Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Chuma Edoga carted off practice field

The Dallas Cowboys have had several minor injuries impact them so far in training camp and on Thursday, they added another name to the list. Offensive lineman Chuma Edoga appeared to go down with a knee injury after the first drills of practice. After going down, the former Falcons guard took a cart to the locker room for further evaluation.

Edoga was in and out of the lineup for New York over the course of his first three years, appearing in 23 games during that span.

After the Jets released him, the Atlanta Falcons picked him up. He appeared in two games for the team in 2022.

Cowboys OL Chuma Edoga has appeared to be favoring his right knee all practice but played through discomfort. But now, he is down. pic.twitter.com/SYam4krQHC

— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 10, 2023

Edoga played left guard for Atlanta before suffering a season-ending knee injury.

Dallas reportedly looked at signing him last offseason when Tyron Smith suffered a preseason injury. Instead, he ended up signing a one-year deal with the Cowboys out of free agency.

Edoga is a former third-round pick out of USC. The New York Jets snagged him in the 2019 NFL Draft.

Edoga goes down ahead of Jaguars preseason matchup

The injury, however serious, is unfortunate timing for the lineman as the Cowboys prepare to face the Jaguars in their first preseason game on Saturday. Dallas is already lacking a starter for the game thanks to right guard Zack Martin and his contract holdout.

Edoga is capable of playing tackle and guard for the Cowboys, opening up options for the oft-injured position group.

“I’m just ready to play wherever the coaches put me,” Edoga said during OTAs. “Whether that’s guard or tackle. Right now, it’s early in the process so I’m just accepting my role and playing wherever I need to play.”

Edoga also praised his new teammates for how they’ve welcomed him into the fold.

“They have a real close-knit room, I’m the only new guy,” Edoga said. “They did a good job accepting me and bringing me along. Whoever is up there playing, we’ll have a great five.”

The injuries will pop up throughout the season, so even when the Cowboys settle on the starting five, Mike McCarthy is fully expecting the need for versatility among the starters and backups.

“I like the versatility that we have,” McCarthy said at OTAs. “We all want to lineup and play five guys for 20 games, but you do have to recognize that 17 games, it’s a bit of a stretch. Position flex is critical. You guys know all the combinations, you’ll see us working those.”