Dallas Cowboys guard Rob Jones is set to be sidelined for up to three months after breaking a bone in his neck during practice.
But it seems to be a lucky escape in the grand scheme of things for Jones, who is expected to fully recover from the shocking injury which, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, occured in a session on Sunday.
The news is a blow for the Cowboys, with ex-Miami Dolphins man Jones working with the starting offensive line so far in the early days of training camp.
He was widely expected to compete with Tyler Booker, who the Cowboys picked in the first round of the 2025 NFL Draft, for a starting role with the team.
According to Cowboys fan and Undisputed host Skip Bayless, Jones was beating Booker to the position based on early performance ratings.
‘Sounds like cheap free agent pickup Rob Jones was beating out first-round pick Tyler Booker – bad early sign for Booker – until Jones broke a bone in his neck Sunday and will be gone, Cowboys say, for 2-3 months,’ Bayless wrote on Monday on X.
Dallas Cowboys guard Rob Jones – pictured at Miami Dolphins – broke a bone in his neck
The news comes amid a contract dispute between the Cowboys and star man Micah Parsons
Jones, 26, entered the league as undrafted free agent in 2021 when he was signed by the Miami Dolphins. In Florida, Jones started 30 of 49 games.
He has only been in Dallas since March 11, when the Cowboys signed him to a one-year, $4.75million contract, $3m of which is guaranteed.
‘Rob Jones has been doing some really, really good things,’ Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Sunday, before he got hurt.
The Cowboys are playing in the opening game of the 2025 season in Philadelphia on September 4 against the Super Bowl-winning Eagles.
Cowboys camp has otherwise been blighted by Micah Parsons and his ongoing contract talks with the organization, that seemingly show no sign of ending.
The two-time All-Pro defensive end is entering the final year of his current deal and said last week that he has not seen much progress during talks.
Owner Jerry Jones was even heckled by fans who are demanding a breakthrough in talks, with supporters chanting ‘Pay Micah’ at him on Saturday.
‘I heard it light, but not compared to how I heard them say, ‘Pay Lamb’ last year,’ Jones said.
‘That was a faint little sound compared to the way they were hollering last year. Whoever’s not in, you can count on a few hollering that. But it was a big loud chant last year on Lamb.’