FRISCO, Texas -- Offensive tackle La'el Collins and veteran linebacker Sean Lee will be placed on injured reserve for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday, sources told ESPN, causing them to miss at least the first three games.
Collins has been dealing with a hip issue that kept him off the practice field late in the week, and he did not work much at all during training camp. Lee has been dealing with a pelvis issue that did not allow him to practice at all in training camp, but he played through the injury late last season.
In order to be eligible to play this season, Collins and Lee had to spend one day on the 53-man roster, which was announced Saturday, before moving to injured reserve.
The loss of Collins, who had his best season in 2019, would be a blow early in the season to the offensive line. The Cowboys would go with veteran Cameron Erving at right tackle, but late last week Brandon Knight suffered an ankle injury in practice. Rookie tackle Terence Steele, who saw first-team snaps early in camp while Collins and Erving were out, made the roster as an undrafted free agent.
The Cowboys got to the 53-man limit Saturday with 27 moves, but it is hardly their final roster going into next week's season opener against the Los Angeles Rams.
The Cowboys are likely to re-sign linebacker Justin March and cornerback C.J. Goodwin, who were among Saturday's final cuts. It is possible the Cowboys could have other players land on injured reserve.
Cornerback Jourdan Lewis has not practiced because of a high left ankle sprain suffered Aug. 20. Wide receiver Ventell Bryant suffered a knee injury in practice at AT&T Stadium on Aug. 30, and linebacker Luke Gifford has been dealing with a hamstring issue.
The Cowboys are also looking at adding to the safety spot, and veteran Brandon Carr began COVID-19 protocols Friday by being tested by the club. The Cowboys released Ha Ha Clinton-Dix on Thursday and have not been shy about saying they would like to add safety help.
Carr, who played cornerback for the Cowboys from 2012-16, saw 173 snaps of action at safety last season while with the Baltimore Ravens.