OXNARD, Calif.– Well before any fights broke out, the Cowboys had a serious scare in the form of another injury during their practice against the Rams.
Two plays into the 11-on-11 period between the Dallas offense and the St. Louis defense, starting guard Zack Martin went to the ground in serious pain before team doctors and trainers rushed to his aid.
The All-Pro guard lay on the field for several minutes with medical staff tending to him, and all of his offensive teammates took time to come check on him before he eventually sat up and walked off the field.
"It's for sure a stinger," said Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones. "We've got to obviously do a lot of work and make sure there's nothing more there. Hopefully, that's all it will be. It was obviously scary and something we were concerned about."
The level of concern was evident based on the contingent that watched as Martin lay on the field. In addition to offensive stalwarts like Tyron Smith, Tony Romo and Travis Frederick, Stephen Jones and Jerry Jones also came to the field to check on their first-round draft pick.
Stingers are essentially nerve injuries caused in the neck or arm, and they are fairly common in football. Martin was able to move his neck after several minutes, and he walked to the locker room under his own power. Despite that, Martin will be evaluated thoroughly for the time being.
"We can keep our fingers crossed here, and hopefully he'll be fine," Stephen Jones said.
Even if the injury isn't serious, it's another blow for a Dallas offensive line that has been riddled with injuries. Tyron Smith is sitting with a biceps injury, while Ronald Leary is being evaluated for a back problem. The Cowboys are also being cautious with Doug Free, who has been limited in practice recently.
It all adds up to a long list of injuries, but Stephen Jones said he's hopeful the problems are all manageable ones as the Cowboys inch toward the start of the regular season.
"As we sit here today, we don't know about Zack, but anybody we felt like is going to be a part of this team is going to be available for the Giants," he said. "We just have to continue to work in that direction."