The Dallas Cowboys walked out of Sunday's 27-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts with two significant holes in their offense. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer confirmed Monday that tight end Jake Ferguson and running back Tyler Goodson will both miss "multiple weeks," per ESPN and NBC Sports.

What happened

Ferguson sprained both the posterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his left knee in the third quarter, according to ESPN's Todd Archer. He took an awkward hit on an 11-yard catch, grabbed at the knee immediately, and never returned — he spent the rest of the game on the sideline with the knee taped. The loss stings: Ferguson's four touchdown catches rank second on the team.

Goodson's case is stranger. He hurt his knee in the second quarter, played through it, and finished with 12 carries for a career-high 77 yards. The damage only showed up afterward.

"A lot of these guys, they play on adrenaline, and this is a guy that has been incredible for us really the last two weeks. And these guys, they want to tough it out. They care. They want to win. They want to do whatever it takes. And just doing some more exams and scans and things like that, a few things showed up that we'll keep an eye for."

That's Schottenheimer on Goodson, via ESPN.

Brian Schottenheimer on the sideline
Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, now juggling a crowded training room with one IR-return slot left. Photo: All-Pro Reels / CC BY-SA 4.0

The roster math problem

Here's the squeeze, as ESPN laid it out: Dallas has already used seven of its injured reserve/designated-to-return slots, leaving exactly one. Any player placed on IR with the designation misses at least four games, so the front office has to decide which injury gets the slot. "We're working through it," was all Schottenheimer offered.

The depth chart behind the injured pair is thin:

  • Tight end: Luke Schoonmaker returns this week after missing two games with a groin injury — timely relief for Ferguson's spot.
  • Running back: Only fullback Hunter Luepke sits behind starter Javonte Williams on the 53-man roster. Israel Abanikanda and Jashaun Corbin wait on the practice squad.

"There's a lot of different ways to do it," Schottenheimer said of the backfield, per ESPN. "I have a lot of confidence in Izzy. We'll be looking at a lot of different potential moves that we can make, but I'm not going to pretend that losing Goody doesn't affect us. The guy's been playing great football."

The rest of the training room

The injury list doesn't stop there. ESPN reported that George Pickens (shoulder, hamstring), Joey Porter Jr. (ankle) and DeMarvion Overshown (back, hamstring) all sat out against the Colts and will be limited in practice before Dallas decides on their availability for the San Francisco 49ers. Safety P.J. Locke is already ruled out after a second concussion in as many weeks, receiver Jonathan Mingo couldn't finish Sunday's game, and KaVontae Turpin (ribs) has missed three straight.

"Busy week in the training room for us," Schottenheimer said. With a 49ers team up next and the IR flexibility nearly gone, the Cowboys' depth is about to get a real stress test.