First it was Greg Ellis who hoped to be ready for the season opener against the Giants, but who still hasn’t been able to practice. Then it was Terence Newman who tore a muscle on the bottom of his foot, missed most of preseason, and is still questionable. Now, its Terry Glenn who had swelling in his knee after his first practice back from a knee surgery.

There is definitely an injury bug going around, and the Cowboys better hope it gets stamped out before it spreads to more players. Aside from these three starters, the Cowboys might also go into the season opener without Kevin Burnett, a backup linebacker who was penciled in to be the nickel back, which means the Cowboys may be without two of their linebackers for Sunday night’s game.

Of the three injuries to starters, the injury to Ellis might be the least worrisome simply because the Cowboys have been dealing with the possibility of being without him since last season when he went down. The Cowboys spent a number one pick on Anthony Spencer, and they also have last year’s number one pick, Bobby Carpenter, to help fill the hole left by Ellis’s absence.

The injury to Terry Glenn will be more of a problem if it extends much beyond the two week timeframe being given right now for his recovery. With Terrell Owens manning the wide receiver spot, and Pro Bowler Jason Witten at the tight end spot, the Cowboys still have stars they can rely on in the passing game. Glenn will be replaced by Sam Hurd, who has showed promise last year and did a good job filling in for Glenn in preseason. Both Hurd and Patrick Crayton, who will come in on three receiver sets, have shown that they have good hands and can make plays. But neither can stretch the defense like Glenn can.

There is a good chance Terence Newman will start the first game, but his injury is the one to Cowboys fans should be most concerned about for two very good reasons. First, it is the type of injury that could linger. A tear in the plantar fascia is treated with rest. He might be able to take a shot and go play on it, but that might also mean aggravating the injury until it persists throughout the season. The second reason to be concerned is, simply put, Terence Newman is the most valuable player on the team. Not only is he one of the top cornerbacks in the league, but the aggressive Phillips 3-4 defense places a premium on cornerbacks. If you are going to blitz the quarterback, your corners are going to be left in man coverage a lot.

Newman at 90% might still be the best cornerback on the team, but a healthy Newman is an extremely valuable asset to the team. With Newman healthy, the Cowboys can leave him on an island and give safety help to Anthony Henry. If he isn’t healthy, they might need to provide him with some help too.

The Cowboys might be better off in the long run just resting him for the first few games to increase their chances of having a healthy Newman come December and January. But, at the moment, it doesn’t seem like the that is in the plans for the Cowboys.