The Dallas Cowboys have been dealing with several injuries throughout the year on both sides of the ball. In the latest injury update, tight end John Stephens tore his ACL for the second straight year, and head coach Mike McCarthy shared his honest thoughts on the situation.

“I think to a man you just could feel the energy sucked out of practice at that moment,” McCarthy said. “So cannot say enough about him. You talk about a young man with a very bright future, and this is just another setback, unfortunately. But just the work that he put in. I mean, he’s here every day, did everything that was asked of him, and frankly, we were trying to give him more work. Actually, coming out of the bye week, we had plans to try to get him more involved. So yeah, very unfortunate injury [Wednesday].”

Injuries are always devastating, and McCarthy thinks they’re the worst part of the game.

“I just think it’s part of our industry,” McCarthy said. “Injuries are clearly the worst part of this game, in my opinion. So yeah, the other things that happened in an individual’s personal life, that’s a part of life. It’s never going to stop. I think just the most important thing is just to be there, make sure the energy and focus and everything stays constant and at the end of the day it’s about winning against San Francisco. That’s all we’re really worried about. Yeah, these things happen sometimes more than others.”

Cowboys still dealing with injuries over course of season

The Cowboys have had a rollercoaster season, and the main reason for that is because of inconsistent play and injuries to key players. One of those players is Micah Parsons, who is still recovering from a left ankle sprain and could miss his third straight game when the Cowboys face the San Francisco 49ers in Week 8.

Mike McCarthy shared an update on Parsons, and it wasn’t very promising for the player’s availability going forward.

“There’s always a threshold of return to play. He’s not over that threshold yet. Until he can get out there and cut it loose,” McCarthy said. “… I think when you have veteran players, the general [rule] is if they don’t practice on Saturday, they’re not going to play in the game. So, if you’re looking for a finish line, it would be full-participant player in the Saturday practice. Obviously, we’d like to have him go in pads first on a Thursday, but Micah’s played a lot of football for us, has a high understanding of our defense.”

DaRon Bland is still working to come back soon after having surgery on his foot in August, and he might be on the field before Parsons. For now, the Cowboys will have to continue to weather the storm and have the next-man-up mentality.