Dallas Cowboys tight end John Stephens Jr. reportedly suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee, ending his season for the second straight year as he will now turn his focus onto recovery.
Stephens lost the entirety of the 2023 season after he suffered a torn ACL in his same knee and is now expected to once again undergo surgery to repair the ligament, though a timeline for the procedure has yet to be announced, according to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
The second year tight end had yet to play a snap for the Cowboys this season but was viewed as a meaningful long term piece for the front office, meaning the front office may have to begin looking at other options for next season.
Cowboys’ Head Coach Mike McCarthy said after the announcement that injuries are unfortunately “part of our industry” and he believes Stephens will be able to recover from this setback.
“Injuries are clearly the worst part of this game, in my opinion. So yeah, the other things that happened in an individual’s personal life, that’s a part of life. It’s never going to stop. I think just the most important thing is just to be there, make sure the energy and focus and everything stays constant and at the end of the day it’s about winning against San Francisco. That’s all we’re really worried about. Yeah, these things happen sometimes more than others,” he said, per ESPN.
McCarthy further explained that the team “had plans to try to get him more involved” following their bye week, noting that it was a “very unfortunate injury yesterday,” per All DLLS.
This injury comes as the Cowboys continue to deal with injuries on both offense and defense, including multiple Pro Bowl players being forced to miss games to begin the 2024 season.
Notable players who have been forced to miss at least one game this season include defensive linemen Sam Williams, Demarcus Lawrence, and Marshawn Kneeland, along with cornerback Daron Bland and linebacker Micah Parsons.
Although many expected Parsons to return for the Cowboys in their Week 9 matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, it remains unclear whether the fourth-year player will make his return.
McCarthy said on Thursday that Parsons has yet to pass the “return to play threshold” and might not return until a later date.
“Well, there’s always a threshold of return to play. He’s not over that threshold yet. Until he can get out there and cut it loose, I think when you have veteran players, the general is if they don’t practice on Saturday they’re not going to play in the game. If you’re looking for a finish line, it would be full participant player in Saturday’s practice,” he explained, according to Sports Illustrated.
