Two Ankle Injuries Have Defined Nagy’s Career With Cowboys

OXNARD, Calif. - The spleen injury to Jason Witten has caused quite the domino effect.

One of the repercussions of the injury was that Bill Nagy’s chance to be a part of the team this year has line officially died.

In order to bring Harry Flaherty onto the roster for another option at tight end, the Cowboys chose to waive/injured Nagy, who was suffering from a high ankle sprain. He is exposed to waivers for a 24-hour period, and if he isn’t claimed by one of the other 31 teams, the Cowboys can place him on their Injured Reserve, protecting his rights.

Nagy’s failure to make it through his first two NFL seasons has more to do with bad luck than anything else. Dallas used their seventh round draft pick on him in 2011 and Nagy was impressive enough in his rookie training camp and preseason to earn a starting job on opening day. He started four games at left guard before breaking his left ankle against the Patriots in Week 6.

He came into the 2012 season hoping to push Phil Costa for the starting center job. Were it not for his own ankle injury, suffered during the first week of practice, Nagy would likely be getting first-team reps at while Costa nurses a back injury.

Unfortunately, the same ankle that Nagy broke last season will require surgery.

Offensive line coach Bill Callahan certainly would like to have a healthy Nagy on the field, but he does not blame him for his poor luck.

“I’m not disappointed (in him) at all,” Callahan said. “I’ll tell you why: Bill Nagy is a hell of a football player. It’s unfortunate that he has had these injuries occur. I think the world of him.”

Callahan also went on to predict that the NFL has not seen the last of Nagy.

“Once he gets healthy, he’s going to play in the National Football League,” Callahan said. “There’s no doubt about that. He’s a strong kid. He’s a prideful kid. He was getting better with us. Unfortunately injuries happen in this game.”

Callahan confirmed Nagy had his surgery on Wednesday.

Ironically, it was bad luck that cost Nagy a starting job at Wisconsin. He was projected to be a starter as a junior, but was hurt in a moped accident and only played in three games that year. He was a fill-in starter for eight games in 2010, impressing the Cowboys enough to take a flyer on him.

It was likely very tough for the Cowboys to cut ties with a promising young offensive linemen when they are already so thin in that area. But injuries are a part of the game and have seemed to be a theme to training camp. The decision to move Nagy off the roster is just another example of that.