OTAs are supposed to be non-contact, but it appears that no one told Cowboys first-round pick Zack Martin. The offensive guard out of Notre Dame collided with middle linebacker Sean Lee earlier today and the veteran suffered a potentially season-ending left knee injury. Footage from NFL Network shows the unfortunate play, but Ed Werder of ESPN.com (on Twitter) hears that Lee’s knee gave out before there was contact. In any event, the Cowboys will have a serious void to fill if Lee is out for an extended period of time. Here’s the latest out of Dallas..
- There’s no official word from the Cowboys yet, but league sources say Lee’s MRI confirms a torn ACL in his left knee which would cost him the 2014 season, tweets Ed Werder of ESPN.com.
- Contractually, there’s a lot on the line for the Cowboys and Sean Lee, writes Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com. The Cowboys gave Lee a $10MM signing bunus and guaranteed him $16MM, but they gave themselves some injury protection. The six-year deal has a maximum value of $51MM, but he’ll earn closer to $42MM if he can’t play in 80% of the team’s snaps in the coming years.
- After Lee went down, ESPN.com’s Calvin Watkins ran down Dallas’ potential options for replacing him. Looking in-house, the Cowboys have fourth-round pick Anthony Hitchens and sophomore DeVonte Holloman to plug the hole. There are also options in free agency, including Ernie Sims, Rocky McIntosh, and Jonathan Vilma.
- If Lee is done for the year, Mike Chappell of the Indy Star (on Twitter) wonders aloud if the Cowboys could consider ex-Colts linebacker Pat Angerer. The last bit of news we heard on Angerer came in early April when he said that he had interest from several teams but wanted to make sure he’s 100% before taking free agent workouts.