The Dallas Mavericks could be without forward Maxi Kleber for the rest of the playoffs.
Kleber suffered a Grade 3 AC joint separation in his right shoulder, a person close to the situation told The Dallas Morning News. There is no timetable for his return. The Athletic’s Shams Charania was first to report the news.
It’s no wonder that late last night when I asked Jason Kidd about the severity of Kleber’s injury, he only said: “Next man up.” I’m told there is no timetable for Kleber’s potential return, but we’re talking weeks, not days. https://t.co/DFIUvcMpTP
Kleber exited the Mavericks’ series-clinching Game 6 win over the Clippers after a hard fall in the second quarter following a collision with Amir Coffey. At the time, the team called the injury a right shoulder sprain.
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Kleber did not return, and after the game coach Jason Kidd said he didn’t know how long he might be out.
“Next man up,” Kidd said when asked about his level of concern.
Kleber had a series-high 15 points and was 5 of 7 from 3-point range in Game 5 in Los Angeles.
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Staff writer Brad Townsend contributed to this report.
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Find more Mavericks coverage from The Dallas Morning News here.
Morton started 15 games in 1972 for an injured Staubach, who eventually returned in the playoffs. The Cowboys decided to trade Morton in 1974 to the Giants, who sent back a first-round pick, which turned out to be the No. 2 overall pick in 1975. The Cowboys used that selection to take Randy White, a 10-time Pro Bowler and future Hall of Famer.
Ironically enough, White’s best game was likely Super Bowl XII, when he was named Co-MVP with Harvey Martin. The Cowboys’ Doomsday defense dominated the Broncos, who were quarterbacked by Morton.
Overall, Morton played for the Cowboys, Giants and Broncos before officially retiring at the end of the 1982 season.
His career ended with 27,908 passing yards, ranking him 71st in NFL history, just ahead of Hall of Famer Joe Namath (27,663).
With the official NFL schedule coming this week, the Dallas Cowboys have revealed when, where and against who their Week 1 contest will be.
The Cowboys announced that they will square off against the New York Giants on the road in Week 1, with the game set for Sunday, Sept. 13, at 7:20 p.m. CT. So, it’s prime time for the Cowboys to start the season.
This is the second game we know about for the Cowboys this year. Of course, we know they will be playing on Thanksgiving, also.
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The official schedule will drop on May 14, the NFL announced last week. Schedules for all 32 teams will be revealed on ESPN and the NFL Network, but each team will unveil its own schedule on social media, also.
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The Cowboys were always likely to play a road game in Week 1 because of an Usher and Chris Brown concert taking place at AT&T Stadium that week.
Dallas will also be impacted by an Ed Sheeran concert in Week 7, so that’s another potential road game. They could also play on Monday or Thursday that week, or have a bye.
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Cowboys’ strength of schedule
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images
According to Warren Sharp of Sharp Football Analysis, the Cowboys are not going to have an easy road to make the postseason.
The Cowboys have the fourth-toughest schedule in the NFL going into the 2026 season, with only the Arizona Cardinals, Miami Dolphins and Carolina Panthers having tougher slates.
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Dallas’ schedule is also the third-toughest in the NFC, and the most difficult in the NFC East.
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Sharp does his strength of schedule rankings based on win totals from Vegas oddsmakers rather than utilizing the previous season’s records because that metric doesn’t factor in offseason changes.
The Cowboys will play home games against the Jacksonville Jaguars, Arizona Cardinals, San Francisco 49ers, Tennessee Titans, Baltimore Ravens, Tampa Bay Buccaneers, New York Giants, Philadelphia Eagles and Washington Commanders.
On the road, Dallas will square off against the Giants, Eagles, Commanders, Houston Texans, Indianapolis Colts, Los Angeles Rams, Seattle Seahawks and Green Bay Packers.
Of those opponents, seven of them made the postseason in 2025, a list that includes the Jaguars, 49ers, Eagles, Texans, Rams, Seahawks and Packers.
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All of those teams should be as good in 2026, and teams like the Colts, Titans, Ravens, Bucs, Giants and Commanders have a very real chance to be improved as well.
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It won’t be an easy road for Dallas to get back to the playoffs in 2026, but there’s at least hope following a defensive overhaul.
Well, well, well. The Fever may have lost its season opener, but The Athletic certainly dedicated the majority of this post-game article to ol’ Caitlin Clark, not Paige Buekers. Or Arike Ogunbowale. Or Odyssey Sims, for that matter. Azzi doesn’t even get a mention. Listen, I have a vested interest in the Caitlin Clark name … Continued
