AP

The Cowboys will be without quarterback Tony Romo for the start of the regular season, a state of affairs they’ve grown more familiar with than they’d like over the years.

Painful though it has been for the Cowboys, Romo’s missed time pales in comparison to that of linebacker Sean Lee. Lee has never played all 16 games in a season, which makes his absence from practice since last Thursday’s game against the Seahawks a worrisome trend for a defense that’s already missing pieces they expected to play a major role.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Tuesday, via multiple reports from Dallas, that Lee has been dealing with a knee injury and that he had an MRI Monday to evaluate the extent of the issue. Lee had arthroscopic surgery on his knee during the offseason and missed all of the 2014 season with a torn ACL.

Garrett said the results were positive for the Cowboys and that the team doesn’t believe it will be a long-term injury that costs Lee time in the regular season. History says the knee or some other body part will provide further cause for concern about Lee’s condition this season, but, for now, it looks like he’ll be on the field when the games count.