Ben Gardner will spend rookie season on IR

Ben Gardner, a seventh-round pick of the Cowboys, will spend his rookie season on injured reserve. The defensive end injured his shoulder July 26. He returned Aug. 3 when it was determined he would require surgery.

On Thursday, he said on Twitter he was headed to Chicago to have the surgery.

"Extremely disappointed to miss this season w/ injury, but the future is still so bright," Gardner added in a tweet on @bennyg49.

Gardner’s senior season at Stanford was cut short by a torn pectoral muscle.

The Cowboys will wait until the first cut-down date Aug. 26 to place Gardner on injured reserve to avoid subjecting him to the waiver wire.

Second-round pick DeMarcus Lawrence underwent surgery on a broken foot and will miss the start of the regular season while rehabbing.

This story was originally published August 14, 2014 at 12:30 PM with the headline "Ben Gardner will spend rookie season on IR."