On Thursday night, the Dallas Cowboys secured a big win over the rival New York Giants but also suffered some devastating losses.
Star edge rusher Micah Parsons and starting defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence both went down with injuries.
Parsons could miss multiple weeks with his injury, while Lawrence is a “prime candidate” to be placed on injured reserve and will miss at least four weeks.
With Dallas now down their top two players on the edge, they will have to look for some reinforcements moving forward, especially after defensive end Sam Williams went down with a torn ACL early in training camp.
The Cowboys have rookie Marshawn Kneeland who will need to step up, but outside of him, Chauncey Golston, Tyrus Wheat, and Carl Lawson leave a lot to be desired.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, Dallas will explore “external options” to bolster the pass rush.
“The Cowboys are looking at external options at pass rusher with Micah Parsons(high left ankle sprain) and DeMarcus Lawrence(right midfoot sprain) going down, but they will start in-house. They are hopeful Parsons will be back sooner rather than later,” Fowler wrote.
“A source called him “week-to-week,” and he will be pushing to get back before the Week 7 bye. Lawrence’s absence is more open-ended, but it’s not a season-ender. This is a big stretch for rookie Marshawn Kneeland, on whom the Cowboys are high.”
If you’re hoping for the team to pursue, Hasson Reddick, don’t count on it because his trade cost is too steep for Dallas.
It will be interesting to see what happens in the coming days and weeks, but hopefully Jerry Jones and company act fast to bolster the depth at defensive end, because anyone with an ounce of common sense knows it’s an issue that needs to be addressed immediately.