Sean Lee Injury: Cowboys LB ruled out for season with ACL tear

According to ESPN's Ed Werder, the Dallas Cowboys' worst fears have been realized and star linebacker Sean Lee will miss the entire 2014 NFL season.

Nothing official from Cowboys, but league sources say Sean Lee told MRI confirms torn ACL in left knee and expected to miss 2014 season

— Ed Werder (@Edwerderespn) May 28, 2014

Lee suffered an injury during Cowboys OTAs earlier on Tuesday. The incident occurred during an OTA drill where Dallas first round draft pick offensive tackle Zack Martin blocked Lee into the ground. NFL.com has video of the injury.

The NFL's Collective Bargaining Agreement specifically outlaws this kind of physical contact in Phrase Three drills (OTAs). Samples include: "No live contact is permitted." ... "Contact work (e.g. "live" blocking, tackling, bump-and-run) is all expressly prohibited in all offseason workouts." It remains to be seen if the NFL/NFLPA will investigate further.

In any case, losing the oft-injured Lee puts Dallas in a very bad situation. Even Cowboys owner Jerry Jones isn't fond of the team's linebacker corps. To make matters even worse, it's been reported that the Cowboys were targeting linebacker Ryan Shazier in the 2014 NFL Draft. Shazier went one pick too early for the Cowboys at No. 15 to the Steelers.

Dallas featured one of the worst defenses in the NFL in 2013. The Cowboys allowed a league-worst 415.3 yards per game and a seventh worst 27 points per game. Losing one of their best players for 2014 sure won't make matters better moving forward.

While it's a shame to see a talented player go down with such a serious injury, the harsh reality here is that the Cowboys' loss is the Eagles' gain. Here's hoping for Philadelphia's sake that they don't suffer any major offseason injuries.