OXNARD, Calif. – The Cowboys got official word of Robert Quinn's two-game suspension just after finishing up Thursday's morning practice, their 11th of training camp.
Quinn is currently back in Dallas for surgery to repair the left hand fracture he sustained in practice two days ago. The team was confident the veteran pass rusher would be healthy in time for the season opener against the Giants, but Thursday's announcement by the NFL– a two-game suspension for violating the league's policy against performance-enhancing substances – means Quinn can't return until Week 3 against Miami, the team that traded him to Dallas in April for a 2020 sixth-round pick.
Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett made clear after practice that the team backs their new defensive end.
"We support Robert Quinn. We trust Robert Quinn," Garrett said. "We really like everything he's done for our team since he's been here. We're excited about his future with our team."
Quinn's agent, Sean Kiernan, tweeted a statement fiercely denying that his client broke league policy.
"His agent did come out with a long explanation of those circumstances," Garrett said. "I don't want to make any comment on that beyond the fact we trust Robert Quinn and we support him 100 percent and we can't wait to get him back."
- The perfect day seems so elusive for Brett Maher. He started strong, nailing five straight kicks (four field goals and an extra point). Even more important, most of them were from short range, as he continued to deliver for the offense during red zone drills. Practice ended on a sour note, though, as his final kick – a potential game-winner in situational work – hit the left upright from 48 yards away. To be fair, it was a long kick on a breezy day, but it still goes on the chart as a miss.
- The reason Maher kicked so many field goals falls on a slow day by the offense. The first, second and third-team offenses all worked on red zone and some two-minute work. With just one exception, they had to settle for field goals on every occasion. The defense harassed them into incompletions and short gains, and that turned into a lot of work for the kicker.
- Michael Gallup came oh-so-close to making the best play of training camp during team period. Dak Prescott saw him in one-on-one coverage and uncorked a long ball right out in front of him. Gallup reached out, one-handed, and nearly managed to corral the ball in the crook of his elbow – but it ultimately slipped and fell to the turf. No matter, though. Gallup managed to draw a defensive pass interference flag and made up the yards anyway.
- The rotation at right guard continues. A day after Joe Looney got work with the ones, Xavier Su'a-Filo was back in the spot normally manned by All-Pro Zack Martin (sore back).
- Rookie offensive lineman Brandon Knight left practice with a foot muscle strain. Knight was carted off the field by the athletic training staff.
- As they always say: the more you can do, the better off you are. Fourth-string quarterback Taryn Christion worked some at wide receiver at the outset of Thursday's practice. He's also handled a variety of responsibilities on special teams in an effort to help make this roster.
