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Unfortunately, injuries are part of the NFL season. Each week, players get hurt – with some being more serious than others. The Dallas Cowboys have dealt with quite a few injuries as of late. Let’s break down the Cowboys’ various injuries, including who is on injured reserve, their latest injury report, and more.
Which Dallas Cowboys Players Are Currently On the IR?
The following Cowboys players are currently on injured reserve:
- Dak Prescott, QB — Hamstring — Out For Season
- Amani Oruwariye, CB — Back — Eligible to Return Week 13 (IR)
- Chuma Edoga, OT — Toe — Week to Week (IR)
- Brandin Cooks, WR — Knee — Week to Week (IR)
- DeMarcus Lawrence, DE — Foot — Week to Week (IR)
- Marshawn Kneeland, DE — Meniscus — Eligible to Return Week 11 (IR)
- Earl Bostick, OT — Leg — Out For Season (IR)
- Nathan Thomas, OT — Undisclosed — Out For Season (IR)
- Sam Williams, DE — ACL — Out For Season (Reserve SUS)
- John Stephens, TE — ACL — Out For Season (IR)
Which Cowboys Players Are On the Injury Report?
The following Cowboys players were listed on the team’s most-recent injury report ahead of their Week 8 showdown against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday Night Football.
- DaRon Bland, CB — Foot — Out
- CeeDee Lamb, WR — Back — Questionable
- Jourdan Lewis, CB — Neck — Out
- Hunter Luepke, FB — Calf — Out
What Is IR and How Does It Work?
IR stands for injured reserve. A player is added to IR if they are dealing with a football-related injury and will miss a significant period of time. Players on the IR list don't count against the active roster, meaning teams can sign temporary replacements without going over the maximum 53 players.
If a player is placed on the IR list prior to the start of the season, their season is over. If they are placed on the list during the season, they must miss a minimum of four games before they can return.
Once a player is healthy enough to practice, they must be designated for a return. This designation clears the player to resume practicing and triggers a 21-day window during which the team must either activate the player onto the 53-man roster or place them on season-ending injured reserve.
Teams can designate up to eight players for return from injured reserve during the season. However, each player can be designated for return only twice.
The physically unable to perform (PUP) list and non-football injury (NFI) list have similar rules. The PUP list is a roster designation for players who were injured before training camp. The NFI list is for players who suffered an injury away from football or prior to entering the NFL (like during their collegiate career).
When Do NFL Injury Reports Come Out?
A team’s practice reports are different from the weekly injury report. The practice report details whether injured players were able to participate in practice. There are three levels of player participation in the practice report: Did Not Participate, Limited Participation, and Full Participation. The league defines limited participation as anything less than 100% of a player’s normal repetitions.
Teams are required to put out a practice report three times during the week leading up to the game. For Sunday games, teams must release their practice reports on Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday. For a Monday Night Football game, practice reports must be released on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. For a Thursday Night Football game, they are released on Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday.
Finally, the injury report (or game-status report) is where players are designated as questionable, doubtful, or out. For Sunday games, the injury report must be released by 4 p.m. ET on Friday. For Monday Night Football games, it must be released by 4 p.m. ET on Saturday. For Thursday Night Football games, it must be released by 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday. The team must report if a player's condition changes after the initial injury report is released.