IRVING, Texas -- Dallas Cowboys starting cornerback Terence Newman isn't expected to play the rest of the preseason because of a right heel problem that the team said Thursday is more than a bruise.
"He's got a strain. It looks like it's going to be another week or so," coach Wade Phillips said. "It's a little worse than we thought it was."
Phillips said Newman won't play Saturday night in Houston, and the coach said he'd "be surprised" if the cornerback was able to play in the preseason finale Thursday night at Minnesota.
But the injury isn't expected to keep Newman out of the Sept. 9 regular-season opener against the New York Giants. "No, not in my mind," Phillips said. "That's what they tell me,"
When Newman was held out of Saturday night's 31-20 victory over Denver, his injury was described as a bruised heel.
Newman wasn't in the locker room after practice Thursday.
During the 30 minutes at the beginning of practice open to reporters, Newman was on the field in uniform Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday -- the Cowboys' only workouts this week. Phillips said Newman tried to practice, but team trainers decided he needed to stay off the foot.
"He tried a little bit," Phillips said. "We took him out and then they determined that the best thing is just to keep him out."
"It just gives the other guys a chance to play, see who should be on the team really and who we can count on playing if we have somebody out," Phillips said. "It's real close between a lot of guys at cornerback. It works out, it's good it's preseason."
Phillips said fullback Oliver Hoyte (neck stinger) and tight end Anthony Fasano (bruised shoulder) won't play Saturday night even though they have been practicing this week.
Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press
