The Cowboys are spending the rest of January and first week of February doing the same as 29 other NFL teams. For a group of players, that includes surgery.
Add two Cowboys to that company.
DeMarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford had separate, successful surgeries, coach Jason Garrett said on Friday, via the Dallas Morning News. Lawrence had an operation on his back, while Crawford's was on his shoulder, and neither have a timetable to return. With plenty of time to heal and rehabilitate, this shouldn't be a cause for concern.
Offseason procedures are fairly routine in football. Each of the aforementioned Cowboys is expected to have a full recovery.
The Cowboys' pass rush was considered one of their greatest weaknesses on a team that didn't have many in 2016. Dallas' defensive line operated largely in anonymity for much of the wildly successful regular season until unheralded rusher David Irving came out of nowhere to obliterate right tackles in the final weeks of the campaign. Even after that development, it's likely Dallas pursues front-four upgrades in the offseason.
Other injury news we're tracking on Friday:
- Chiefs cornerback Marcus Peters (turf toe) is not participating in the Pro Bowl, which wasn't a surprise to the team, NFL Network's Mike Garafolo reported.
- Patriots safety Nate Ebner did not practice on Friday as he is still in concussion protocol. He hasn't practiced all week.
