Cowboys Cornerback Injured

In Monday morning's practice, cornerback Terence Newman was injured. He was hit "awkwardly" during the practice and injured his left leg near the groin area. Coach Wade Phillips said it was a "significant" muscle tear. It is estimated that he will be out 3-4 weeks and will miss the first two pre-season games.

At this point, I can only hope that the doctors are right and he will be ready when the season opens. The secondary is the absolute worst place for a team injury. Last year, the biggest weakness on the team was a lack of depth at cornerback. The starters, Newman and Henry, were good, but there was a significant drop in ability when one of them was out of the game.

In the off-season, the Cowboys were able to sign "Pacman" Jones. He's an excellent cornerback, but he has yet to be re-instated by the commissioner. Hopefully, he'll be re-instated by the start of the regular season. He has been given permission to practice with the team and is currently in camp. On Tuesday, he filled in for Newman on the first team.

Coach Phillips seems to think Jones will be available by the start of the season. He said, “The guy came in to all our OTAs and there’s been no problems that I know of and worked with the team and now he’s working all of training camp. To me, I am kind of counting on that he will be here for the first game.”

The Cowboys also drafted two cornerbacks this year -- Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick. Both are talented and show a lot of promise, but they are rookies and have yet to show they can handle NFL receivers. It would be better if we didn't have to start one of them right away.

That's why we need Newman back for the season. With he and Henry as starters, and Jones providing the depth, Jenkins and Scandrick could be worked into the lineup more slowly as they learn more about the pro position.