FRISCO, Texas – Guard La'el Collins walked through The Star in a protective boot Tuesday, the result of a right big toe injury suffered in the first quarter of the Cowboys' 31-17 victory over the Chicago Bears.
The exact timeline is uncertain at this point. Collins said the team is consulting trusted foot specialists, and the plan for now is rest and treatment.
"(Let it) calm down for a couple weeks, see what it does, and just keep treating it," Collins said. "Just kind of go from there.
"We're just doing treatment to treat it and get other opinions from the doctors and see what we can do and what's the best thing to do."
Collins said the injury occurred on the extra point of the Cowboys' opening touchdown drive in the first quarter. He clearly didn't have the same strength and leverage before he exited the lineup at halftime. Late in the second quarter, Bears linebacker Nick Kwiatkoski drove him off balance into the backfield.
"I knew it was something," he said. "I couldn't really put any weight on it but I said if I could just walk. I wasn't trying to limp to show any signs of weaknesses. Just go out there and fight as long as I could."
Ronald Leary replaced Collins in the second half and will start at left guard as long as Collins is out.
Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones said on 105.3 The Fan that surgery was "less likely." Indeed, the team will see how the toe heals on its own for now.
The injury is disappointing for Collins, who showed progress in 11 starts at left guard in his rookie season.
"I figured if I could still walk I could still play," he said. "But we've got guys here. Ron, he's a hell of a football player. So he's going to get out there and get the job done, no doubt."
