ARLINGTON, Texas — Dallas Cowboys outside linebacker Marist Liufau is scheduled to have surgery as early as Monday on a fractured left forearm he suffered in Friday night’s preseason finale against the New Orleans Saints.
The injury came late in the first quarter on a tackle of Saints running back Kendre Miller, according to the Cowboys’ live game updates. Dallas ruled Liufau out for the remainder of the game with a wrist injury, and he was in a sling and a soft cast afterward. The Cowboys lost 27-24 at AT&T Stadium and finished the preseason 2-1.
Jon Machota of The Athletic reported that the injury is not considered season-ending.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Liufau will have surgery as early as Monday.
“So you’re talking about some weeks, but I don’t want to put a timeframe on it right now,” Schottenheimer said.
“Losing Marist as a football player is tough,” Schottenheimer explained. “Unfortunately, it’s part of the business. You guys all know him and the way he’ll attack his rehab, and so we’ll get surgery done as soon as we can and next man up.
“But yeah, he was a critical, critical part of not just two or three special teams, really all four,” Schottenheimer continued. “He’s a ‘four-core’ guy that you just rely on and he plays the game with violence, and we have some other guys in that locker room that do that as well.”
Owner and general manager Jerry Jones spoke with doctors after the injury and told ESPN that Liufau could be back quickly. Jones said the fracture “is one that’s in the right spot, and if you’re going to have one, it’s the one to have.”
How Marist Liufau’s Injury Affects The Dallas Cowboys’ Cutdown
The Cowboys must set their 53-man roster by 5 p.m. CT Sunday.
Two injured reserve slots are available at the final cutdown, and both have to carry a designation to return. Players placed there do not count against the 53 and must miss at least the first four regular-season games. Teams have eight return designations for the full season.
Todd Archer of ESPN wrote on X that Liufau is a “perfect candidate” for one of the two, and that he is not sure Dallas has another, because the team wants to keep as many of those designations open as it can. Heavy published the post.
Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram wrote that he would “have to imagine he’s one of the two IR/DTR placements on Sunday.”
The Dallas Morning News reported that players on injured reserve do not count against the 53 while their salaries still count against the cap.
Where Marist Liufau Stood In The Outside Linebacker Room
Dallas moved Liufau from off-ball linebacker to the edge this offseason in first-year defensive coordinator Christian Parker‘s 3-4 scheme. The Cowboys carried six outside linebackers last season.
Rashan Gary, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Von Miller, and Malachi Lawrence went into cutdown weekend as the top four at the position. Liufau, James Houston, and Sam Williams were competing for the final one or two spots.
Gary arrived from the Green Bay Packers in March for a 2027 fourth-round pick. Lawrence was the 23rd overall pick of the 2026 draft out of UCF. Ezeiruaku went 44th overall in 2025 out of Boston College. Von Miller signed a one-year contract in August.
Archer’s Aug. 24 roster projection for ESPN kept six outside linebackers and had Liufau among them. Von Miller’s arrival narrowed the last spot to Liufau, Houston, and Williams, and Archer gave it to Liufau on special teams.
Machota’s projection for The Athletic, published Saturday, is down to five and leaves Liufau off. Liufau “was expected to fill the sixth spot due to his special teams contributions,” Machota wrote, before the fractured forearm.
Marist Liufau’s Two Seasons In Dallas
Dallas drafted Liufau in the third round of the 2024 draft, 87th overall, out of Notre Dame. He has played all 17 games in each of his two seasons.
As a rookie he made 9 starts, recorded 50 tackles and 1.5 sacks, and played 521 defensive snaps, 47% of the team’s total. He logged 169 special teams snaps that year, 35%.
Last season Liufau started 5 games and recorded 30 tackles and 1 sack. His defensive snap count fell to 202, or 18%. His special teams snaps rose to 361, or 75%. Across two years he has 34 appearances, 14 starts, and 2.5 sacks.
Dallas opens at the New York Giants on Sept. 13. Kickoff is 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
