Report: Cowboys RT Doug Free likely out several weeks with sprained foot
Dallas Cowboys right tackle Doug Free is likely out three to four weeks because of a sprained right foot, Drew Davison of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reports..
Free injured his foot in the fourth quarter of the Cowboys' 30-23 win at the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday. He was relieved by Jeremy Parnell, who helped block for running back DeMarco Murray's 15-yard touchdown run that gave Dallas its winning points. Free eventually returned but only for several victory formation snaps.
“Jeremy did a really nice job,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “He didn’t play many plays in the game, but he played some important ones. I thought he responded well emotionally to that situation and mentally to that situation, and those were big plays that he played.”
When asked about Free's injury Monday, Garrett said he thinks the lineman is "OK" and that he will be evaluated over the ensuing days.
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Part of an offensive line considered one of the best in the NFL, Free has made 77 consecutive starts and has been with the Cowboys since they selected him in the fourth round of the 2007 NFL draft. He's helped Murray become the NFL's leading rusher through six games with 785 yards, the most in franchise history. Murray has also run for over 100 yards in each of the team's first six games, becoming just the second player in league history to do so.
Dallas has also given up 10 sacks, tied for 10th-fewest in the NFL.
Besides Parnell, the Cowboys also have first-year pro Donald Hawkins on the roster at offensive tackle. Starting guard and rookie Zack Martin played tackle at Notre Dame and could be a candidate to fill in as well.
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The Cowboys are 5-1 and tied for first place in the NFC East. They host the New York Giants this Sunday.
- Ben Estes
