The Dallas Cowboys were surprisingly thin with NFL experience when they entered 2022 training camp. On Day 1 of practice without pads, free agent signing James Washington left for a while with an apparent shoulder injury that turned out to be nothing. There was a brief moment of breath holding on Friday when star receiver CeeDee Lamb missed team drills, that turned out to be a rest move, but the warning bells were rung.
On Monday, during the first padded practice, Dallas did indeed suffer a major injury their likely least-deep position, as Washington was carted off the field with a foot injury. It appears he has suffered a Jones fracture, an injury that will leave him on the shelf for two-to-three months.
Cowboys are concerned that veteran WR James Washington suffered a Jones fracture in his foot today, per source. Washington was carted off and is undergoing additional testing.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 1, 2022
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A Jones fracture is a fracture of the bone on the pinky toe side of your foot, the fifth metatarsal bone. It is often treated by having a screw surgically installed in the bone, which is normally left there unless it becomes irritating.
Cowboys WR Dez Bryant suffered a similar injury in 2015. He injured his foot Week 1 against the New York Giants and returned to the lineup in Week 8.
The Cowboys are five weeks away from their first regular season game of the year, September 11 when they host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
The Cowboys signed Washington from Pittsburgh in hopes he could come in and mitigate the loss of former No. 1 receiver Amari Cooper, who was shipped off to Cleveland. Dallas also lost Cedrick Wilson to free agency and is waiting for Michael Gallup to return from a late-season ACL tear.
Washington was competing with third-round rookie Jalen Tolbert to start opposite Lamb until Gallup returns. Now, younger WRs such as Simi Fehoko and T.J. Vasher will get an increased opportunity to showcase their abilities alongside veteran backup Noah Brown.