FRISCO, Texas — The victory over the Cleveland Browns was a convincing one for the Dallas Cowboys and they nearly left the game whole, health-wise, their only scare coming by way of tight end Jake Ferguson; but it was a terrible initial outlook that has since given way to a very promising and positive prognosis.
The Pro Bowl tight end suffered a mild MCL sprain in his knee and is in the return work work rehab group leading into the Week 2 matchup against the New Orleans Saints, a game that he's not been ruled out of quite yet, if he will be at all.
Speaking from the locker room following Wednesday's practice, the Pro Bowler detailed everything from the terror of the moment in Cleveland to how he's currently feeling and what his availability might look going forward.
Considering Ferguson's value to the team a both a locker room leader and one of the top producers for All-Pro quarterback Dak Prescott and head coach Mike MCCarthy, it's all smiles right now in Dallas.
On the moment it happened:
"The [initial thought] was ACL, and I think I was told that and I kind of was like, 'Oh my God.' It kind of hit me and a couple tears [fell], and then went through a bunch of stuff, looked at it, did a couple more tests, and they were like, 'It's not ACL.'
On the eventual diagnosis:
"Thankfully, just a little bone bruise and MCL, but I think you got the grades. I don't even think it's a Grade 1."
On why the initial thought was a torn ACL:
"Just the way it looked. The way it looked. I did hear a pop and I think that, I mean, that's the first time I've ever had anything pop, and just kind of talking to [the training staff] and all the specialists, we have all the guys with their knowledge. They were kind of like, 'Hey, we're worried about it the way it looked, looking back at the film.' Thankfully, the man upstairs had a different plan, and I'm just lucky to not have that happen."
Is this something he could potentially play through?
"Yeah, I think my only thought was ACL, and if my ACL's good, I'm fine. 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. 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 that standard that we hold, then there's no point in me hurting the team.
"… If I go out there and I'm working with the trainers on stuff and it doesn't feel right or I can't do one thing or the other that is going to lead to me not being able to do my job, then it's going to probably be a no-go. But if it's all good and I'm feeling great, then I'm not going to be the one who pulls back."
Does this scare change the approach to the game?
"I've known [the risk] from the jump. This game isn't loyal. It's never going to be loyal to you. You can give this game your all and it can still hurt you and bite you in the butt. And so I try to come in here every day as each day is a blessing. Each day, I've got to come in here and do this. Someone wishes they were in my spot, and God giving me that blessing of not having a season-ending injury. I've got to come in here and take every day by the horns and appreciate every day.
On a scale of 0-10, what is the current pain level?
"Zero pain."
What was it in on Sunday after the tackle?
"Probably like a 10. Yeah, that hurt. I tried to walk off and I don't know what I was doing. [But now it's] just a little instability that kind of starts to raise some questions. You don't want to have one thing give out and have that lead to another. So we just want to make sure everything's stable and that I can do my job."
