Cowboys fan favorite suffers devastating injury vs. Giants on Thanksgiving

Cowboys fan favorite suffers devastating injury vs. Giants on Thanksgiving

Dallas Cowboys v Las Vegas Raiders / Ian Maule/GettyImages

An otherworldly pick-six from DeMarvion Overshown has galvanized a previously-anemic AT&T Stadium crowd. The touchdown gave the Dallas Cowboys a 13-7 lead over the New York Giants, so fans finally have a little breathing room after a shaky start on Thanksgiving.

Overshown’s incredible display of athleticism was needed after safety Juanyeh Thomas was carted off the field following a Giants kick return.

FOX returned from commercial as Thomas was being tended to by team doctors and showed the budding defensive back writhing in pain and grabbing his knee. The entire Cowboys team, including special teams coordinator John Fassel, consoled Thomas before he headed to the locker room for further testing.

Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas carted off vs. Giants with apparent serious injury

This is absolutely heartbreaking.

Thomas was on top of the world this week after returning an onside kick last week against the Commanders. Four days later he suffers a potentially serious knee injury. The NFL can be so cruel.

FOX showed zero class by returning from commercial only to show Thomas processing the injury. He threw his helmet off, punched the turf and clutched his knee. It was a stomach-churning sequence and absolutely nobody but those inside AT&T Stadium had to see it.

Thomas is an up-and-coming player for the Cowboys. He returned that onside kick for a TD, but he is so much more than a core special teamer.

A large contingent of Cowboys fans have called for Thomas to start at safety. It took until late November, but Thomas finally bled into Donovan Wilson’s snap share in Week 12.

What makes Thomas’ injury so devastating is that he’s a free agent after the season. We like to think the Cowboys want him back, but there is no telling what this setback means for his future with the organization. The team is high on him and he probably had an inside track to start at safety next season.

Fortunately, Thomas is a restricted free agent. That means the Cowboys can place a tender on Thomas so they can match an offer sheet from another team. A restricted tender protects teams from losing homegrown talent. It’s similar to the franchise tag in that aspect. That will make it easier to keep the young safety.

The bigger picture means very little right now, but it’s hard not to think about the long-term ramifications of the injury.

We’ll have updates on Thomas as they are made available, but it’s safe to say he is out for the remainder of this game and likely longer