FRISCO, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Maliek Collins suffered a fractured fifth metatarsal in his left foot Thursday, and sources told ESPN he is set to have surgery.
It would be the second time in five months that Collins would have surgery on his left foot. He suffered the injury during workouts at The Star on Thursday with the Cowboys in the second phase of the offseason program.
Collins could be ready in the middle of training camp with an eye to the Sept. 10 season opener against the Carolina Panthers.
Collins played through a lot of the 2017 season with a sprained left foot that was repaired in January. As a rookie in 2016, he had a similar surgery on his right foot and missed most of training camp and the preseason but managed to play in every game, starting 14.
According to the Cowboys coaches' breakdown, Collins had 18 tackles, 2.5 sacks, three tackles for loss, 25 quarterback pressures and two fumble recoveries in 2017. He moved from under tackle to nose tackle last season after David Irving returned to the lineup from suspension.
The Cowboys met with free-agent defensive tackle Terrell McClain on Thursday, but he is scheduled to make at least one more visit. He has met with the Miami Dolphins and San Francisco 49ers as well. McClain played for the Cowboys from 2014 to '16 and parlayed his final season with Dallas, in which he was credited with 41 tackles and had 2.5 sacks, into a four-year, $21 million deal with the Washington Redskins.
Washington released McClain on April 30.