The Cowboys saw the return of their starting quarterback yesterday but lost a first-teamer on defense during yesterday’s win over the Lions. Slot corner Jourdan Lewis suffered a Lisfranc injury and has undergone season-ending surgery, per ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Lewis suffered the injury on the play in which he recorded his first interception of the campaign. It marks an end to his sixth season in the league, all of which have been spent in Dallas, and a significant blow to the Cowboys’ secondary. 2022 had been the third consecutive season – and fourth overall – in which Lewis logged a starter’s workload, with 79 percent overall snap share.
The 27-year-old had also dealt with a hamstring issue during the preseason but was able to recover in time for Week 1. In six-plus contests this year, Lewis notched 26 tackles, one sack, and one pass deflection to go along with the interception. Expectations were high for him after he set new career highs in picks (three) and PBUs (11) last season.
Instead, this injury could leave the former fourth-rounder’s Cowboys future in question. Lewis is under contract for one more season after he inked a three-year deal last March. He is due $4.5M in salary in 2023 but has a scheduled cap hit of over $6.1M. Since no guaranteed compensation remains on his pact, the Cowboys would save $5M by releasing him in the offseason – something they could consider doing, depending on his recovery progress.
With Lewis sidelined, fifth-round rookie DaRon Bland is expected to take on the starter’s role in his place. The Fresno State product has played in all seven games this season, but yesterday marked only the second time in which he saw any snaps on defense. The first was the team’s Week 4 win over the Commanders; if Bland can replicate his performance from that day (during which he notched an interception) throughout the remainder of the season, the loss of Lewis would be cushioned for Dallas’ strong pass defense.
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