FRISCO, Texas – Guard La'el Collins will have surgery to repair the right toe injury he sustained in Week 3 against the Chicago Bears, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones confirmed.
Collins suffered ligament damage in his toe and did not play this past Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers. Wearing a walking boot last week, he hoped rest and treatment would help but said the team would seek opinions from trusted foot specialists on the best course of action.
"We had hoped that he might try and play through that, and that kind of heal on its own," Jones said Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan. "After several other opinions, that really confirmed what our doctors thought early on that it would be better for him long term to get the surgery."
The Cowboys could elect to place Collins on injured reserve, which would create a roster spot for defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence's expected return to the active roster from a four-game NFL suspension.
Ron Leary replaced Collins against the Bears and made his 36th career start at left guard in the Cowboys' 24-17 win over the 49ers. Running back Ezekiel Elliott had 23 carries for 138 yards and the offense piled up 428 total yards in the win.
Signed as a rookie free agent in 2015, Collins replaced Leary as the starting left guard midway through last season and has made 14 career starts.
