An MRI on Monday revealed that Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith has a high left ankle sprain. He suffered the injury in the first quarter Sunday and missed the remainder of the game. It's uncertain if the 21-year-old will play Thursday against the Washington Redskins.
Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones sounded about as optimistic as he could be about the injury when discussing it on Tuesday.
"He's better than we thought," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. "It's probably got a little high ankle to it. High ankle, of course, being one that makes you jump in terms of how long he'll be out. It also may be something that he can work with. He's better than I thought he would be or had hoped he would be, better than that. So, we may see him this weekend."
Smith said on Monday that he suffered the same injury while he was at USC and "hardly missed any time." When asked how likely it was that he would play Thursday, Smith called himself a "gameday decision."
Jermey Parnell played in Smith's absence on Sunday and will "probably" play "early" against the Redskins, according to Jones.
"He's got, arguably, our coaches think, he's got the best feet, the quickest feet," Jones said of Parnell. "He's a basketball player. And he's got definitely the strongest punch, and that's really amazing. His punch is off the charts when it hits defensive players. So, he's a guy that's got a lot of potential for us."
