And just like that, injuries have started to pile up for the Dallas Cowboys.
While they avoided a disaster with starting right tackle Terence Steele, who only missed one practice with a high-ankle sprain, they are awaiting results on tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford's ankle after he went down on Sunday.
Spann-Ford was seemingly the only concern coming out of Sunday's padded practice, but ESPN's Adam Schefter dropped a bombshell early Monday when he reported that offensive lineman Robert Jones broke a bone in his neck and is expected to miss 2-3 months.
Cowboys OL Robert Jones to miss 2-3 months with broken neck bone
This is a huge bummer for Jones, who had been rotating with rookie first-round pick Tyler Booker with the first-team offense at right guard. A fifth-year vet, Jones has been lauded for taking Booker under his wing in the early stages of camp. The two had been seen putting in extra work after practice.
"Rob, that’s my big brother," Booker said of Jones. "That was my goal coming into the league, find a good vet that can help me along the way. Rob has stepped into that role for me and I really appreciate it."
Beyond mentoring Booker, Jones had had a really strong start to camp. Brian Schottenheimer said Jones earned his reps with the first team. While Booker is expected to start at right guard, Jones started 17 games there (1,079 snaps, per PFF) with the Dolphins last season.
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Jones isn't a world-beater, but he is a capable starter and an excellent depth piece. He allowed five sacks and 28 pressures on 676 pass-block snaps. His 97.4 pass-blocking efficiency ranked 16th among guards that played at least 1,000 snaps last season, per PFF.
The Cowboys obviously expect Booker to be better, but losing quality offensive line depth in camp is devastating no matter how you try to spin it. With the expected timetable, Jones will hopefully be back for the start of October.
In the meantime, Dallas will turn to free-agent signee Hakeem Adeniji, who has looked good, and former undrafted free agents Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass. They also have second-year pro Nathan Thomas and veteran Saahdiq Charles as potential options.
The Cowboys have the resources to overcome Jones' absence, but that doesn't make the injury any less devastating. Hopefully he gets healthy and is back on the field soon.