One would think that after being burned by injury the past two seasons the Dallas Cowboys would have learned by now not to put their eggs in the basket of an injury prone player; unfortunately, that’s not the case.
On Wednesday, Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com reported that second-year guard Ronald Leary is expected to undergo arthroscopic surgery on his right knee. The procedure is scheduled for Friday and although there is no set timetable, it will jeopardize Leary’s chances of playing in the season opener on Sept. 8 against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium.
This injury added more questions to an already unstable offensive line, and puts even more pressure on the Cowboys to get an answer out of 36-year-old guard Brian Waters, whom the Cowboys extended an offer to, but who hasn’t played since 2011. The Cowboys did try to sign veteran guard Brandon Moore, but he chose retirement over signing a one-year deal with the team.
For Saturday’s game against the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys are expected to start David Arkin at left guard because former starter Nate Livings is also out with a knee injury, and Mackenzy Bernadeau at right guard.
As I said earlier, the Cowboys really have no one to blame but themselves for the lack of depth and talent along the offensive line. It’s strictly on the general manager’s shoulders to ensure that the coaching staff has the tools necessary to get the job done.
Unfortunately, we are talking about a GM that for some reason or another doesn’t seem to believe that football games are won in the trenches. I find it hard to believe, and no offense to Arkin or Bernadeau, that they would be on any other team’s roster, much less starting, and charged with protecting that team’s $108 million investment.
Jesus Flores is a Dallas Cowboys writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @SSgtFlo1 or add him to your network on Google