DeMarcus Lawrence is back from his IR stint. Chuck Cook-USA TODAY Sports

Cowboys DE DeMarcus Lawrence (foot) activated ahead of Saints game

The Dallas Cowboys endured a bit of a rocky November but have offered fans multiple pieces of positive news at the start of December. 

One day after the Cowboys activated wide receiver Amari Cooper off the reserve/COVID-19 list, the club elevated star defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence from injured reserve ahead of Thursday's prime-time clash with the New Orleans Saints. 

Lawrence tallied five total tackles and one forced fumble in the season-opening loss to the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers but went down to a broken foot he suffered during a practice ahead of Week 2 and hasn't played since that injury. The two-time Pro Bowl selection who had 11.5 sacks across his previous two campaigns before that setback reacted to this update via Twitter: 

As for Cooper, an earlier report said the wideout will likely have his snaps limited Thursday night as he works to reclaim conditioning he lost during his bout with the coronavirus. Nevertheless, Thursday should be only the third time this season that Dallas quarterback Dak Prescott has Cooper, CeeDee Lamb and Michael Gallup playing together in the same lineup. 

Lamb missed the Thanksgiving Day loss to the Las Vegas Raiders with a concussion. 

The Cowboys sit at 7-4 and in first place in the NFC East standings but have lost three of their past four games ahead of Thursday's matchup. 

More must-reads:

TODAY'S BEST
Florida guard among players withdrawing from NBA Draft
Cubs prospect blasts home run after being thrown at
Stars even series with hard-fought win over Oilers in Game 2
Celtics surge late to take 3-0 lead in Eastern Conference Finals
PGA Tour golfer Grayson Murray dies at 30
Another heartbreak for Justin Allgaier as Chase Elliott wins Xfinity Series race
Former Bengals first-round pick announces retirement
Luka Doncic joins trio of NBA champions in exclusive club
Yankees ace takes big step in first rehab stint
Which active NFL players are most likely to make the Hall of Fame?
Bulls' Lonzo Ball opens up about injury that's sidelined him for two years
The most overpaid & underpaid players at every MLB position
How Caitlin Clark, Angel Reese and others' pro starts stack up to WNBA history
Watch: Sun forward Alyssa Thomas ejected after hard foul on Sky's Angel Reese
Kirk Cousins updates Achilles rehab
Mets rapidly approaching rock bottom with another ugly loss
Rangers rule out depth forward for Game 3 against Panthers
NBA Finals path clears for Celtics with devastating Pacers injury update
Yankees' Hal Steinbrenner under fire over Juan Soto comments
Former NFL first-round pick retires after 'terrifying' health scare

Want more Cowboys news?

Join the hundreds of thousands of fans who start their day with Yardbarker's Morning Bark, the best newsletter in sports.