Estimated read time: 2-3 minutes
This archived news story is available only for your personal, non-commercial use. Information in the story may be outdated or superseded by additional information. Reading or replaying the story in its archived form does not constitute a republication of the story.
IRVING, Texas (AP) — Dallas Cowboys cornerback Morris Claiborne will have season-ending surgery after tearing the patellar tendon in his left knee.
Coach Jason Garrett said Monday that Claiborne, who last week skipped a team meeting and walkthrough when finding out he had lost his starting role, will have surgery in the next couple of days after getting hurt in the Cowboys' 38-17 victory over the New Orleans Saints. He will be put on injured reserve.
"Obviously, he's disappointed," Garrett said. "Mo Claiborne is going to be a good player in this league. There's no doubt in my mind about that. Anybody who's been around him I think believes that, and he's working hard to get there."
Garrett said linebacker Bruce Carter has a strained quad and is day-to-day.
The surgery for Claiborne will come a week after the sixth overall pick in the 2012 draft left the team facility upon finding out he wouldn't start against the Saints. He returned to practice Wednesday, the day after the missed meeting.
Because the Cowboys started in their nickel package, Claiborne was actually on the field for the first defensive play Sunday night. But he was down at the end of a play with about 6 minutes left in the first quarter, and had to be helped off the field with people on both sides of him while not putting any pressure on his left leg.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones immediately after the game expressed concern about the severity of the injury, and further tests Monday confirmed that.
"Injuries have been part of his progression here so far, and I've been around players in my career who have had similar starts to their careers ... and they've had really good careers after that," Garrett said. "Mo's been dealing with a lot of different things from a physical standpoint. This is another one of those things. He's going to get the surgery done and come back stronger, better than ever."
Claiborne had problems with his right knee and shoulder during training camp this year and missed more preseason games. He missed six regular-season games last year because of shoulder, knee, hamstring and finger issues.
Carter, whose tipped pass earlier in the game led to an interception, got hurt while chasing Khiry Robinson down the sideline on a 62-yard run early in the fourth quarter. Carter fell down after pursuing the runner and was tended to on the field.
Copyright © The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.