According to the Dallas Morning News, Dallas Cowboys rookie defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence is expected to miss 8 to 12 weeks with a fractured foot. The injury occurred during a Cowboys training camp practice on Tuesday, July 29th.
If the 8-12 week timetable holds true for Lawrence, it's worth noting 8 weeks from today is September 24th, and 12 weeks would be October 22nd. So Lawrence could miss anywhere from four to seven games. And that's not to mention the valuable training camp and preseason time he will be missing as a rookie.
Lawrence was the Cowboys second round selection in the 2014 NFL Draft. Dallas traded the Nos. 47 and 78 overall picks to move up 13 spots to grab Lawrence.
This appears to be a significant loss for a Cowboys defense that has already lost some key players in the 2014 offseason. Linebacker DeMarcus Ware (salary cap casualty) and defensive lineman Jason Hatcher both left in free agency while the oft-injured Sean Lee suffered an ACL injury in the spring that ended his 2014 season.
The 2013 Cowboys defense allowed the third most yards in NFL history. It'll be interesting to see how they fare in 2014 considering these losses. Something tells me that Philadelphia Eagles coach Chip Kelly is looking forward to matching up the Eagles offense against that weakened Dallas unit.