Odd back injury ends journeyman QB Zac Dysert’s season with Cowboys

Zac Dysert apparently reached for the wrong thing at the wrong time.

Dysert sustained an unusual back injury from the everyday motion and had to undergo season-ending back surgery on a herniated disk on Thursday in Dallas. His season ended just days into training camp with the Cowboys, his seventh professional organization.

“He just came into the training room and said he reached I guess down behind him for something and somehow wrenched his back,” coach Jason Garrett said. “He’s going to have surgery I believe today back in Dallas. It was a herniated disk and they’re going to address it right away.”

Add it to the list of bizarre back injuries. Former baseball slugger Sammy Sosa sprained a ligament in his lower back sneezing, and Hall of Fame baseball player Wade Boggs injured his back taking off his cowboy boots.

This may be the end of Dysert’s professional career. The 27-year-old has played with seven organizations since being drafted by the Denver Broncos with a seventh-round pick in 2013.

For the Cowboys, it leaves them with three quarterbacks for the time being. The Cowboys could add another arm to the mix at some point, but Garrett seemed to be in no rush with having more reps for Dak Prescott, Kellen Moore and Cooper Rush. The team is not expected to move Jameill Showers from defensive back to quarterback.

Showers spent last training camp as a quarterback primarily.

“We’ve had a lot of different discussions on that,” Garrett said. “Right now, we’re sitting with the three guys and each of those three guys will benefit from getting more reps. I think that’s a good thing, particularly for Cooper Rush, the young guy. For now, we’re just holding tight. We’ve had a number of discussions though, and we’ll see how we want to best proceed.”

Dysert hoped that he could finally latch on with the Cowboys. He had spent time with the Broncos, Bears, Texans, Bills, Dolphins and Cardinals before the Cowboys claimed him off waivers on June 5.

“For me, this is my dream,” Dysert said in June. “This is what I’ve wanted to do since I was a kid. I’m going to do it as long as I can and hope something comes out of it. Hopefully I get a shot sometime.”

This story was originally published July 27, 2017 at 6:42 PM with the headline "Odd back injury ends journeyman QB Zac Dysert’s season with Cowboys."