Injury-Plagued Cowboys Dodge Bullet With Zack Martin's Stinger

Whew.

The Cowboys have a ton of injuries at training camp, with a whopping 25 players missing practice time with various bumps and bruises. But they know they dodged a bullet this week, because right guard Zack Martin is expected to miss only a week with a neck stinger.

Forget the brawls at Tuesday’s joint practice with the Rams, the scariest part of that day was the All-Pro lying on the ground while the team’s medical staff examined his neck. Martin collided helmet-to-helmet with a Rams’ defender and immediately fell to the ground.

In those tense moments, you hope for the best – and fear the worst.

Martin and the Cowboys, thankfully, received great news on Wednesday. He suffered only a stinger. He’ll likely miss the rest of the week of practice and Sunday’s game against the 49ers. But in the big picture, he and the Cowboys are fortunate.

We’ve seen neck injuries end careers. And we’ve seen one absent offensive lineman ruin a running game. With an underwhelming committee of backs replacing DeMarco Murray, the Cowboys can’t afford any serious injuries along one of the league’s best offensive lines.

Luckily the season starts in 24 days, not today.

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Because along with Martin, three other starters are dealing with physical issues including right tackle Doug Free (foot), left guard Ron Leary (back) and left tackle Tyron Smith (biceps). None are considered serious or long-term, which at this point during an injury-plagued, fist-filled camp is quite a relief.

A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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