Claiborne to miss preseason opener again

Cornerback Morris Claiborne missing the preseason opener due to injury has become an annual Dallas Cowboys tradition.

Like his first two seasons, Claiborne will sit out Thursday’s preseason opener against the San Diego Chargers. He will miss his fifth straight practice Tuesday due to tendinitis in his right knee, but Claiborne isn’t concerned about missing significant time in training camp again.

“I’m in a good place right now,” said Claiborne, who played only two preseason games as a rookie and none last year. “I’m good. I’m not stressed out over anything. I know this is like the third year that I’m missing time, but I’m in a better place than I was the last two years.”

Claiborne’s coaches agree with him. The Cowboys considered his performances a highlight of the first week of camp, fueling hope that he could at least approach fulfilling the potential they saw in Claiborne when they traded up to select him with the sixth overall pick of the 2012 draft.

“You want players out there obviously, [but] Mo’s really had a good offseason and a good start to camp,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “We do anticipate him being back fairly soon and having the bulk of training camp in front of him to continue to grow and develop. But don’t want to lose sight of the fact that he’s off to a good start and doing a lot of good things.”