When Dallas Cowboys' quarterback Tony Romo drops back to pass Saturday night he'll do it behind an offensive line missing 2/5th of its starters.
Not. Good.
Starting left guard Kyle Kosier is the latest casualty after his right knee was rolled into by a pile on a running play during Wednesday's practice at Oxnard, Calif. Kosier won't need surgery, but he's expected to miss 4-6 weeks. Also this week starting right tackle Marc Colombo had surgery on his knee and is expected to be out another two weeks.
The Cowboys play the Washington Redskins in their regular-season opener in 24 days.
Koser sorta flies under the radar along the line. But, remember, the Cowboys were only 6-7 without him in the lineup in 2008 and 3-0 with him.
So far backup tight end John Phillips has been the only serious, season-ending injury in the preseason, but the bodies are piling up.
In good news, backup offensive lineman Alex Barron is returning to practice today and tight end Martellus Bennett expects to play Saturday.
Without Kosier and Colombo, Montrae Holland and Robert Brewster will start along the line against the Chargers.
Yikes.
Romo may not be the Cowboys' best player, but he's their most important. So, should he play behind a patchwork line Saturday?
"We'll assess that," offensive coordinator Jason Garrett told reporters after yesterday's practice. "We're not going to put anybody out there in a situation we can't control that puts them in unnecessary risk."
