As a pro with good NFL bloodlines and interesting tight end measurables, John Stephens Jr. of the Cowboys had the makings of an intriguing prospect.
The Cowboys signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2023 out of Louisiana, where he had played receiver, but converted him into a big, athletic tight end who was in the process of being developed.
He had not been activated last year, when his season never got off the ground following a torn ACL in the team's second preseason game. The Cowboys kept Stephens around, though, in hopes that his development would continue this year.
But in a season in which so much has been going wrong for Dallas, even a developmental roster player is subject to what seems to be bad karma throughout the organization.
On Thursday, Cowboys beat writer Todd Archer reported more bad news on Stephens, writing on Twitter/X: "Cowboys TE John Stephens suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in Wednesday's practice, according to sources. He missed last year with the same injury in the same knee. Surgery upcoming. He had yet to be active for a game this season but the club liked his upside."
Stephens was not a high-impact player in college, having spent three years at TCU before transferring to Louisiana for his final two seasons. In 51 career games, he had 41 catches, for 665 yards and seven touchdowns.
Stephens' father, the late John Stephens, was a Pro Bowl running back for the Patriots in the late 1980s who was killed in a car accident in 2009.
