Micah Parsons. Trevon Diggs. Dak Prescott. These are among the Dallas Cowboys‘ star players, the headliners of a talent-laden roster — and all three players have missed significant time in 2024 after “catching the injury bug”.
Dallas‘ injuries are a key reason why the Cowboys have underperformed relative to expectation and Super Bowl hype this season — and the injuries may also keep embattled head coach Mike McCarthy in his role beyond January. The absence of Prescott in particular has been especially noteworthy, as he was only a couple months removed from inking a market-setting $60 million per year contract extension before he sustained a season-ending hamstring tear.
Related:
Lamb needs shoulder surgery
Even though the 7-8 Cowboys have already been eliminated from playoff contention, the focus in Dallas has been on ending the season as strongly as possible. To that end, Dallas has won four of its past five games…but its roster may look unrecognizable by the time Week 18 rolls around.
Star wide receiver Ceedee Lamb has joined the walking wounded in Dallas, and his season is over following a shoulder injury aggravated during the Cowboys’ home win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday. Lamb, who signed a huge contract extension himself over the summer, will need surgery to repair the damage, putting part of his offseason regimen in jeopardy as the Cowboys look to improve in 2025.
The book therefore closes on Lamb’s productive 2024 season, in which he did not approach the high water marks of 2023 (when he set career highs for targets, receptions, yards, and touchdowns) but remained a top-tier receiver anyway. The former Oklahoma Sooner caught 101 passes for 1,194 yards and six touchdowns, his fourth successive 1,000-yard campaign.
With Dallas playing for nothing but pride and draft positioning, the choice was made to end Lamb’s season, just as the decision was made not to rush back Prescott and to shut down Diggs. Cowboys fans can only hope that luck is on their team’s side in 2025 as Dallas makes another plan to return to the playoffs.
