[Underdog]

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Marcus Spears Injured

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SAN ANTONIO - Starting defensive end Marcus Spears suffered a sprained left MCL Thursday afternoon while defending an inside run toward the final whistle of the last full practice session in the Alamodome.

Spears, who has never missed a game in five seasons, is expected to be out 4-6 weeks. A one-month recovery would put him back after the final preseason game, a week before the season-opener, Sept. 12 at Washington. The Cowboys held a walkthrough Friday morning before leaving for Dallas, Wade Phillips saying afterward the team expects Spears to return and contribute.

"He's played for us, he knows what to do," Phillips said. "He's had a good training camp, so it shouldn't be any problem once it gets well for him to come in and play. Jason Hatcher needs to play anyway, so it's a good opportunity for him. That's what we're looking forward to, we wanted to see him get some more playing time."

With Spears playing on a one-year restricted free agent contract of $1.226 million, the Cowboys had left open the possibility Hatcher could push for the starting left end job. Hatcher and fellow fifth-year rotational end Stephen Bowen are both restricted free agents as well, though they are ironically contracted more ($1.759 million) in 2010 than the starter, Spears.

The Cowboys' second pick in the 2005 first round (No. 20 overall), Spears started in 10 games as a rookie, and has been the first-team left end in the 3-4 scheme every season since. He has 8.0 career sacks, including a personal best of 2.5 last season, when he also tied his high mark with 16 quarterback pressures. While Spears is typically taken out of the game on passing downs, teammates and coaches credit his play at the point of attack with the Cowboys' success against the run.

Though never a huge compiler of stats, Spears has still been important to the success of the front seven.

"Marcus Spears is a really solid part of our defense," Phillips said. "He's going to be where he's supposed to be. He's a smart player and a physical player, so we'll miss him in the preseason."

A player appeared to roll up Spears' legs from behind with the starting 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.

Hatcher, who had missed several days earlier in camp because of a hyperextended elbow, is expected to fill in with the first-team in Spears' absence. The Cowboys are currently also missing seventh-round pick Sean Lissemore, who has a strained groin, but Phillips said he expects the rookie to return next week.

Spears became the Cowboys' second considerable injury of training camp, after a high ankle sprain cost them first-round pick Dez Bryant for at least a month.

The Cowboys play the Cincinnati Bengals in the Pro Football Hall of Fame Game in Canton, Ohio on Sunday. After the second game of the preseason, Aug. 12 at Cowboys Stadium against Oakland, they will relocate to Oxnard, Calif. for the final two weeks of training camp.