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FRISCO, Texas — Six days before the San Francisco 49ers visit AT&T Stadium, Dallas Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said Monday that receiver George Pickens and cornerback Joey Porter Jr. have to get back on the field before the team knows where they stand. Jones spoke during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan’s K&C Masterpiece.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said after Sunday’s 27-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts that this week will likely look like last week, with Pickens working through the whole week and Dallas seeing where things stand after Friday’s practice. Jones said that is probably a fair read.
“It’s probably a fair summary of it. I think we just got to get them back out there and get them going again and see how they’re coming along. And obviously, two great players like that, you want them on the field, and certainly can do a lot to help you win a football game. And we’ll just have to see how the week goes,” Jones said. “Certainly, we’re not the only team in the league who’s fighting through injuries. So that’s just part of the game we play. But we’re certainly going to be having to really see what our injury situation is this week. We’re going to have some challenges, it looks like.”
George Pickens, Joey Porter Jr. Missed The Indianapolis Colts Game
Pickens was ruled out about 90 minutes before kickoff in Indianapolis after a week of limited practices. His injury is now more the hamstring than the shoulder, Schottenheimer said. It was the first game Pickens has missed since the Pittsburgh Steelers traded him to Dallas in May 2025, and he is playing this season on the franchise tag. With Pickens out, Ryan Flournoy caught a 46-yard pass on the first snap of the game-winning drive.
Dallas acquired Porter from Pittsburgh on Sept. 30, and he has dealt with the ankle since his debut Oct. 4 at Houston. He was a full participant in practice Wednesday before dropping to limited Thursday, and Cobie Durant started in his place Sunday opposite DaRon Bland. Schottenheimer said after the game that Porter’s injury involves the foot and ankle, with some of it in the heel.
“Dealing with the foot, and when you’re a corner, sometimes foots can be tricky. But I thought he had a solid practice Friday, but on Saturday he was pretty sore, so we weren’t sure,” Schottenheimer said. “And again, next man up, Cobie Durant I thought did some great things tonight. DaRon Bland I thought did some really good things.”
Stephen Jones Says Dallas Will ‘Have Some Challenges’
Tight end Jake Ferguson was set for more imaging on his left knee Monday after a stinger and a knee injury, and safety P.J. Locke had his second concussion in as many games. Jones also said running back Tyler Goodson will probably miss time with a knee injury. The full picture from Indianapolis was still coming together by the middle of the day Monday.
“We’re still a little banged up. We hopefully get some more guys back, but obviously we had a tough day on the injury front yesterday. We’ll see kind of what the final synopsis is here as the day goes. But [we] got banged up on both sides a little bit,” Jones explained.
The Cowboys, now 4-5, host San Francisco on Sunday, Nov. 15, with kickoff set for 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX. The Tennessee Titans visit AT&T Stadium on Nov. 22.
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