Cowboys get best possible Stephon Gilmore injury update after clinching NFC East
By Jerry Trotta
Everything went right for the Dallas Cowboys in their regular-season finale. Well, almost everything. The Cowboys are NFC East champs and the No. 2 seed, but fans' stomachs dropped when Stephon Gilmore left the game with a shoulder injury.
Gilmore's reaction caused a panicked reaction among fans. He was swiftly ruled out for the game coming out of halftime and the Fox broadcast caught Gilmore being escorted to the locker room with the shoulder heavily protected.
The veteran corner suffered the injury trying to make a diving interception on a pass intended for Terry McLaurin. Gilmore's shoulder braced the fall and he laid still on the turf before walking gingerly to the sidelines.
The injury cast a (temporary) dark cloud over the Cowboys big day, but Gilmore provided the best-possible update after the game, telling head coach Mike McCarthy that he's "fine" and will be "ready to go" for the first round of the playoffs.
Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy on CB Stephon Gilmore (shoulder): “He told me he was fine and he’d be ready to go.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) January 8, 2024
Cowboys get best possible Stephon Gilmore injury update after winning NFC East
What a sigh of relief for the Cowboys, who will host the Packers in the first round of the playoffs. Though Green Bay doesn't boast the WR talent or championship pedigree that the Rams do, Jordan Love is playing at a high level and the Pack have multiple promising young receivers to account for.
Regardless of whom Dallas was matched up with, though, the thought of entering the postseason without Gilmore was a terrifying one.
In a true testament of Gilmore's toughness, he told reporters his shoulder popped out of place (hinting at a dislocation) and popped it back in. Gilmore even went as far as to say that the shoulder "feels great now" and that he's "excited for next week."
What a warrior Gilmore is. Just imagine the vibe right now if Gilmore suffered a serious injury. We'd be talking about Nahshon Wright and potentially Israel Mukuamu taking on bigger roles in a win-or-go-home game after they hardly sniffed the field all year.
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Gilmore might not be 100% for the wild card round, but Gilmore at less than full strength is better than most cornerbacks. He's quietly had a fantastic season following Trevon Diggs' ACL injury and is an indispensable piece of a defense that turned in three straight strong performances to close the regular season.
It tried, but FedEx Field didn't claim any Cowboys victims on Sunday. Time for Gilmore to rest and rehab that shoulder for next week.
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