Cowboys TE Jake Ferguson leaves practice after being hit in the back

OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson was hit in the back on Thursday and left practice early.

Ferguson was hurt in a red-zone drill when linebacker Kenneth Murray Jr. made contact with him during a passing play.

Ferguson stayed down on his back for several minutes, with teammates surrounding him, but he was able to get up under his own power.

“I just got to keep my teammate up,” Murray said. “Down in the red zone, everything happens fast, you know, just trying to be on it quick. There’s not a lot of space, not a lot of room.”

Ferguson was examined by a trainer and appeared to be trying to stretch out his back before leaving the field at the start of the next period.

Quarterback Dak Prescott described the hit as two players acting on instincts that are “hard to turn off in split-second moments."

“More importantly, Jake jumped up, Jake dapped him up and said he was good, and we’re going to move forward,” Prescott said about Ferguson shaking hands with Murray after the hit.

Ferguson signed a four-year, $52 million extension on July 27 that includes a $12 million signing bonus. He had 59 catches for 494 yards but did not have a touchdown reception last season. The previous year, Ferguson had career highs with 71 catches for 761 yards and five TDs.

The Cowboys also had rookie running back Jaydon Blue and reserve offensive lineman Dakoda Shepley exit Thursday’s workout with lower-body injuries.

Dallas lost starting left tackle Tyler Guyton for four-to-six weeks because of a fracture in his right knee on July 28, one day after backup guard Rob Jones broke a bone in his neck that will keep him out for two to three months.

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