The next year, he suffered from mononucleosis when he reported for spring practice and registered only 2 receptions during the season, while backing up wide receivers Dokie Williams and Jo-Jo Townsell.
The next year, he had 43 catches, becoming the first player in school history to have two seasons with more than 40 receptions, while also tallying a career-high 729 receiving yards.
In 1987, he came into training camp as the Cowboys best wide receiver, but was lost for the year when he was tripped by a defender during a scrimmage on August 5, shattering two bones (the tibia and fibula) in his right leg.
[3] He also missed the 1988 season, when he re-fractured his right leg tibia and also the shin bone, while jogging on a Santa Monica beach as part of his rehab treatment in March.
[4] The San Francisco 49ers signed Sherrard in Plan B free agency in 1989, but put him on the Physically Unable to Perform list for the entire regular season, allowing him plenty of time to heal for the playoffs, where he caught 3 passes for 40 yards and was a part of the Super Bowl XXIV winning team.
[5] In 1990, he was off to a solid start, but broke his right fibula in a 20–17 win over the Cleveland Browns during the seventh game and was placed on the injured reserve list on October 29.
The next year, although he missed most of the preseason with a hamstring injury, he played in 13 games (13 starts), catching 44 receptions for 577 yards and 4 touchdowns.
[7] Sherrard persevered through multiple injuries and doubts about his future, to play 11 seasons in the NFL, recording 257 receptions for 3,931 yards and 22 touchdowns.