In this article
FRISCO, Texas — A day after safety P.J. Locke suffered his second concussion in as many games, Dallas Cowboys chief operating officer Stephen Jones said Monday that Locke will go through the process and be evaluated. Jones spoke during his weekly appearance on 105.3 The Fan’s K&C Masterpiece.
Locke was hurt on a running play with 2:10 left in Sunday’s 27-23 win over the Indianapolis Colts. Whatever decision comes next will be one Locke feels good about, Jones said, and the full picture on injuries usually takes until the end of the day or later in the week.
“Well, we’ll go through the process, and he’ll be evaluated. And they’ll make a decision that’s in his best interest, and that Locke feels good about, and everybody feels good about it,” Jones said. “Like I said, unfortunately, we’re talking in the middle of the day, and these things really don’t, you really don’t know about them in [their] totality until at a minimum the end of the day, and sometimes you don’t really have a great feel until you see how the week goes.”
P.J. Locke Was Hurt Late In Indianapolis After Clearing The Protocol
The Cowboys activated Locke off injured reserve on Oct. 31 after a foot injury. He suffered his first concussion the next day in his first game back, the Nov. 1 overtime loss to the Arizona Cardinals, and he did not practice that Wednesday.
Locke was limited Thursday and cleared the protocol before the trip to Indianapolis. Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said after Sunday’s game that Locke “unfortunately had another concussion” and that the team has “got him covered in prayers.”
Rookie Caleb Downs also suffered a concussion against Arizona and cleared the protocol the same week. He sealed Sunday’s win with an interception with 35 seconds left.
Stephen Jones Says Back-To-Back Concussions Are Taken Into Account
Locke’s recent history counts in how he is handled, Jones said, though he left the medical specifics to the doctors. Players in the concussion protocol go through a five-step process before they return to participation.
“It’s taken into account for sure, and that’s part of it. I mean, I’m not a doctor, guys, so I don’t want to get outside my lane here,” Jones explained. “But it’s my understanding they take everything into account, and they got the process that they go through on how they advise a person who’s in protocol. The league, I think, working with our medical team, has done a great job with coming up with protocols that protect our players.”
Before Locke came back from injured reserve, Markquese Bell, Alijah Clark, and Downs had rotated at safety opposite Malik Hooker. Safety Jalen Thompson has been out with a hamstring injury since early in the season, and his 21-day practice window had not been opened as of last Wednesday.
The Cowboys, now 4-5, host the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, Nov. 15, at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is set for 3:25 p.m. CT on FOX.
Join the conversation