During Thursday’s game against Washington Redskins, Dallas Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick suffered two transverse process fractures in his back. This injury might force him to miss at least one game, despite Cowboys having a ten-day rest till New York Giants duel next Sunday.
Scandrick suffered this injury during third play of the game from scrimmage, but regardless of that, he stayed on the field until the fourth quarter. The damage is a consequence of a hit in the back he received on that play. On Friday, one day after the match he underwent MRI which confirmed this diagnosis.
The transverse processes have no real role in load-bearing, but they are rather small projections on the vertebrae. They are located in the place where soft tissue is attached to vertebrae. Interestingly, in 2014 another Cowboys player suffered the same injury. The man in question is team’s former QB Tony Romo who missed one game that season due to two transverse process fractures in his back.
Orlando Scandrick has been injury prone in the past. During 2015 he has missed an entire season due to torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments in his knee. Last season he sat out another four matches thanks to hamstring strains. This season doesn’t look any better as he is on the course of skipping more than one game. So far he has missed Week 2 duel in Denver against Broncos. The reason was surgery to repair a broken hand. This injury happened in Week 1 against New York Giants. But, when ready he started every match he has played this season. If he fails to recover until Sunday’s matchup vs. Giants, he will be replaced by either Anthony Brown or rookie Jourdan Lewis.
Last week versus Redskins, rookie Chidobe Awuzie has had his first start with Dallas Cowboys. When Awuzie was taken out of the game, he was replaced by Lewis. Other option, Brown recorded his number two reception of the season after Kirk Cousins pass was deflected by David Irving.
Regardless of who plays, Dallas Cowboys secondary is in good hands.
