The injury woes for the Dallas Cowboys continue as the team placed defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence on the inured reserve list on Tuesday, ahead of their Week 5 game against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday Night Football.
Lawrence suffered a Lisfranc injury to his right foot during last week’s game versus the New York Giants and will miss four to eight weeks. He will not need surgery. Lawrence’s injury is a significant blow to the Dallas defense. The team says they’re preparing to play the Steelers without edge rusher Micah Parsons.
In an all-hands-on-deck move, the hobbled Cowboys signed defensive end KJ Henry off the Cincinnati Bengals practice squad. Henry played in two games for the Bengals this season—losses to the New England Patriots and Kansas City Chiefs.
Henry was the Washington Commanders’ fifth-round selection in the 2023 NFL Draft. He’s played ten games during his first two seasons, with 1.5 sacks and four tackles for losses. The Cowboys hope the former Clemson star can stabilize their defensive line during the absence of Parsons and Lawrence.
DeMarcus Lawrence was off to a hot start through the season’s first four weeks. He recorded 14 combined tackles, three sacks, and one forced fumble. Parsons, a linebacker out of Penn State, had been quiet in the early weeks, recording only one sack.
The Cowboys will move DE Carl Lawson from the practice squad for the third week, though the organization would have to add him to the 53-man roster.
These losses could spell disaster for the Cowboys, as they travel to play an improving Pittsburgh Steelers offense on Sunday Night Football. After a slow start to the 2024 campaign, the Steelers hung 24 points on the Indianapolis Colts in Week 4.