Marist Liufau Injury Update: Cowboys LB Has Broken Forearm
- Football Nation
- 10 hours ago
- 4 min read
Marist Liufau fractured his left forearm in the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason finale and is expected to have surgery as early as Monday. The Cowboys said he will miss “some weeks,” while ESPN reported that the injury is to his left arm. There is no confirmed return date yet.
The immediate issue is bigger than one preseason absence. Dallas must decide how to carry Liufau through the 53-man roster process, then determine how much linebacker, edge and special-teams work it can replace if he misses early regular-season games. The injury also lands as the team finishes other roster decisions, including the Joe Milton–Sam Howell backup-quarterback competition.
What happened to Marist Liufau
Liufau was injured late in the first quarter of Dallas’ 27–24 loss to New Orleans while making a tackle. He left the game, and reporters saw him afterward with the arm supported in a sling and soft cast. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer described the recovery in weeks rather than months, but he did not set a specific timetable.
That distinction matters. A fracture requiring surgery is confirmed; an exact number of missed games is not. The Cowboys’ next medical update—after the procedure—should establish whether the club is planning around a short opening stretch or a longer absence. Dallas has already had a physical August, including the practice-fight fallout involving the Cowboys and Saints, but Liufau’s injury is a separate football and roster problem.
Why the injury matters before roster cuts
Liufau entered the final preseason game in a genuine roster conversation. He has appeared in all 34 regular-season games since Dallas selected him in the third round of the 2024 draft, but his value has come from multiple jobs rather than one locked-down starting role. He can play off the ball, rush from the edge and contribute across the kicking units.
That versatility normally strengthens a bubble player’s case. The injury complicates it because Dallas must preserve enough healthy game-day coverage at linebacker and on special teams while also protecting a useful young defender. The club’s recent evaluation of Justin Barron in the linebacker race is now more relevant: every healthy player who can handle several assignments gives the Cowboys more flexibility.
What Dallas loses on defense and special teams
Liufau is not Dallas’ primary pass rusher, so the defense does not need to replace a star’s snap total. It does lose a flexible reserve who can reduce the strain on several groups. The Cowboys can lean more heavily on Von Miller’s edge role and evaluate whether Malachi Lawrence’s preseason opportunity should expand, but neither move automatically recreates Liufau’s special-teams workload.
Liufau’s verified regular-season production shows a role player with real disruptive value rather than an every-down centerpiece:
Measure | 2024 | 2025 | Two-year total |
|---|---|---|---|
Games | 17 | 17 | 34 |
Total tackles | 44 | 25 | 69 |
Sacks | 1.5 | 1.0 | 2.5 |
Forced fumbles | 2 | 1 | 3 |
Pass defenses | 3 | 0 | 3 |
Source: Dallas Cowboys official career statistics. Values are regular season only.
The broader Dallas front is stronger than it was a year ago, especially after the Quinnen Williams extension. That helps the defense absorb a rotational absence. It does not solve the coverage-unit math or replace a player who can move between linebacker and edge. The staff may need to assign more special-teams work to younger reserves and keep an extra healthy linebacker on the initial roster.
The strongest counterpoint: the absence could be short
There is a reasonable optimistic case. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones indicated the break may be positioned favorably, and Schottenheimer framed the recovery in weeks. If surgery is uncomplicated and Liufau regains safe function quickly, Dallas may be managing only a brief early-season gap. Forearm injuries also do not create the same conditioning loss as a lower-body injury when a player can continue running and training.
The uncertainty is contact. A linebacker must tackle, shed blocks and protect the repaired arm through repeated collisions. Medical clearance, not optimism, will determine when Liufau can do that. Until the post-surgery update arrives, projecting a specific return game would be guesswork.
What changes next
The first checkpoint is the Cowboys’ roster transaction at the 53-man deadline. The second is confirmation that surgery occurred and whether the team gives a more precise recovery range. The third is the first practice designation showing Liufau can participate with contact protection. Those facts will clarify whether Dallas views him as a short-term hold or a player who needs a longer roster mechanism.
On the field, watch who inherits his special-teams snaps and whether Dallas keeps extra second-level depth. The Cowboys have already invested in versatile young defenders, including Caleb Downs’ red-zone and coverage role. That versatility is now practical insurance, not merely preseason experimentation.
Football Nation verdict
Dallas should protect Liufau’s long-term value and avoid forcing a return date before the surgery establishes one. He is not irreplaceable on defense, but his multi-phase role makes him harder to cover than his tackle total suggests. The Cowboys can absorb a few weeks by spreading snaps across the linebacker, edge and special-teams groups. If the timeline extends, the roster cost becomes more significant.
The correct answer today is narrow: Liufau has a confirmed fractured left forearm, surgery is planned, and he is expected to miss weeks. The Cowboys’ roster move and post-operation update—not preseason optimism—will provide the first responsible estimate of when No. 35 can return.
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