in punt coverage; he had been a heavy special teams contributor in his rookie season. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The injury bug has bitten the Cowboys repeatedly over the team’s first seven games, though most of the cases have been relatively minor, with the affected players missing just sporadic or limited time.

But now a promising young playmaker has been lost for the season.

As Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News is reporting, rookie linebacker Jabril Cox suffered an ACL tear in Sunday night’s win over Minnesota and is out for the remainder of the 2021 campaign.

The injury occurred during the third quarter of the Week 8 win; Cox was injured on punt coverage. Unable to put pressure on his right leg after the play was over, he was helped to the sideline medical tent and then carted from to the locker room.

He left the Vikings’ stadium on crutches and received an MRI on Monday, confirming the tear.

Cox himself posted a message to Twitter shortly after news of the severity of his injury went public.

A fourth-round draft pick out of LSU, Cox had been a heavy contributor on special teams, logging over 55% of the unit’s snaps in each of the Cowboys’ previous six games. He had seen just nine game snaps thus far with the regular defense, but it had been thought that the recent departure of Jaylon Smith might result in more time at linebacker for the 23-year-old Cox.

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Cowboys’ Jarwin works out, ACL recovery moving forward

Blake Jarwin suffered a torn ACL in the Cowboys season opener. He made his first appearance since at practice on Friday doing rehab.

The injury report for the Dallas Cowboys in 2020 has been a topic of discussion far too often. Tyron Smith (neck) was shut down after the Cowboy’s loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 4, and Dak Prescott (ankle) met the same fate a week later against the New York Giants. However, the Cowboy’s in-season injury nightmare began when tight end Blake Jarwin torn his ACL in the season opener against the Los Angeles Rams.

He was placed on injured reserve on September 15, officially putting an end to what was supposed to be a breakout year Jarwin. There was an early sign of encouragement at Cowboys practice Friday however, as Jarwin was seen working out with an athletic trainer, per Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

Jarwin burst on to the scene in the Cowboys season finale in 2018. He hauled in seven passes for 119 yards and three touchdowns and looked like the obvious successor to Jason Witten who retired after the 2017 season. Unfortunately for Jarwin, he was reduced to a reserved role when Witten returned in 2019 for his last season in Dallas before signing with the Las Vegas Raiders.

Dalton Schultz has done very well in his absence with 44 receptions and three touchdowns. When healthy, Jarwin is the Cowboys top receiving option at the tight end slot. He’s expected to make a full recovery and will be ready for the 2021 season, and the Cowboys will be hoping that he gets back to TE1 form quickly.

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Marquise Blair and Bruce Irvin out for season with ACL injuries

Seattle Seahawks defensive back Marquise Blair and linebacker Bruce Irvin are both out for the season after sustaining ACL injuries Week 2.

Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll finally confirmed the bad news that had been circulating around all Monday. Seahawks defensive back Marquise Blair and linebacker Bruce Irvin will undergo ACL surgeries in the near future and their seasons are now over.

“Right off the top, both Bruce and Marquise are gonna have to have surgery and that means they will be done for the season,” Carroll told reporters during his afternoon press conference. “Which is really a big blow. I know a lot of teams lost players this weekend and we certainly felt it with both those guys.”

Blair and Irvin had both sustained their knee injuries during the Week-2 matchup against the Patriots on Sunday night and had to leave the game.

“Both those guys have a lot to offer your team in their attitude, approach and style of play,”  Carroll continued. “So it will be difficult to replace those guys in that regard . . .  We’re gonna miss those guys, I feel terrible for them.”

Blair and Irvin are undoubtedly headed to the injured reserve and Carroll said their replacements won’t be announced until later in the week.

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Report: Seahawks fear linebacker Bruce Irvin could have ACL tear

The Seattle Seahawks fear that linebacker Bruce Irvin sustained an ACL tear, not just a knee sprain Week 2 against the New England Patriots.

Sunday was a rough day around the National Football League, as a number of players succumbed to what could be season-ending injuries. Seattle Seahawks linebacker Bruce Irvin could now be one of those players.

“Seahawks fear that OLB Bruce Irvin tore his ACL, per source, and he will undergo more tests to confirm if fears are warranted,” ESPN’s Adam Schefter tweeted Monday morning.

Irvin’s original prognosis after the game indicated an injury much less severe.

“He has a sprained knee,” coach Pete Carroll had told reporters. “That’s the word, that’s what I was told. He was walking around and in the locker room afterward. So, we’ll see what happens there.”

Carroll is scheduled to speak to the media Monday afternoon at 3:00 p.m. PT and could have a further update by then.

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