By: Caelan Clinton, Jeff Howe and Saad Yousuf

The Dallas Cowboys are now behind both of their top prospects after Thursday night’s win over the New York Giants, a league source said Friday.

Edge rusher Micah Parsons has been diagnosed with a high ankle sprain following Thursday night’s game against the New York Giants, and while his timeline remains undetermined, he is expected to miss playing time due to the injury, the league source said.

Meanwhile, DeMarcus Lawrence is also expected to return to action after suffering a foot injury against the Giants, according to reports.

Parsons was carted off the field with 3:30 to play in the 20-15 win after curling up under a Giants player. He was seen limping between the training room and the locker room after the match and underwent both an X-ray and an MRI. Parsons finished the game with two solo tackles and a tackle for loss.

The 25-year-old All-Pro edge rusher is in the midst of a pivotal season in Dallas and fended off extension talks earlier this season as teammates Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb negotiated their respective deals. This season, Parsons has four combined tackles and one sack in his first four games. His active three-game streak without a sack is only the second time in his career he has gone that long without a sack, according to Stathead.

Lawrence is dealing with a foot injury unrelated to the broken foot he suffered in 2021. Lawrence underwent surgery in September 2021 and was placed on injured reserve after breaking his foot, but returned to play later that season. He continued to appear on Dallas’ injury report with foot injuries during the 2022 season.

Lawrence’s three sacks and four tackles for loss both lead the Cowboys’ defense through four games, while his five quarterback hits rank second behind Parsons’ six.

The NFL Network first reported news of both injuries.

How losing edge rushers affects Cowboys

The Cowboys are fortunate not to have lost Lawrence and Parsons long-term, but missing both at the same time will pose significant challenges in the coming weeks.

Lawrence is the Cowboys’ best defensive lineman, and the Cowboys have been terrible against the run this season, even with Lawrence. Without him, things could get even uglier.

The upcoming schedule doesn’t do the Cowboys any favors either. They travel to Pittsburgh next week and have the Detroit Lions the week after before taking a break with their bye week. Without Parsons and Lawrence, the Cowboys are without their top three defensive linemen after losing Sam Williams in training camp this season. A struggling unit remains even more vulnerable in the coming weeks. — Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer

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(Photo: Sam Hodde/Getty Images)