The Dallas Cowboys’ most consistent player is injured. Cowboys punter Mat McBriar has an injured nerve in his left foot, an injury that forced him from the Cowboys’ 34-7 loss to the Philadelphia Eagles on Sunday. McBriar wore a brace during the contest, but it didn’t help. Dallas needs its most over-looked player to be healthy in order to make a playoff run.
Punters are never recognized, just like their importance to NFL teams. McBriar has been one of the NFL’s best punters since joining the Cowboys in 2004, but is never recognized other than an approving nod when he boots the ball 60 yards in the air.
Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey punted twice during the loss to the Eagles, but that’s not ideal for Dallas as he’s been extremely reliable kicking field goals this season. One blocked punt and Bailey could be on the sideline in street clothes, too.
The Cowboys released practice squad punter Chris Jones on Tuesday, but it’s obviously not because McBriar is healthy. If McBriar is forced to miss one or more games due to his injury, that also means Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo would have to hold Bailey’s field goal attempts. That is not an inviting sign to the Dallas faithful.
McBriar is seeing all kinds of specialists this week, but he’ll most likely just have to wait for the nerve in his left foot to heal on its own. He’s a right-footed punter, but anyone with knowledge of punting and kicking knows the plant foot is just as important as the kicking foot.
Contact Jeric Griffin on Twitter @JericGriffin
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