OXNARD, Calif. 鈥� Cowboys tight end Princeton Fant suffered an ACL and partial MCL injury in Monday's practice, according to head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
On a rushing play during a team drill, Fant's knee got clipped by a running back while Fant was setting up a block. He was walked off the field with assistance and then carted back to the locker room.
While there is still no official timetable on Fant's return, it's expected that injury is significant and Fant is a likely candidate for injured reserve. Schottenheimer said Fant is scheduled to have surgery in a few weeks once his MCL calms down.
"Really disappointed for him, for everything that he's put into this," Schottenheimer said. "Obviously he was very disappointed. But I told him, 'Hey look, your story's far from over.' He's been through this injury before, and the doctors feel really good about the chance for him making a full recovery."
The injury Schottenheimer mentioned Fant went through before was following his sophomore year of high school at La Vergne in Tennessee, which caused him to miss all of his junior season and most of his senior year as well.
Fant went undrafted out of Tennessee in 2023, and has spent the last three seasons with the Cowboys, primarily on special teams.
The Cowboys' tight end room now features Jake Ferguson, Luke Schoonmaker, Brevyn Spann-Ford, Michael Trigg and DJ Rogers. Fant was one of the better blockers among the tight end room.
With Fant likely to miss a significant amount of time, UDFAs Trigg and Rogers will likely get more reps and a chance to prove they can contribute as blockers as well, and on special teams.
