DeMarcus Lawrence injury update: Cowboys DE diagnosis, timeline for return revealed

Dallas Cowboys (2-2) defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is dealing with a Lisfranc injury to his right foot and is likely headed to injured reserve, according to Todd Archer of ESPN.

While the injury does not require surgery, he could be sidelined up to 4-8 weeks, Archer noted.

Lawrence, 32, suffered the injury in Thursday’s 20-15 Week 4 win over the New York Giants (1-3). He limped off the field during the third quarter and then made his way to the locker room to get an X-ray, which came back negative. After the game, Lawrence didn’t seem too overly concerned about the injury.

“I’ll be back in no time,” Lawrence said after the game.

He added: “Sh*t hurts, but it’ll be all right.”

Cowboys lose DeMarcus Lawrence, Micah Parsons in Week 4 win over Giants

Further examination showed the injury to be worse than originally thought of, and that means Dallas will be without one of its defensive leaders for the foreseeable future. Unfortunately for Dallas, Lawrence wasn’t the only defensive stalwart to go down with an injury against New York. Star linebacker Micah Parsons was diagnosed with a high-ankle sprain Friday and his status going forward is to be determined.

Head coach Mike McCarthy admitted Friday that both Lawrence and Parsons’ injuries “are worse than we anticipated.”

“Both Micah and DeMarcus Lawrence (are getting second opinions… D-Law’s is worse than Micah’s,” McCarthy said. “I don’t have a specific timeline, but we’ll get into that a little deeper on Monday. … They are worse than we anticipated.”

Lawrence, the 10-year veteran, was off to a fast start in 2024. Through four games, he compiled a team-leading 3.0 sacks, 14 tackles (seven solo), four tackles for loss, five quarterback hits and one forced fumble. Parsons, the two-time All-Pro, remains the face of the Cowboys’ defense, having tallied 41.5 sacks in 54 games throughout his career.

The Cowboys have their work cut out for them with the Pittsburgh Steelers (3-0), Detroit Lions (2-1) and San Francisco 49ers (1-2) on the schedule in October.