The Cowboys were hit with a gut punch in camp when guard Rob Jones suffered a broken bone in his neck during practice on July 27. The Cowboys initially expected the injury to sideline him for two to three months. It was a blow to both the offensive line’s depth and a player who had just signed a one-year, $3.75 million deal after four seasons in Miami.

At the time, rookie Tyler Booker was getting most of the first-team work. But Jones had been making a strong push to reclaim the spot, earning praise from offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer for his consistency and competitiveness. “Rob Jones has been doing some really, really good things,” the new HC said before Sunday’s (Jul. 27) practice. Unfortunately, Jones’ season was cut short by injury, sidelining one of six projected backups on the offensive line with starting experience.

Now, just over a week later, Schotty & Co. did not see this coming. Jones’ move to the IR has opened up a spot in the 53, and the Cowboys have acquired a new running back. Malik Davis is now joining the Dallas Cowboys. Nick Harris confirmed the signing on X, who posted, “Cowboys have signed running back Malik Davis to the roster, per team official. They have moved OG Rob Jones (neck fracture) to season-ending injured reserve.” 

The Cowboys initially wanted Jones to return to the team later in the season. However, recent developments have forced America’s Team to make him unavailable for next season. Todd Archer took to X to say, “The Cowboys are placing G Rob Jones on season-ending injured reserve with the neck injury he suffered July 28. He is facing a 2-3 month recovery period, but he is now done for the year. He makes $3m this year.”

However, Dallas saw this as an opportunity to add depth at RB, bringing the familiar Malik Davis back into the fold. After the joint practice with the Rams on August 7, Cowboys Wire’s Mike Crum summed up the run game this way: “Slow start rushing the ball. The run game needed to be set up by the passing game. The Rams anticipated that Dallas would attempt duo-block runs up the middle early, and Los Angeles was attacking with the linebackers to fill gaps and stop runs at the line. This caused a lot of panic amongst Cowboys fans, but it wasn’t as bad as it seemed.”

Especially once Dak Prescott leaned on the passing attack. That helped in pushing the defense back and opening the lanes. KaVontae Turpin, Jake Ferguson, CeeDee Lamb, and George Pickens all chipped in key catches to force a coverage adjustment. Not that anyone ignored the struggles up front. The line still needs quicker climbs to the second level. But the context made it clear this wasn’t a crisis, just a unit still ironing out its rhythm in August. As Mike Crum noted: “Dallas’ play-calling was vanilla.” That’s what matters right now. However, amid all that, Dak will be hoping for the rookie to step-up in the O-line.

Rob Jones mentoring Tyler Booker

It’s a hard blow for the Dallas Cowboys, regardless. Jones was in the hard-ball game for the starting role with Tyler Booker. After all, Jones was hoping for the starting job in Dallas after spending 4 years in Miami pushing for it. And yet, he thought why not mentor the rookie, too. That’s a healthy competition. Last Sunday, before Jones was diagnosed with a broken neck, he was even spotted coaching the young player. When asked about how he felt about Booker, he only had praise for the kid. Even going so far as to say he’ll be a “great player” in the NFL.

“I told Book when he first got here, he trained in the offseason, ‘I’m here to help you. Whatever you need help with, I’m going to help you. If I see something, I’m here to tell you. I want you to be the best version of yourself. When you go out there Week 1, it’s time to kick those boys.’ That’s what it’s all about,” Jones said. From day one, Jones has been there for Booker.

The Cowboys didn’t just lose a reliable option; they lost a veteran presence and leader in Jones. His presence in the locker room will be hugely missed, especially for Tyler, who saw Jones as a brother. “Rob, that’s my big brother,” Booker said of Jones.  It’s not every day you have a vet willing to help out a rookie. Especially a young player who is competing for the same position as you. What Tyler got with Rob was special. We can only hope that Jones’ absence doesn’t affect him that much.