OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — The Dallas Cowboys put offensive lineman Rob Jones on season-ending injured reserve Friday.
Jones had been competing with rookie first-round draft pick Tyler Booker to start at right guard before breaking a bone in his neck on July 27. Jones told the team’s website last month he was looking at a two-to-three month recovery, but the decision to put him on IR ends any chance of a return this season.
Jones signed a one-year contract in free agency to give the Cowboys added depth in their reconfigured offensive line. The 26-year-old Jones played his first four seasons in Miami after signing with the Dolphins as an undrafted free agent, starting all 17 games last season with 30 starts for his career.
Booker, who was selected 12th overall, was the favorite to start, but Jones had been performing well in the first week of training camp and would likely have been a key reserve as the Cowboys look for improvement up front in their first season under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
The Cowboys signed running back Malik Davis on Friday to take Jones’ roster spot in an effort to add numbers at another depleted position group. Miles Sanders has been out with a knee injury, rookie Jaydon Blue sustained a lower-body injury in practice on Thursday, and Deuce Vaughn just returned from a hamstring injury.
Davis has familiarity with the Cowboys’ offense, having appeared in 13 games during the 2022 and 2023 seasons and spent the past two years on Dallas’ practice squad. Given the injuries elsewhere at running back, the 26-year-old Davis could play in the Cowboys’ preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday.
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AP NFL: https://apnews.com/hub/NFL
Dan Greenspan, The Associated Press
