Dak Prescott may be without one of his top protectors in opener vs. Tampa Bay

Dak Prescott appears to be fully healthy for the Cowboys’ season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but the Dallas quarterback may be without one of his top offensive linemen.

Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy told reporters that starting right tackle La’el Collins will miss practice again Friday, according to NFL.com

“We’re in a holding pattern,” McCarthy said.

Collins has been sidelined for the past week with a neck stinger, an injury that first arose during training camp. The vacant reps have gone to Ty Nsekhe and Terence Steele, whom McCarthy said will be ready to start next Thursday’s NFL Kickoff Game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers should Collins not be available.

Cowboys have no interest in Cam Newton

Cam Newton’s surprise release on Tuesday prompted plenty of rumors about the quarterback’s next destination, including talk about the Dallas Cowboys. While head coach Mike McCarthy has plenty of respect for the former MVP, he has no interest in adding him to the roster.

“I think he has a ton of football left,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said on Thursday, via NFL.com. “But we’re very excited about the group that we have.”

The Cowboys only kept two quarterbacks on their 53-man roster yesterday, starting quarterback Dak Prescott and his backup Cooper Rush. The addition of former Carolina Panthers quarterback Will Grier could mean the team plans to roster three quarterbacks, or a correlating move could be made over the next week.

While Will Grier did not have the same Panthers career as Cam Newton, the Cowboys feel he is a better fit right now.

In order to reach their 53-man roster on Tuesday, the Cowboys released a pair of quarterbacks. Ben DiNucci and Garrett Gilbert, who both started games last season, did not make the active roster, but the former was added back to the practice squad on Wednesday.

Keeping Dak Prescott healthy

The Cowboys cannot afford another injury plagued season for their star quarterback. Prescott missed the majority of last season with a severe ankle injury and has missed most of training camp with a sore shoulder. While the team now says he can practice without limitations, they were cautious throughout the preseason.

This offseason, Prescott signed with the Cowboys for four years, $160 million, making him one of the top paid players in the NFL.

He has thrown for 17,634 yards with 106 touchdowns and 40 interceptions over the past five seasons. Prescott has added more than 1,000 yards on the ground and 24 rushing touchdowns over his career.