Cowboys put rookie edge Malachi Lawrence on IR, activate Marist Liufau before Colts trip

The Dallas Cowboys will play at least the next four games without first-round edge rusher Malachi Lawrence. The team moved him to injured reserve Saturday with a high ankle sprain, the Associated Press reported. SB Nation and its Cowboys site, Blogging The Boys, put the move at the top of Sunday's news ahead of the Week 9 trip to Indianapolis.

Lawrence was hurt in last Sunday's 33-30 overtime loss to Arizona. Coach Brian Schottenheimer had already said the rookie would be out for several weeks, according to ProFootball Talk. The four-game minimum starts today against the Colts and runs through the November 15 home game against San Francisco. Through eight games Lawrence had 13 tackles, three quarterback hits and one sack, which came in the Week 5 loss to Tampa Bay. He played 41 percent of the defensive snaps, per PFT. The AP noted he is eligible to return, but Dallas has only a few IR return designations left, so the Cowboys may have to be selective about who comes back.

In the corresponding move, Dallas activated Marist Liufau. The third-year player broke his forearm in the final preseason game and has not played this season. He came to the league as an off-ball linebacker out of Notre Dame, but the Cowboys have considered using him on the edge, and the club lists him at outside linebacker with the rest of the pass rushers. He could help cover some of the snaps Lawrence leaves behind.

The defense also has a discipline issue. SB Nation's roundup noted that linebacker DeMarvion Overshown was fined $9,528 for the helmet hit that knocked Cardinals running back Bam Knight out of last week's game. The play forced a fumble that Dallas recovered, and no penalty was called.

What it means at Indianapolis

Dallas is 3-5 and has dropped three of its last four games. The 38-21 win at Philadelphia is the only victory in that stretch. The Cowboys have scored 219 points and allowed 213, so the record looks worse than the scoring margin. Five of the eight games were decided by eight points or fewer. Dallas is 2-2 on the road, with wins at Houston and Philadelphia. The run defense is the immediate concern without Lawrence. Blogging The Boys pointed out that Indianapolis leans on Jonathan Taylor, who has 610 rushing yards and eight touchdowns, while Dallas just allowed Tyler Allgeier 147 yards on 11 carries.

The Cowboys are still favored. On the game board, which tracks 12 venues, Novig has Dallas at -212 on the moneyline and the Colts at +208. Novig sets the spread at Cowboys -4.5 at -100. The best Dallas number anywhere is BetRivers at -4 (-114), and the best Colts number is DraftKings at +5.5 (-115), so the venues are a point and a half apart on the spread. Novig's total is 51.5. Sportsbook hold runs from 3.2 to 5.4 percent on the moneyline.

Next week is harder. San Francisco comes to Arlington, and Novig lists the 49ers as -212 favorites, with the Cowboys at +178. Kalshi has the best Dallas price at +181. Dallas will play that game without Lawrence too.