Ex-NFL star Troy Aikman drops theory about cause of early season injuries

Former Dallas Cowboys prima Troy Aikman offered his ain mentation arsenic to wherefore determination person been a spate of early-season injuries successful the NFL implicit the past fewer years.

The Pro Football Hall of Famer said helium believed the NFL’s rules to assistance players debar injuries whitethorn really beryllium the origin of them.

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Troy Aikman arrives connected the reddish carpet for the 2023 Pro Football Hall of Fame Enshrinement astatine Tom Benson Hall of Fame Stadium connected Aug. 5, 2023. (Kirby Lee/USA TODAY Sports)

On Friday's "Rodeo Time Podcast," Aikman fondly remembered doing two-a-day practices successful Wichita Falls, Texas, wherever the Cowboys would clasp grooming campy successful the summer. He suggested that portion players aren’t arsenic "taxed" arsenic they were successful the 1980s and 1990s during camps, they whitethorn not beryllium arsenic prepared for the toll their bodies instrumentality astatine the opening of the season.

"I deliberation they lone deterioration pads 1 time a week oregon 1 clip a day, and they person a walk-through, and past after, I don’t cognize however it each reads, but it’s beauteous subordinate affable and favorable," Aikman said. "And a batch of it, whenever they negociate the CBA, the owners thin to ever triumph connected the fiscal broadside of things. And past the players say, ‘Well, each right, past we’re not gonna signifier arsenic long, oregon we’re not gonna signifier arsenic often.’ So, past they thin to get concessions erstwhile it comes to however overmuch clip they’re really astatine facilities.

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Troy Aikman  before crippled betwixt the Cincinnati Bengals and Jacksonville Jaguars  at EverBank Stadium connected Dec. 4, 2023. (Nathan Ray Seebeck/USA TODAY Sports)

"I deliberation the lone ones who don’t person a dependable successful those negotiations are the coaches. They benignant of person to hold till the particulate settles and say, ‘All right, conscionable however often bash we get them?’ But immoderate of it is that we spot excessively is simply a batch of the reasons I deliberation that we spot truthful galore injuries, particularly aboriginal successful the year. A batch of brushed insubstantial injuries, a batch of musculus pulls, and things of that quality is the players, they’re conscionable not capable to bid the mode that we erstwhile did, they’re not capable to callous their bodies arsenic easily. Not that they’re not grooming hard and each that, but it’s antithetic grooming connected your ain arsenic opposed to being connected the shot tract practicing shot movements."

Aikman made wide helium was a instrumentality of making changes successful the sanction of subordinate safety, but disquieted they whitethorn bash much harm than bully for some.

Cincinnati Bengals’ Joe Burrow, Minnesota Vikings’ J.J. McCarthy, San Francisco 49ers’ Brock Purdy and Baltimore Ravens’ Lamar Jackson were among the quarterbacks to miss clip aboriginal past season.

Baltimore Ravens' Lamar Jackson throws during squad warmups earlier an NFL preseason shot crippled against the Dallas Cowboys Saturday, Aug. 16, 2025, successful Arlington, Texas.  (AP Photo/Gareth Patterson)

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Player information is acceptable to beryllium thrust backmost into the spotlight arsenic the NFL reportedly eyes a Thanksgiving Eve crippled with the anticipation of expanding to an 18-game docket successful the future.

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