Robert Jones’s Neck Injury Forces Major Shake-Up for Dallas Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys took a major hit in losing guard Robert Jones at training camp.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer after being introduced in Frisco, Texas, on Jan. 27, 2024. Ron Jenkins/Getty Images

The Dallas Cowboys have taken a major hit with potential starting left guard Robert Jones going down with a neck injury on Sunday.

Jones, 26, broke a bone in his neck during a padded practice at training camp in Oxnard, California, on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and Jones is expected to miss two to three months. That leaves a gaping hole on the Cowboys’s offensive line for the first six to eight games (out of 17).

Dallas invested in Jones with a one-year, $4.75 million contract after he left the Miami Dolphins as a free agent. Jones started all 17 games last year for the Dolphins.

Dallas hoped to have Jones as a veteran leader in the trenches and a mentor to first-round pick and rookie offensive lineman Tyler Booker. Jones earned first-team reps over Booker the day before the injury.

“I’m just out here doing whatever the team needs me to do,” Jones told reporters on July 26 via The Dallas Morning News before the injury. “Whether I come out and the coach says I go out with the ones, if coach says I’m with the twos, I’m with the twos. If he says three, I’m with the threes. I’m out here to play football, no egos. Wherever he want me to go, I’ll go.”

Now, Booker becomes the front-runner for that starting guard spot. The former Alabama standout and recent No. 12 pick hit a “rookie wall” at camp, which led to him getting second-team reps according to Joseph Hoyt of The Dallas Morning News.

Booker will have to sink or swim now as he will protect quarterback Dak Prescott’s blindside. If Booker can match his level of blocking at Alabama, Prescott will be in good shape. Booker gave up only two sacks in 979 pass-blocking snaps over his collegiate career.

Dallas, however, has a little depth after Booker until Jones returns. Backup offensive lineman Brock Hoffman can play both guard and center, and his role could increase during the Jones injury and offensive lineman Terence Steele’s ankle problems.

“I would never bet against Brock Hoffman,” Dallas head coach Brian Schottenheimer told reporters about Hoffman in April. “Brock Hoffman... Man, if I was in a back room of a bar and had to get out, the way he’s wired, he would be one of the first guys I want with me.”

The Cowboys may need to go the free agent route to boost depth on the interior offensive line. Among the notable free agent guards are Brandon Scherff (Giants), Shaq Mason (Texans), Will Hernandez (Cardinals), Jon Feliciano (a former 49er), Cody Whitehair (Bears), and Dalton Risner (Vikings).

Whether or not the Cowboys get a strong start by Booker or a quality free agent, Dallas will need that left guard spot looking strong into October. The Cowboys face multiple tough defensive fronts in the early going of the season, with the Philadelphia Eagles and New York Jets.

Offensive line depth has been a concern for the Cowboys this year, well before the schedule came out. Longtime guard Zach Martin retired after an 11-year career and seven first-team All-Pro honors, which prompted the Jones signing.

A Chicago native, Jones went undrafted out of Middle Tennessee State in 2021, but he found a niche with the Dolphins for three seasons. He played in 49 games and made 30 starts during his stint with the team.

Jones had one significant injury with the Dolphins when he sustained a sprained knee medial collateral ligament (MCL) in the 2023 preseason. He landed on injured reserve after the injury.

Booker, 21, made All-Southeastern Conference (SEC) in his last two years at Alabama, and he made All-American in 2024. The New Haven, Connecticut, native played in 38 career games for the Crimson Tide. He’s the highest-drafted lineman by the Cowboys since Tyron Smith (USC) in the 2011 draft.