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OXNARD, Calif.** – The injury bug has caught hold once more at the Cowboys' training camp, and it claimed its most high-profile player to date on Tuesday.
DeMarcus Lawrence, the team's No. 34 overall pick in May's draft, suffered a broken right foot during the Cowboys' afternoon practice, according to multiple reports late Tuesday night. The injury could force him out for the next eight to 12 weeks, which would keep him out of at least the first month of the regular season.
Lawrence suffered the injury in two-on-two pass rush drills at about the halfway point of practice. The rookie was working against Pro Bowl left tackle Tyron Smith, who dumped him to the ground before he came up limping.
Immediately after practice, Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said Lawrence was on his way to get X-rays on the foot.
"The foot is getting X-rayed, but the ankle – it looked like he rolled his ankle a little bit," Jones said. "Basically, the foot was pretty touchy, so we thought we would X-ray it."
Lawrence joins the likes of Matt Johnson, Ben Gardner and Terrell McClain on the list of players to leave practice with an injury. The second-round pick is far-and-away the most noteworthy name to leave the field.
The news comes as an especially big blow to the Cowboys' hopes of improving their pass rush. Lawrence was drafted specifically to play the right end position in Rod Marinelli's defensive scheme. He was working as a second-teamer behind veteran Jeremy Mincey, but the Cowboys had high hopes Lawrence would make an immediate impact.
Asked about it last week, Lawrence himself set his expectation for his rookie campaign at 10 or more sacks.
Ironically enough, the Cowboys will now likely turn to Tyrone Crawford – who was lost on the first day of training camp last season -- to fill the void at defensive end
Here are some notes from the rest of Tuesday's practice.
Quick Hits:
- Fans got another injury scare when Rolando McClain left practice early on in the afternoon. Jones confirmed after practice that the newly-signed linebacker had a stomach virus, not an injury. He was unsure how long the illness would keep McClain off the field.
- Plenty of attention has been given to tight ends coach Mike Pope and his unique methods of working with players. Pope's tactics caught some big-time publicity Tuesday night, when he had the tight ends strip out of their shirts and catch passes bare-chested. If that wasn't enough, Pope proceeded to toss buckets of ice water on them as they went through the drill.
- It created plenty of buzz in Oxnard when news came out Tuesday that the Oakland Raiders were considering the possibility of moving to San Antonio, Texas – a traditional hotbed of Cowboys support. Jones was dismissive, to put it bluntly, when asked about it Tuesday: "What I will say, San Antonio is very important to the Dallas Cowboys," Jones said. "We have the same exact percentage of fans in San Antonio as we do in Plano, Texas. It's about 98 percent. I don't make a lot of this – at all."
- Jones likely wouldn't be happy to have a competing NFL franchise in San Antonio, but he wouldn't mind emulating its basketball team in its run of success, including this past season's NBA championship. "I'd like for some of that stuff that's in the drinking water down there that the Spurs get, to have some of that with the Cowboys," he said.
- Terrance Mitchell has been one of the more physical corners at camp – at times, too physical. He had a nice pass breakup but followed that with a couple pass interference penalties, the last of which resulted in flags from all three officials around the play. That led to secondary coach Jerome Henderson throwing a piece of paper from his pocket up in the air, saying, "If I were them, I'd have thrown one too."
- Former Cowboys running back Phillip Tanner, who wasn't brought back during the offseason, found a new home Tuesday. Tanner signed with the Indianapolis Colts, who lost Vick Ballard to an ACL tear last week.
Notable Standouts:
- Zack Martin –The rookie continues to impress with not just his ability, but his poise against veterans. In the same competitive one-on-one pass rush drill that saw Lawrence get hurt, Martin stonewalled everyone he went against in showing why he's the favorite to start as a rookie.
- Dartwan Bush –The former Texas Tech defensive tackle might have been one of the latest signings before camp, but he didn't look out of place at all Tuesday. Bush was extremely quick getting around opposing offensive linemen during individual drills and moves well for a guy his size.
- B.W. Webb –Credit to the oft-maligned cornerback when it is due. Webb hassled opposing receivers all night in one-on-one drills, showcasing some aggressive behavior we haven't often seen. He had a solid breakup of Dwayne Harris on a deep route, and he blanketed a big target in rookie Chris Boyd.
Play of the Day:
Jamar Newsome continues to stand out in a quietly impressive camp. Newsome was matched up against rookie Dashaun Phillips in one-on-one drills early on in practice. The two battled all the way downfield on a go route, and Phillips wound up pinning Newsome's left arm to his chest. No matter, as Newsome extended reached out and secured the ball in the crook of his arm for a spectacular one-handed catch.* *
Injury Report: Left Practice: *LB Rolando McClain (stomach virus)
DE DeMarcus Lawrence (ankle)Returned to Practice:LB DeVonte Holloman (dehydration)Missed Practice: DE Anthony Spencer (knee)
OG Ronald Leary (hamstring)
DT *Amobi Okoye (illness)
CB Brandon Carr (personal matter)
DE Ben Gardner (shoulder)
DT Terrell McClain (ankle)
LB Will Smith (groin)
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Upcoming Schedule
Wednesday, July 30
10:30 a.m. (PDT) Walk-Thru
12:00 p.m. (PDT) Coach Garrett Press Conference
3:45 p.m. (PDT) Practice
Thursday, July 31
10:30 a.m. (PDT) Walk-Thru
12:00 p.m. (PDT) Coach Garrett Press Conference
3:45 p.m. (PDT) Practice
Friday, August 1
No Availability Player's Day Off
