Starting defensive end Marcus Spears suffered a sprained left MCL Thursday afternoon while defending an inside run toward the end of the final full practice session in the Alamodome.
It appears Spears, who has never missed a game in five seasons, is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. Missing a month would put him back after the final preseason game, but a week before the season-opener, Sept. 12 at Washington.
A player seemed to roll up Spears' legs from behind with the first-team defense working in team drills. The Cowboys wore shoulder pads, helmets and shorts, and Spears was not wearing a protective knee brace, as many linemen do. As a rookie in 2005, he missed almost all of the preseason because of a sprained MCL in his other knee.
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