Cramping scare aside, Chaz Green must prove he can stay on the field

On first blush, the brief injury scare with Dallas Cowboys offensive lineman Chaz Green was much ado about nothing.

He left practice Tuesday because of cramps, but returned Wednesday to activity.

Of course, nothing is that simple with Green when it comes to injuries and availability.

He has dealt with cramping issues related to dehydration problems since elementary school. It was a problem in college at Florida and has been something he has had to manage with the Cowboys.

The tight training camp schedule makes it more acute this time of year.

“It’s definitely frustrating,” Green said. “I sweat more than anybody else. It’s something I have to deal with, learn how to stay more hydrated. It was a struggle in college.

“This is nothing knew. It was much worse in the past, growing up. This is something I have to deal with it.”

The Cowboys won’t let Green take intravenous fluids before practice. They simply try to monitor him and give him IVs as a preventive measure after practice.

“We were aware of it when we drafted him,” coach Jason Garrett said. “We felt like we could get our arms around it and hopefully help him. I think he’s improved dramatically in that area, but sometimes it creeps back up. There are a lot of things our training staff does with him and he does to combat it and for the most part it’s gotten better and better.”

What makes it even more frustrating is it’s another concern adding to a pile of questions surrounding Green’s durability and whether the Cowboys can trust him to stay healthy.

Injuries and the team’s inability to count on him are the main reasons Green was moved from right tackle to left guard in the off-season. Green was the top swing tackle last year. But La’el Collins was moved from guard to right tackle to replace the retiring Doug Free because the Cowboys couldn’t count on Green to stay healthy.

He has played only four games the previous two seasons. He missed his entire rookie season because of a hip injury and then was sidelined after four games, including two starts, in 2016 because of foot and back injuries.

And then he suffered a shoulder injury the first week of training camp, causing him to miss the first two preseason games, setting back the team’s plans to for him to compete with Jonathan Cooper for the starting spot at left guard.

“It’s huge,” Green said. “The more reps I get I tend to do better out there, especially at a new position. So it’s key. It’s something they have talked to me about. It’s something I know myself. I just have to do my best to stay on the field as much as possible.”

This story was originally published August 23, 2017 at 3:52 PM with the headline "Cramping scare aside, Chaz Green must prove he can stay on the field."