Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson injury update: no pain at all

The Dallas Cowboys enjoyed a dominant 33-17 victory over the Cleveland Browns in their Week 1 season opener last Sunday, but unfortunately suffered from a huge injury scare. Starting tight end Jake Ferguson was tackled by the ankle in the third quarter of the game and on the way down, landed on his knee the wrong way. He limped off the field to the medical tent and sat out the rest of the game.

Ferguson feared season-ending injury

When the injury first occurred, Ferguson said he heard a pop and was in a level 10/10 pain. After telling this to the doctors and after they reviewed the footage themselves, they feared Ferguson may have suffered an ACL tear, which would have ended his season.

“I kind of was like, ‘Oh my God.’ It kind of hit me and a couple tears [fell],” said Ferguson.

Thankfully, after Monday’s MRI results came back, they showed that Ferguson only suffered from a low-grade MCL sprain and some bone bruising. By Wednesday, Ferguson was able to walk without any issue.

“I don’t have any pain,” he said. “I’m like a starfish.”

Ferguson will test the knee a bit more today and hopes to be ready for Sunday’s game against the New Orleans Saints, but will take the advice of the medical professionals for a final decision.

“There’s some stuff you can play through, and I’m one of those guys who if I can play through it, I’m going to go,” said Ferguson. “But at the same time, if I can’t give this team my best and I can’t live up to the standard and play at the standard that we hold, then there’s no point in my hurting this team.”

Ferguson was the second leader in targets from quarterback Dak Prescott last season behind only wide receiver CeeDee Lamb. He finished the season with 71 receptions on 102 targets for 761 receiving yards and five touchdowns. If the Cowboys choose to play it safe and bench Ferguson on Sunday, they would rely on fullback Hunter Luepke and fellow tight ends Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford to take on more responsibility.

The Cowboys vs Saints game kicks off this Sunday at 1 p.m. ET from AT&T Stadium. You can follow all the action with our live text commentary brought to you by yours truly right here on AS USA.