The Dallas Cowboys are set to miss five players with a combined salary cap hit of $100 million when the NFC East franchise faces the Washington Commanders.

On Sunday, Dallas will take to the field for the NFC East showdown without five key players – and it comes at a brutal time in the season. Dallas has slipped to 3-7, and have lost each of their five games at AT&T Stadium.

With Dak Prescott out for the rest of the season following surgery on his torn hamstring, the Cowboys season is all but over before Thanksgiving. With Cooper Rush struggling, the Cowboys have not won a game since Oct. 6 when Prescott led a late win over the Pittsburgh Steelers – and they are in danger of picking up more losses down the stretch.

Prescott is out for far longer, but he will be joined on the sidelines by DeMarcus Lawrence, Zack Martin, Trevon Diggs, and Brandin Cooks. Prescott earns $44.6 million against the cap, and with Lawrence ($20.4m), Martin ($15.5m), Diggs ($15.3m), and Cooks ($10m), the salary cap figure totals more than $100 million.

Lawrence is signed through the 2025 season, along with Cooks. Martin is signed through 2026, while Diggs is through 2029m; the cornerback signed a five-year deal with the Cowboys worth $97 million.

But Prescott’s injury represented the most devastating blow for the Cowboys. In September, the franchise agreed to terms on a four-year extension worth $240 million with Prescott, and the average of $60 million a year gives him the highest average annual value in NFL history.

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Trevon Diggs is one of several franchise cornerstones set to miss the Cowboys' trip to Washington

Trevon Diggs is one of several franchise cornerstones set to miss the Cowboys’ trip to Washington ( 

Image:

AP)

His injury fully derailed the Cowboys’ season, with the franchise suffering as Mike McCarthy coaches on an expiring contract. The 61-year-old, who won Super Bowl XLV with the Green Bay Packers, entered the season with a win percentage of 62.7 percent – the highest career win percentage of any coach in team history – while he guided Dallas to two NFC East titles in the past three years.

The Cowboys have tallied at least 12 wins for three seasons in a row, which is the second stretch of such success in franchise history after the 1990s dynasty which won three Super Bowls in four seasons. But regular season success has failed to translate to the playoffs; the Cowboys are 1-3 in the playoffs over his four years at the helm.

As a result, McCarthy is not expected to return in 2025. The Cowboys are unlikely to reach the playoffs this season, but can at least begin to appease disgruntled owner Jerry Jones with a gutsy road victory over the high-flying 7-4 Commanders on Sunday, Nov. 23.