The Dallas Cowboys may be without two key offensive players for multiple weeks due to injuries that could put wide receiver Ceedee Lamb and offensive guard Tyler Booker on the injured reserve.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones discussed the injuries and said the franchise is considering placing both players on the IR, though he noted that the team will take some time to make a final decision.
“We’ll watch it a few more days. We don’t have to decide right now,” he said, per Todd Archer.
Although placing both Lamb and Booker on the IR will allow the Cowboys to sign additional players in their absence, it would also guarantee that two of the most important offensive players miss a minimum of four games.
As previously reported by The Dallas Express, Lamb suffered a high ankle sprain during the team’s Week 3 loss to the Chicago Bears and is expected to miss multiple weeks, though placement on the IR was not initially expected as the outcome.
Now, a potential placement on the IR seems more realistic than initially expected.
Similarly, the team announced on Monday that Booker also suffered a high ankle sprain and is likely to miss a significant amount of time as a result, with Archer stating that the offensive guard is expected to be out between four and six weeks due to the injury.
Dallas will now be without a second offensive lineman early in the season, as center Cooper Beebe has already been placed on the IR due to a high ankle sprain, with the expectation that he will miss another five to seven weeks.
Currently, Brock Hoffman is filling in for Beebe while he recovers from his ankle injury, while T.J. Bass now stands out as the most likely player who will step in at right guard, with Booker expected to miss time.
Luckily, the Cowboys have a chance to weather the storm over the coming weeks due to a relatively easy stretch of the schedule, though a Week 4 game against the Green Bay Packers could be a difficult matchup to win.
Following this tough matchup, the Cowboys have two games against the New York Jets and Carolina Panthers, which stand out as two games that this team could win without Lamb or Booker.
Although there are winnable games during this stretch, the Cowboys’ defense must take a step forward to help the offensive unit, as this group has been one of the least productive in the NFL to begin the season.