Cowboys Corner

Anthony Hargrove hopes to take advantage of another chance after a season out of football, a position he has been in before

Defensive tackle Anthony Hargrove’s career is complicated.

He now is with his seventh team, counting his brief tenure with the Packers last year after signing a one-year, $825,000 deal. Green Bay released him rather than place him on the reserved/suspended list after the league announced his eight-game suspension for Bountygate.

“You guys have got to make up your minds on really what took place there,” Hargrove said. “I had to live with it. I had to deal with it. It’s a new day in my life. It’s 2013. I’m trying to continue my career and finish up in a strong way.”

Hargrove has been here previously, trying to taking advantage of a second chance. He did that in 2009, after nearly losing his career for violations of the league’s substance-abuse policy that put him out of the league in 2008 and in rehab for 10 months.

The Saints were the only team that offered him a contract a year later. Hargrove played 56.9 percent of the defensive snaps and recorded 63 tackles, five sacks and three fumble recoveries in 2009 as New Orleans won the Super Bowl.

“Maybe I’m an enigma for trouble,” Hargrove said. “I’m trying to get past this three-year thing where I can maybe get five years in the league without losing a year. Maybe that’s what teams are thinking. I don’t know. We’re going to try to break that.”

Hargrove, who turns 30 this summer, still has an injury lawsuit pending against the league, and according to Pro Football Talk, it claims playing football causes him to suffer “from permanent injuries, including, but not limited to, severe headaches, memory loss, depression, isolation, mental anguish and diminished self-esteem.”

“Can’t comment on that,” Hargrove said. “It is what it is. I’m here to play ball, and I’m going to try to do my best and not let anything outside of that hinder me getting on this field and playing.”

Coach Jason Garrett said the Cowboys are comfortable with Hargrove’s off-field issues, having “evaluated the circumstances.” But they are the only team to offer Hargrove.

“Maybe I’m an enigma for trouble,” Hargrove said. “I’m trying to get past this three-year thing where I can maybe get five years in the league without losing a year. Maybe that’s what teams are thinking. I don’t know. We’re going to try to break that.”

-- Charean Williams

 

 

 

Cowboys don't hold back on thinking about how good Dez Bryant can be: 'That's our job,' Garrett says

Dez Bryant is coming off a pretty good year – 92 catches, 1,382 yards, 12 touchdowns.

The Cowboys don’t resist thinking even higher with him.

“Absolutely. That’s our job,” coach Jason Garrett said. “Our job is to make him the best he can be. ... We watch the tape and say, ‘Boy, you can play so much better. So much better.’ ”

Bryant said Tuesday as organized practices began at Valley Ranch that he has “found himself” this offseason, the quietest of his pro career. He said part of it is from being around successful pros.

“What we do as coaches is we show him, ‘This is how you can play better, this is how we’re going to help you play better – individual drills, in practice, what you’re doing after practice, understanding the system better, all of those things, and carrying that stuff to the game.’ ”

Bryant helps himself with his eagerness to play, Garrett said.

“He’s really , really a joy to coach,” Garrett said. “He has such passion for the game. He loves it. He loves his teammates. He loves to play.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Murray, Bailey taking pledges in phone drive for tornado relief today; Casillas, Woodson, Haley, DC Cheerleaders also participating

Running back DeMarco Murray and kicker Dan Bailey will be answering phones in a fund drive Wednesday for Oklahoma tornado victims.

The Cowboys players, who both played college football in Oklahoma -– Murray at OU, and Bailey at Oklahoma State -– will be taking pledges from 4 to 6:30 p.m. at the Channel 11 studio in Fort Worth. The number to call is 877-TEXAS-11.

Retired Cowboys players Tony Casillas, Darren Woodson and Charles Haley will also be taking calls, along with Dallas Cowboys cheerleaders. Casillas played at OU. Woodson and Haley are participating through their connection with the Salvation Army, which is coordinating the relief effort along with the Cowboys and Albertsons.

“Donations will help The Salvation Army provide meals, hydration, spiritual and emotional care and more for both survivors and first responders in Oklahoma,” the Cowboys said in a statement.

Bailey, whose hometown of Mustang, Okla., is near Moore, Okla., understood well the effect of Monday’s disaster.

“I know everybody’s attitude there is they’re going to get through it, and it’s going to be tough, but they’ve been through it before,” he said. “They’re going to do the best they can and I’m going to see what I can do to help them out.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Claiborne says getting bigger and stronger has made for a 'tremendous' offseason

Morris Claiborne had to do a couple of things this spring.

One, get bigger.

Two, get stronger.

So far, so good.

“I feel like I’ve had a tremendous offseason with getting in the weight room and trying to get stronger,” the second-year cornerback said Tuesday after the Cowboys’ first OTA practice at Valley Ranch. “Actually, I put on a couple of pounds. Last year, I was at 187. Now I’m at 193. So I’m just trying to learn how to move with that weight and just get comfortable.”

Claiborne and the Cowboys figure he can use the extra weight to become a stronger tackler, a skill that will be required more from the cornerbacks under new defensive coordinator Monte Kiffin. Last year as a rookie, Claiborne never got up to speed with his strength because he spent the spring recovering from wrist surgery.

“There were times last year where he wasn’t strong enough to execute a certain technique,” secondary coach Jerome Henderson said. “So he had to get stronger to do that. He’s done the work to do that.”

Claiborne has known all spring about the physical style that will be required of him and fellow corner Brandon Carr. But he believes he is ready for it and feels confident as he enters his second pro season.

“I told someone the other day, I feel a difference when I pull up in the facility than I did a year ago,” Claiborne said. “I feel like nothing’s too much new to me. I expect everything how it was last year. We’ve got a couple of coaching changes, but nothing stopping. I’m just trying to continue to get more comfortable, continue to get more established in this system, so I can go out and play and have fun.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

So why the big secret about Romo's cyst? Because it wouldn't help the team to tell anybody

The Cowboys waited until OTAs began to tell everyone about Tony Romo’s cyst and that he wouldn’t be practicing since he had it removed from his back.

So why the big secret? Why not announce the procedure when it was performed on the $108 million quarterback, who would be held out the entirety of OTAs, not just for a practice or two? Routine stuff -- surgery successful, expect a full, quick recovery, yada yada yada.

Romo’s reasoning: if it doesn’t help the team, why bother?

“I don’t feel it’s in anyone’s best interest just to come out and talk about anything that goes on,” he told reporters Tuesday at Valley Ranch. “It doesn’t help your football team. Predominantly, most of the decisions you make are about helping the football team, and that’s what you fall back on in those decisions.”

So Romo and the Cowboys decided not to say anything until they had to. They figured a 20-minute gaggle with reporters after the first practice would get the news just as well as a quick email blast.

“Well, I don’t talk to you guys very often,” Romo said. “I figured it was just easier than to schedule a press conference and say, ‘Hey, I had a minor procedure. All right. Goodbye.’

“It seems silly, honestly.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Jason Garrett steadfast in refusing to say how play-calling mechanics will work

The Cowboys' play-caller isn't undecided. It's unannounced.

The mystery has been ongoing since the Senior Bowl when Jerry Jones hinted that coach Jason Garrett no longer would call the offensive plays, a role Garrett has held since 2007 when he became offensive coordinator. Bill Callahan, who became offensive coordinator/offensive line coach in 2012, is expected to have a bigger hand in the offense regardless whether he is actually calling the plays. Quarterback Tony Romo also will have more say.

Garrett, though, repeatedly has refused to definitively say how the mechanics will work on game day. He was asked again Tuesday if the Cowboys still were working on the mechanics of the play-calling.

"Yeah," Garrett answered. "I think that's a fair way to say it. ...I think we have a pretty good plan, and we’ll execute it as the offseason progresses."

For his part, Romo said he doesn't care who calls the plays.

"That’s a big topic for you guys," Romo said of the media. "I’m sure you’ll wear that one out until [it's announced]. I mean, I’m just the quarterback, and I’m just trying to continue to get better and improve and help this team."

-- Charean Williams

 

 

 

Tornado hits home for Cowboys kicker Dan Bailey

Dan Bailey had only one friend affected by the EF-5 tornado that tore through Moore, Okla., on Monday, but it hit close to home. The Cowboys kicker grew up in Mustang, 18 miles from Moore.

"It breaks your heart, because there’s just nothing you can do," Bailey said Tuesday. "All the people who are there, all they can do is sit there and watch. It’s out of everybody’s hands. Unluckily and unfortunately, they’ve been through it before, so they know kind of how to deal with it. They’re going to do the best they can, and I’m going to see what I can do to help them out."

Bailey remembers being in his parents' storm shelter a handful of times in his life.

"It’s a scary feeling," Bailey said. "It’s something, growing up there, you kind of get used to. It’s kind of expected you’re going to have tornadoes. You’re never ready for something like that to happen."

The Rams and the Chiefs lent a hand to Joplin, Mo., tornado relief in 2011. Bailey would like to spearhead an effort by the Cowboys to help Moore, and Dez Bryant, who attended Oklahoma State with Bailey, intends to help.

“I wish the best; I hope for the best,” Bryant said. “I’ll keep that in my prayers. I really hope they get through it. Anything I can do or any fellow Oklahoma player in here can help, I’m pretty sure we’ll do it.” 

-- Charean Williams

 

Safety Barry Church is back and plans to be as good as he was before tearing his Achilles'

Barry Church, a rookie free agent in 2010, earned the starting strong safety job out of training camp last year. It lasted only three games as he tore his right Achilles' tendon in a game against the Bucs.

Now, Church is competing for a starting job again.

"I definitely feel like the job’s mine to lose, and I don’t plan on losing it," Church said.

The Cowboys liked what they saw from Church enough in three games to reward him with a four-year, $9 million contract extension not long after his injury. They also had enough faith in him not to draft a safety in the first or second round (like LSU's Eric Reid) or spend a lot in free agency. Veteran Will Allen signed a one-year, $840,000 deal as insurance, and the Cowboys drafted small-school J.J. Wilcox as a developmental player in the third round.

Church was taking first-team snaps Tuesday, with Allen and Matt Johnson rotating first-team snaps opposite Church.

"He was one of those free agents that everybody overlooked, and we brought him in here and he proved to us that he belonged on this football team as a special teams guy," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "His role has increased over his career where he said, 'Hey, I’m not just a special teams guy. I can play on defense. I’m not just a down safety. I can play on the back end.' You remember training camp last year: He came in and just won that job. We had some other guys competing for that, and he just stuck out like a sore thumb every day in practice. He was doing something to say, 'Hey, I’m the guy who needs to play safety for you.'

"It’s too bad he got hurt early on in the year. He’s the kind of guy that kind of grows and develops right before your eyes. So he was improving with every opportunity he got. He seems like he’s healthy. He’s been moving around great all throughout the offense, so excited to see him grow this offseason with the OTAs."

Church was fully cleared last week, and no one was happier about returning to practice than he was. He briefly doubted he would play again.

But Cowboys secondary coach Jerome Henderson said Church is as good as old.

"With his Achilles' you worried would he come back with his same quickness, with his same burst," Henderson said. "He looks like the same guy we saw last year before we lost him to the injury. He’s moving around extremely well, so I'm just hoping he continues on the path he’s on."

-- Charean Williams

 

 

Cowboys expect running game to be better, but they need Murray, who has a tweaked hamstring, to be healthy

The Cowboys have made several moves this offseason that they expect to make them a better running team. After setting the team record for fewest rushing yards in a 16-game season in 2012, the Cowboys drafted center Travis Frederick and running back Joseph Randle. They also could use more zone running.

But the key is keeping starter DeMarco Murray on the field.

Murray missed Tuesday's first organized team activity with a tweaked hamstring. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said he expects Murray to return soon, possibly early next week.

"He has a little hamstring tweak that’s been bothering him for the last week or so," Garrett said. "We don’t want to put any of those guys in a situation where they’re going to take a backward step. Obviously, you want them all out there going 100 mph, but we’ve got to understand that it is May 21st. This is OTA 1, and we have a long way to go. So we’ll take a conservative approach."

Murray has 1,560 career yards, but he has missed nine games with injuries in his two seasons. He was out for six games with a foot injury in 2012.

"You can just coach him hard and try to encourage him and try to just make sure he’s doing the right thing to take care of his body, because a lot of those injuries are freak things," new running backs coach Gary Brown said. "Nothing we can do about it. He just has to be blessed with a 16-game season, and hopefully, that will happen."

The Cowboys also were without rookie Joseph Randle, who is expected to backup Murray. The fifth-round pick is recovering from thumb surgery. Both Murray and Randle did some rehab work during practice.

Lance Dunbar, Phillip Tanner and Kendial Lawrence got much of the work in team drills.

-- Charean Williams

Tony Romo: "I don't think I'm an 8-8 quarterback"

When Tony Romo returns to practice next month from a cyst he recently had removed from his back, the Dallas Cowboys quarterback plans to have his teammates’ backs.

“We were 8-8 the last couple of years,” Romo said Tuesday, the first day of the team’s organized team activities. “That doesn’t sit well with me. I don’t think I’m an 8-8 quarterback. I don’t think this organization is comfortable being 8-8. We’re going to do everything we can as coaches, players and in this building to change that.

“I’m going to do everything I can to make sure that doesn’t happen again. That just sits there and eats at you. We make choices to do everything that we can to change that.”

Romo talked for 19 minutes Tuesday in his first expansive interview session since he signed a six-year, $108 million contract extension March 29. The quarterback, who is entering his seventh full season as a starter, will have a bigger hand in the offense this season.

“I’ve got a great relationship with Jason,” Romo said. “He’s got a great mind for football. The older you get, you develop that a little bit as a quarterback. If you do some good things in the past that allow you to show then you can have a little more of that. That’s part of the growth that takes shape.”

Romo is only 17-21 over the past three seasons, and he has one playoff win his career, but the Cowboys have deemed him their franchise quarterback of the present and of the future. They then assured a “Romo-friendly” offense by spending three high draft picks on offensive players, selecting center Travis Frederick in the first round, tight end Gavin Escobar in the second and receiver Terrance Williams in the third. They also took running back Joseph Randle.

Romo plans to prove the Cowboys right.

“You’re constantly evaluating yourself, and in a leadership role, how to improve and help the football team,” Romo said. “I think that’s definitely the communication that happens between everybody. That’s an important aspect of making sure that things that did happen don’t happen again, and I know that that’s part of why the coaches are spending so many hours doing what they’re doing, and why the players are working as hard as they are, to ensure that this football team is going to be better and be a different football team than you’ve seen.”

-- Charean Williams

Dez Bryant says he found himself in a quiet offseason: 'I had to go through a couple things to figure it out'

Dez Bryant is coming off his most quiet offseason as a pro. No family problems. No being asked to leave a mall. No complaints about unpaid bills.

His offseason has been peaceful and enjoyable.

“I’d say I found myself. I’m comfortable in my life,” the fourth-year Cowboys receiver said Tuesday on the first day of OTAs at Valley Ranch. “I’m enjoying being in the NFL. I wish it could have been a couple years back, but I had to go through a couple of things to figure it out.

“I think I’ve got it. I’m just more focused on my job and doing what I love to do, and I just play football.”

Bryant, 24, is coming off his best season with the Cowboys. Last year, he caught 92 passes for 1,382 yards and 12 touchdowns, playing in all 16 games for the first time.

Bryant said he became more comfortable as a pro by being around pros – players who have succeeded in the NFL for years.

“Listening and looking at people who do it right,” he said. “I had to get around people who do it right. I feel like that’s been my steppingstone – the older guys.”

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said it makes sense that Bryant struggled with his personal life early in his NFL career because many young players do.

“Picture yourself as a 21-year-old coming into this environment, with all the hype and the circumstance around being a No. 1 draft pick in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys,” Garrett said. “He had to work through that like a lot of guys have to work through that, and he had to mature and understand what’s important. I think he’s done all of that. ... He’s gotten some of these other things in his life kind of organized, and together, it reflects in his play.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Tony Romo expected to return for the team's minicamp June 11-13

Tony Romo is ready to get back on the field, but the Dallas Cowboys quarterback isn't likely to get his wish until the team's minicamp next month.

Romo had a minor procedure last month, getting a small cyst removed from his back. The stitches are out, and the area is healed, but the Cowboys are holding him out of the team's organized team activities as a precaution.

"Like with all of our players, we’d rather have him out there participating than not, but we’ve always been very cautious with this time of year with our players, making sure they’re 100 percent healthy and get them back when they’re ready to go," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "So Tony’s going to be out the OTAs. I think there’s a possibility he could participate in the minicamp three or so weeks from now. He’ll certainly be ready for training camp."

Romo, 33, began experiencing some discomfort in his back last month and had the area examined. Dr. Drew Dossett, a team orthopedic, performed the procedure to remove the cyst before the NFL Draft.

"We just had a minor procedure to remove a cyst. Just had to go get that done," Romo said. "I feel a lot better. It was something that was there a little bit, kind of annoying. I’d rather feel 100 percent here. Hopefully I’ll be back for minicamp and be ready to go, but we’re just being smart now for the next couple of weeks."

Romo is itching to get back. He signed a six-year, $108 million extension March 29 and has been given a bigger hand in the offense after requesting more responsibility.

"I think just through experience, the older you get as a football player and a quarterback. I think you gain a little bit of an understanding about the game and how you can almost develop, through experience, over time," Romo said. "When you are a guy in your first few years, and I’ve probably been starting now for 6, 6 1/2 years maybe, you start to understand the game differently as time passes. Some of the things that are positive and can help your team win.

"For me, I believe in some things that I think can help us win football games. You have great communication with the coaches. We all talk about things and we go from there. Everyone is just trying to help the football team win."

Kyle Orton is getting first-team reps in Romo's absence. Young quarterbacks Nick Stephens and Dalton Williams are getting more work as well.

-- Charean Williams

Twitter: @NFLCharean

  

 

Romo will miss OTAs after cyst removed from back, team web site reports

The Cowboys are going to start OTA practices without quarterback Tony Romo.

He had a cyst removed from his back last month, and the Cowboys don’t plan to let him practice over the next three weeks, according to DallasCowboys.com.

The Cowboys practice on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday each of the next three weeks before a mandatory minicamp the following week. Romo is expected to be back for that.

Romo has not been throwing over the last month, the team web site said. He did not play in the Cowboys’ golf tournament last week in Grapevine.

Romo is expected to meet with reporters Tuesday at Valley Ranch. He hasn’t spoken publically since signing a $108 million contract extension in March.

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Cowboys release A&M's Dustin Harris, sign Langston corner

The Cowboys released Texas A&M cornerback Dustin Harris on Friday, replacing him with free agent cornerback Malik "Fig" James from Langston.

Harris signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent and participated in the team's rookie minicamp.

James was a highly recruited high school prospect who originally signed with the University of Cincinnati but because of academics ended up going the JUCO route. He later spent time at Nevada, dismissed after he was arrested for driving under the influence and careless driving in April 2012. He also had a November 2011 arrest at Nevada, charged with failure to obey police orders after failing to appear in court for a traffic ticket, according to published reports.

James ended up at Langston, an NAIA program, for his final year of eligibility. He played in four games last season, with six tackles and two interceptions before a season-ending injury against Wayland Baptist.

James, who is 5-11, 189 pounds, ran a 4.28 at his Pro Day. He had a tryout with the Houston Texans at their rookie minicamp, but the Texans didn't sign him.

-- Charean Williams

 

 

 

 

DE Anthony Hargrove of Saints bounty gate infamy signs one-year deal with Cowboys for $840,000

The Cowboys bolstered their defensive line on Thursday by signing veteran defensive end Anthony Hargrove to a one-year deal.

The Cowboys released guard D.J. Hall to make room for Hargrove, who will get the veteran minimum of $840,000 in 2013. He will count just $555,000 against the salary camp.

Hargrove sat out the 2012 season after being suspended for the first eight games for his involvement in the New Orleans Saints bounty gate scandal.  He was a member of the Green Bay Packers at the time of his suspension but was released before the season. No other team picked him up.

Hargrove, a former third-round pick of the St. Louis Rams in 2004, was suspended for the 2008 season for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy.

He played with the Saints in 2009 and 2010 before spending one year in Seattle in 2011.

Hargrove, who has also played with the Bills, has appeared in 102 NFL games, starting 25. He has 19.5 career sacks.

The Cowboys have no proven depth at defensive end behind starters DeMarcus Ware and Anthony Spencer. 

Clarence Hill

Tackle Doug Free agrees to pay cut to stay with Cowboys; $7M over next years, $3.5M guaranteed in 2013

The impasse between the Dallas Cowboys and maligned left tackle Doug Free is over.

Free will remain with the Cowboys as he has agreed to a pay cut as part of a new two-year contract that will pay him $7 million in 2013 and 2014, per multiple sources.

Only his $3.5 million salary in 2013 is guaranteed making it essentially a one-year deal.

Free was scheduled to make $7 million in 2013 as part of a four-year, $32 million deal he signed in 2011.

He has started 48 games with the Cowboys  but struggled mightily last season _ so much so that he forced to share snaps with Jeremy Parnell.

The Cowboys have been clear that they wanted Free to return to the team in 2013 and continue to compete with Parnell at right tackle. But they were also clear that they weren't going to pay him $7 million to do so.

If Free hadn't agreed to a pay cut, he would have been released.

In the end both sides got something out of deal as it was unlikely Free would have gotten $3.5 million guaranteed for next season on the free agent market, especially at this late date.

The Cowboys were able to clear salary room to so they could possibly pursue other free agents or even give one of their players a contract extension.

Clarence Hill 

 

Free decision coming soon, possibly early next week

Look for the impasse between the Cowboys and tackle Doug Free to end before the start of organized team activities next week.

The Cowboys have no intention of paying Free a $7 million salary for next season and have asked to take a pay cut of roughly $4 million.

Free has yet to agree to do so.

From a business standpoint, the Cowboys need a decision before he is allowed to participate in organized team activities to cover them in case of an injury. If Free suffered an injury during the workouts the team would be on the hook for his entire $7 million salary.

Cowboys vice-president Stephen Jones said everyone involved is well aware of what’s at stake.

“I think we’re on the same page with (Free’s agent Jimmy Sexton) and Doug as far as the timing,” Jones said.  “We want Doug here. Hopefully we can get it all worked out.”

 Clarence Hill

Brandon Carr, getting ready to play for yet another coordinator: 'Just the name of the game. You have to adapt'

Brandon Carr has a new defensive coordinator.

Story of his life.

In his first five NFL seasons, the Cowboys cornerback played for four defensive coordinators. Monte Kiffin will be his fifth.

“Just the name of the game,” Carr said Wednesday at the Cowboys golf tournament in Grapevine. “You have to adapt to what’s thrown at you.”

As a rookie in Kansas City, drafted in the fifth round in 2008, Carr played under Gunther Cunningham.

The next year, it was Clancy Pendergast.

Then, for the next two years, Romeo Crennel was the defensive coordinator for the Chiefs. Carr had his highest interception total of his career in the second year under Crennel (four) and went to free agency, where the Cowboys signed him to a $50.1 million contract.

With the Cowboys, he played under Rob Ryan and had three interceptions, also making a spot appearance at safety because of injuries.

“I’ve been playing for different coaches, different schemes pretty much my whole career in the NFL,” Carr said. “I feel like it’s kind of adding to my versatility. It’s all about learning and trying to grasp whatever’s thrown at me.”

That’ll be the case for at least one more year.

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Bernadeau healthier entering second year with Cowboys, but still will take it easy into OTAs following shoulder surgery

Mackenzy Bernadeau did not exactly have a year to remember in 2012, the first year of his four-year, $11 million free agent deal with the Cowboys.

He was hurt in the offseason, got healthy in time to start all 16 games, but he was inconsistent – good some games, plain bad in others. At one point, offensive line coach Bill Callahan had to tell him directly his job was in danger.

But he ended the season with the Cowboys confident in him, and now he enters his second year with the Cowboys confident in himself and healthier.

“This offseason, obviously, it’s a lot better,” he said. “Just being able to be here now and not miss many things, being able to be in camp as early as possible, when we start getting going with the rest of the team, helps build that continuity with the guys on the line.”

Bernadeau said he had shoulder surgery in January for an injury that happened in the Cleveland game (Week 11). He said it didn’t excuse his poor play, but that he can feel the improvement since it has been repaired.

“It’s one of those things you can play with, but to be in the weight room and train the way you want to, you have to have it fixed,” he said.

Bernadeau said he and defensive end DeMarcus Ware, who had similar shoulder surgery, are doing many of the same treatments and rehab work together.

Bernadeau, who missed OTAs last year because of hip and knee injuries (which are fine now), said the team will still take it easy with him as OTAs begin next week.

“We’ll do it week by week, see how I feel,” he said. “We don’t want to have any setbacks. Might play it safe, depending on how I feel.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Healthy Costa says he's ready for competition with Frederick and will welcome him to the o-line room

The Cowboys drafted a guy to take Phil Costa’s job at center. But that is not going to make him unfriendly toward him, Costa said.

“You don’t get anywhere by being a certain way as an older guy to a younger guy,” Costa said Wednesday at Cowboys Golf Club during the team’s annual tournament for sponsors. “You’ve got to treat everybody with respect and as a teammate, and especially a guy who’s in the O-line room. We take our group serious, and we’re a tight-knit group.”

Costa said he has met Travis Frederick, the Wisconsin center taken by the Cowboys with their first-round pick last month, and “he seems like a great guy.”

Costa said he remembers the way he was treated when he got to the Cowboys as an undrafted player in 2010.

“I was with [Kyle] Kosier, Andre [Gurode], [Marc] Colombo, and all those guys were good to me,” he said. “They taught me a lot, taught me how to be. And I appreciated that.”

Besides, Costa said, the competition will make him better.

“I came into the league, every day was a fight, and still every day is a fight,” he said. “I look at it, it’s a competition, a challenge. I think competition really brings out the best in everyone, which Coach has talked a lot about with our team.”

Costa said he is fully recovered from the broken ankle that ended his season last year in the Carolina game.

“It was supposed to be a four- to six-month recovery,” he said. “I was pretty much 100 percent right at the four-month mark, maybe a little before.”

He said he had doubts, naturally.

“I guess you never really know how an injury’s going to heal up,” he said. “Literally every day, I have the mentality, ‘Win the day,’ whether it’s with an injury or football. Just putting everything together to get 100 percent.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Stephen Jones says he remains pleased with career of Felix Jones in Dallas

Former Cowboys running Felix Jones, who signed with the Eagles on Tuesday, was a disappointment as a first-round pick based on starts, production and impact.

Yet Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones refuses to call him a bust and says he has no regrets about Felix Jones' time in Dallas.

“The guy played for us in a significant role,” Jones said. “The shelf life for a running back is not long. We are pleased with the career he had here with us.”

Jones said he remains fond of the running back picked 22nd overall in 2008 over such backs as Tennessee’s Chris Johnson, Baltimore’s Ray Rice, Kansas City’s Jamaal Charles and Chicago’s Matt Forte largely because Jones went to Arkansas, the alma mater of Stephen Jones and owner Jerry Jones.

“You know what we think of Felix,” Stephen Jones said. “He is a Razorback. We wish him good luck except when the Cowboys and Eagles play.”

Jones’ one-year contract with the Eagles came with a $32,000 signing bonus.

-- Clarence Hill

 

Romo's input into offense is 'similar to every quarterback situation in the league,' Garrett says

Much has been made of Tony Romo’s supposedly new Peyton Manning-like involvement in the offense, mandated by him and owner Jerry Jones when he signed a six-year, $108 million contract extension last month.

Coach Jason Garrett, however, has consistently downplayed any significant change in Romo’s role.

He said he has always tried to involve Romo in the offensive decision-making and game planning.

“It’s similar to every quarterback situation in the league,” Garrett said. “I have been a quarterback in this league. I have been around those dynamics. I have been quarterback coach. I have been the offensive coordinator. In every organization you are trying to get that rapport with the quarterback and the offensive coordinator.

He said it’s natural that when a quarterback gets older and matures that he will have a larger role in the process.

“I think certainly the more experienced the player is the more he understands the offense, the more opposing defenses he is going to see, the smarter the player he is,” Garrett said. “A lot of that has to do with the understanding of the game that comes through experience. They become more credible. Tony is a veteran quarterback. He has played a lot of snaps for us. He has been our quarterback for six years now. So his voice matters to us. It has mattered for a long time.”

Clarence Hill

 

QB Nick Stephens hoping to take advantage of a chance with the Cowboys

Former Tarleton State quarterback Nick Stephens didn't give up on his dream after failing to stick with the Tennessee Titans out of training camp last summer. He continued to work out on on his own, lifting at a Lifetime Fitness and throwing to some ex high school teammates.

He had a tryout with the Bucs last season, but it didn't turn into anything.

So he waited.

Finally, his second chance came when the Cowboys signed him immediately after the 2012 season ended.

"It was a pretty big advantage to have signed when I did and get a jump on things," Stephens said. "I feel like I've taken advantage of it up to this point. There is always so much more to learn, and it's not just learning it, but it's putting it together on the field. That's probably the most difficult part. You can sit down and draw them a million times, but until you get on the field and look everyone in the eyes and repeat this long play to them, that's when it gets ticked up a notch."

The Flower Mound product is one of three quarterbacks who threw at the s rookie minicamp last weekend, along with Dalton Williams and Aaron Corp. But Stephens is the only one who has been here long enough to get a star on his helmet.

"Nick's made a lot of progress, and he's a guy who physically has some tools," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "He's a big kid. He's athletic. He can throw the ball. We just want to see him keep growing in our offense, both understanding what we're trying to do, but also physically doing things the way we want them done. These days are very valuable for a lot of guys, probably as valuable for him as anybody. He gets the chance to essentially run the team as the quarterback. He gets most of the quarterback reps. You see him in the huddle. You see him at the line of scrimmage. You see him translate some of that stuff we're trying to emphasize to him and take it to the practice field. He's made progress. He's a better quarterback at 2 o'clock on Saturday than he was at 7:30 on Friday, and he's doing things the right way, and he's really making progress before our eyes. He, like all of them, has a long way to go, but he's making some strides."

Stephens started six games at the University of Tennessee in 2008, but he couldn't hold the job and transferred to Tarleton in 2010. He finished his career with the Vols with 982 passing yards, five touchdowns and four interceptions. In 2011 at Tarleton, Stephens completed 56.4 percent of his passes for 3,005 yards and 20 touchdowns.

Stephens came for Dallas Day workouts at Valley Ranch in 2012, but with Stephen McGee as their third quarterback at the time, the Cowboys didn't sign Stephens as a rookie free agent.

This time, he might have a better shot at making at least the practice squad. The Cowboys kept only two quarterbacks on their 53-player roster last season, and, with the need for arms in training camp, Stephens is the team's third quarterback at the moment.

"I don't think anyone would go into a situation thinking it wasn't a good opportunity," Stephens said. "But at this point, all I'm doing is I'm just trying to be the best I can be. I'm trying to learn from Tony [Romo] and Kyle [Orton] and Coach [Wade] Wilson and Coach Garrett. They're doing a phenomenal job teaching all of us. I'm just trying to put it all together."

-- Charean Williams

Former TCU WR Antoine Hicks gets only a short time to impress the Cowboys, but it is a chance

Antoine Hicks never expected his NFL chance to take so long. After finishing his college career in 2011, the former TCU receiver attended Dallas Day at Valley Ranch, and he got a shot at a Redskins' rookie minicamp. But that was it. No one called to take him to training camp.

He did have two tryouts with CFL teams, but that didn't lead to anything either.

"I never gave up on it," Hicks said. "Seeing the people I actually played ball with in Little League and high school go up and make it, it made me realize if they can make, I know for sure I can make it, too. I'm around the same level as them and worked just as hard as they did. It's about getting an opportunity."

Hicks might not have a great shot at being signed by the Cowboys, but he has a better chance than he had last week. He was a last-minute work out addition for the team's rookie minicamp, called to come to the final two days (three practices).

"It's a great opportunity," said Hicks, a Mansfield Timberview product. "I haven't been in minicamp since last year when I was with the Redskins. In that time, I was working out all the time and having a part-time job."

Hicks has been working valet jobs around DFW, parking cars for tip money. It's not what he envisioned doing after making 76 receptions 1,069 yards and nine touchdowns in four seasons at TCU, including 33 for 347 and a touchdown as a senior.

"It's real special to get this opportunity with the Cowboys," Hicks said. "I grew up a Cowboys fan. It would be an honor to get a an opportunity to make the team I grew up rooting for."

-- Charean Williams

 

 

Fifth-round pick Joseph Randle signs four-year deal; gets signing bonus of $188,500

Rookie running back Joseph Randle won't be able to practice with until training camp because of continued rehab on his surgically repaired thumb.

But there was no delay in his contract talks with the Cowboys. The fifth-round pick, who is expected to be DeMarco Murray's primary backup, signed a four-year, $2.5 million deal with the Cowboys on Monday.

Randle got a $188,500 signing bonus as well as minimum salaries in each of the next four years of $405,000, $555,000, $630,000 and $715,000 in 2013-2016, respectively.

He joins linebacker Devonte Holloman, the team's sixth round pick, as the rookie draft picks to come to come to terms with the Cowboys. Holloman got a $104,000 signing bonus with the same  base salaries.

Clarence Hill

Brandon Magee hoping to follow in the draft-snubbed footsteps of Bengals standout Vontaze Burfict

Much has been made about the Cowboys liking linebacker Brandon Magee so much that they guaranteed $70,000 of his salary for him to sign with them as an undrafted rookie free agent.

But while the former Arizona State star Magee is happy to be with the Cowboys, he is still miffed about being snubbed by every team in the league on draft _ even the Cowboys. He was rated on some teams boards as high as the fourth round. The Cowboys even had him rated higher than linebacker Devonte Holloman, whom they selected in the sixth round.

Magee hasn't forgotten any of it.

"It's there," Magee said of the chip. "It's not going anywhere. I got to make this team."

Magee is drawing inspiration and guidance from former Arizona State teammate Vontage Burfict who found himself in a similar situation last year. Burfict, who at one time was ranked a first-round prospect,  went undrafted because of a bad workout and supposed attitude issues. He signed with the Bengals as an undrafted free agent and went on to earn a starting spot and lead the team in tackles as a rookie.

 "I talk to him every day," Magee said. "Everybody was all over him. He proved everybody wrong. I'm on that same step."

Clarence Hillb

Cowboys roster moves following rookie camp: release three, sign three

The Dallas announced the signing of three players who came to the rookie minicamp over the weekend as tryout guys: tackle Edwawn Coughman, guard D.J. Hall and receiver Anthony Amos. 

The Cowboys released guard Charlie Bryant, receiver Greg Herd and tackle Aderious Simmons.

Clarence Hill

With Gavin Escobar, the Cowboys should be in a two tight end offense more than last season

Gavin Escobar, one of the best receiving tight ends in college football the past two seasons, joins Jason Witten and James Hanna in the tight ends room. All Witten did was set the single-season record for receptions by a tight end in league history.

So are there enough balls to go around?

“I’m just ready to have them in the game if they call their number,” said Wes Phillips, in his first season as the team’s tight ends coach. “I would imagine taking a young guy who is talented [like Escobar] and having James Hanna along to complement Witten, we can get into some different packages in 12 [one running back, two tight ends]. Each of those guys can play to their strengths.”

The Cowboys could use two tight ends more this season. Dallas didn’t use much last season with John Phillips as its second tight end, running only 195 plays with its 12 personnel. The Cowboys threw 74 times with two tight ends in the game, took one sack and rushed the ball 120 times.

In 2011, with Martellus Bennett as their second tight end, the Cowboys used two tight ends for 320 plays, rushing 225 times, taking six sacks and throwing 89 times.

The Cowboys believe Escobar is a better offensive weapon than Bennett or Phillips, who left for San Diego in March as a free agent. Escobar caught 122 passes for 1,646 yards and 17 touchdowns in three seasons at San Diego State.

“We used some resources to draft him,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “We used a second-round pick, so we think a lot of him, and we want to give him every opportunity to acclimate him to our offensive system.

“What we have to do as coaches is decide who our best 11 guys are, what our best personnel groups are and try to shape our offense accordingly. You know we’ve used a lot of two tight end offense in the past. …So we want to keep attacking defenses a lot of different ways. We’ll do it with different personnel groups and with different guys within those personnel groups.”

Dallas drafted James Hanna in the sixth round last year, and Hanna played in 107 plays to 333 for Phillips. But in the final four games, Hanna's playing time increased. He played 52 plays in the last four games, while Phillips played 55.

Witten, who played 1,112 plays last season, caught a tight ends record 110 passes for 1,039 yards and three touchdowns. Hanna had eight catches for 86 yards, and Phillips caught eight passes for 55 yards and a score.

-- Charean Williams

Twitter: @NFLCharean

 

Jerry Jones, Cowboys focused on keeping rookies healthy so they can make instant impact

Despite undergoing surgery to repair a damaged left retina on Wednesday, Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made a point to keep a watchful eye on rookie minicamp Friday and Saturday from his luxury box overlooking the practice field at the team’s Valley Ranch headquarters.

Jones is especially interested in seeing the progress of a rookie draft class that the Cowboys expect to get significant playing time.

Jones is not just talking about center Travis Frederick, the first-round pick from Wisconsin. He is looking for big contributions from the first six picks: tight end Gavin Escobar (second round), receiver Terrance Williams and safety J.J. Wilcox (third round), cornerback B.W. Webb (fourth round) and running back Joseph Randle (fifth round).

“This is where it starts,” Jones said. “Hopefully we will be able to have more of these rookies on the field for us than we had last year. I think we have made a pretty big commitment in this draft to get these guys on the field.”

Five of the seven picks last year missed time from minicamp through the regular season because of injuries.

First-round pick Morris Claiborne was sidelined until training camp with a wrist injury. Fourth-round pick Kyle Wilber suffered a fractured finger in minicamp.

Fourth-round pick pick Matt Johnson missed minicamp because of school and most of training camp and the regular season because of hamstring injuries.

Fifth-round pick Danny Coale suffered a fractured foot in organized team activities, and seventh-round pick Caleb McSurdy suffered a torn Achilles’ tendon in training camp.

Jones said the Cowboys have made a point to monitor the rookies’ activities, contact and stretching in an attempt to avoid some of the setbacks this year.

"We have tried to keep that in mind as we take these guys through practice," Jones said. "We are trying to make sure we are doing the things as best we can to not have some of the pulls we had last year."

Clarence Hill

B. W. Webb excused from final day of mini camp to attend graduation

Rookie cornerback B.W. Webb has been one of the more impressive players in the Cowboys’ rookie minicamp so far. But the fourth-round pick, who is expected to compete with Orlando Scandrick for the starting spot at nickel cornerback, will miss the final day of camp on Sunday to return to William and Mary for graduation.

Webb counts his family as his biggest motivation for wanting to succeed in the NFL. They are also the reason why he had to go back to attend graduation.

“If it was up to my parents, it’s graduation before football,” Webb said. “They are more happy about that than [me] being in the NFL.”

 

Clarence Hill

 

A receiver with the Cowboys, Jared Green is not following in his father's footsteps

Jared Green grew up a die-hard Redskins fan. As the son of Hall of Famer Darrell Green, he didn't have a choice.

Jared Green, though, chose his own road. He insists his father is comfortable with the fact that he is with the Redskins' rival, trying to win a job with the Cowboys.

"We appreciated everything that he did, and that the organization allowed him to do," Jared Green said. "But after that, it’s just a job that dad worked for 20 years, and now, I’m a grown man, and my dad supports everything that I do. So we are all in for the Dallas Cowboys. It’s something to be proud of. Every kid in the '90s, I don’t care what anybody says, every kid saw that star and wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy. I don’t care who you are, where you’re from, you wanted to be a Dallas Cowboy. My dad allowed me to put Michael Irvin’s poster up in my room, so I had Darrell Green up on one side of my room; I had Michael Irvin up on the other side. So I’m proud to wear that star. When I was young, they had that movie, Little Giants. And the kids got that star on their helmet. I wanted that. So I’m proud to be a Dallas Cowboy."

Green's respect for Irvin was one of the reasons he ended up a receiver and not a defensive back like his father. He graduated from the University of Virgina and then played his last season at Southern, catching 17 passes for 307 yards and two touchdowns as a senior. In 46 career games, including three starts, Green caught 52 passes for 670 yards and four touchdowns.

He spent last season on Carolina's practice squad, but when the Panthers didn't give him a chance on their 53-player roster at the end of the year, he opted to leave for the Cowboys. Green was the second-most watched receiver in the team's rookie minicamp behind only third-round pick Terrance Williams. 

"Jared is a good football player," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. "He’s an experienced football player. You can see that. He’s got a good feel for playing the position, and he also has some quickness and some speed that allows him to separate from corners. So he’s been working very hard in our off-season program. One of the more veteran guys involved in this. I think you can see that when they’re practicing. He’s a guy who kind of understands what to do maybe a little bit better than some of the other guys and it reflects in his performance."

He enters a crowded competition with Williams, Dwayne Harris, Cole Beasley and Danny Coale among the receivers trying to stick behind Miles Austin and Dez Bryant.

-- Charean Williams

 

 

Ronald Leary, with a year's experience under him, catches Garrett's eye at minicamp

Ronald Leary is the most experienced offensive lineman, in the Cowboys’ system at least, at rookie minicamp.

Jason Garrett said it showed.

“He actually flashed a little bit at us this morning,” Garrett said Friday after the first practice of the weekend. “He has an unfair advantage, like some of the veteran guys who have been around. He knows the system. He’s been with us for a year. The play calls are very natural to him. He understands fronts and all of that stuff. So he’s going to play faster.”

At this time last year, Leary was in the same position as many of the other players in the three-day camp. He was an undrafted rookie, signing with the Cowboys out of Memphis. He went undrafted largely because of a knee condition that may shorten his career.

He spent last season on the practice squad before being activated for the season finale in Washington.

He said Friday he has come a long way since this time a year ago.

“I learned a lot from Coach Callahan, learned a lot from a lot of players on the team about just being a professional, that this is your job,” he said. “I think I’ve grown as a person.”

Garrett agreed and said Leary will have a chance this summer.

“Ron made a lot of progress over the course of the year last year, did a good job working in scout team,” Garrett said. “We saw the improvement as the year wore on. So it’ll be a nice opportunity for him once we get into the OTAs and regular training camp to see what he can do.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Cowboys like stocking rookie minicamp with local talent, which is 'off the charts,' Garrett says

The Cowboys have 11 players from Texas, not counting draft pick Terrance Williams of Dallas, working at rookie minicamp.

That is a compliment to the level of talent in the state, coach Jason Garrett said.

 “Think about where we live,” he said, asked Friday as the camp began about how the Cowboys consider bringing in local players either as free-agent signees or tryout players. “I’d argue that football is played in the state of Texas at all levels better than any state in the country. So there’s a lot of really, really good football players that come out of Texas. There are some amazingly good football players who come from the Dallas area.”

Last year, one of those players went from tryout player to practice squad player to active squad player. Texas A&M defensive end Ben Bass was invited to the camp, like many tryout players, to fill out the roster so there would be enough practice bodies. It helped that he was from Plano and could drive in.

But he was impressive enough in the rookie camp to be signed for OTAs.

“The local talent in this specific area is off the charts,” Garrett said. “You think about the junior high programs that feed into the high school programs and the local college programs, there are some great players from around here. So we feel like, hey, we know these guys, we get a chance to see them, let’s tap into them. We’ve had some success with them in the past.”

The Cowboys signed five undrafted rookies from Texas for the camp: Wisconsin cornerback Dustin Harris of Livingston, Missouri running back Kendial Lawrence of Rockwall, SMU linebacker Taylor Reed of Beaumont, Wisconsin cornerback Devin Smith of Coppell and Akron quarterback Dalton Williams of Coppell.

They brought in five players from Texas on a tryout basis: Houston linebacker Everett Daniels of Sachse, Texas State guard D.J. Hall of Palestine, Baylor defensive tackle Nick Johnson of Waco, Texas Tech receiver Darrin Moore of Irving and Texas Tech deep snapper Jesse Smitherman of Burleson.

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Kendial Lawrence says Cowboys' offense gives him best chance to show his versatility

Kendial Lawrence said he’s happy to be in Cowboys camp, not only because he’s a north Texan who pulled for the Cowboys growing up, but because it’s the best offense for him.

“I liked this situation with the running backs they’re in, and I like the Cowboys’ offense,” he said. “And just being in my hometown, it felt really good to be here.”

Lawrence, a high school standout at Rockwall-Heath who played in college at Missouri, went undrafted but signed with the Cowboys. He said he got a few calls from other teams, but believed the Cowboys’ offense gave him the best chance to make plays.

“It’s downhill plays, being able to get out of the backfield, get in the swing, get in the flats, catch the ball,” he said. “Just being able to show y our versatility with the ball. I think that’s really good with this offense.”

He said it does not relate to the offense at Missouri, which used running plays out of a spread formation.

“We pretty much had a lot of zone plays, but here, it’s more of the downhill plays – just getting the ball and straight going, not having to make all the different reads. I really like that a lot more.”

Lawrence said he’s confident in his pass-blocking, too. If he could block SEC pass rushers, after all, why shouldn’t he feel confident?

“That’s what I feel like,” he said. “Can’t wait till the opportunity comes.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Jones: Tony Romo's new Peyton Manning-like involvement part of his natural evolution as QB

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said his comments about quarterback Tony Romo being more involved in the offense and personnel decisions and spending Peyton Manning-type time at the team’s Valley Ranch headquarters was more about his natural evolution as an important figure with organization than a suggestion that he wasn’t already doing enough.

Jones said Romo wasn’t ready or qualified to do that even three years ago but is more than capable of handling that responsibility now.

“I want to use everything that he’s got in his computer,” Jones said. “The way to do that is have him involved in a lot of the design and the preparation as we not only prepare the team in general but as we paper for the opponents. He’s qualified to do that.”

And while the foundation of Romo’s new role was born out of the talks between the two sides leading up to the six-year, $108 million contract extension last month, it was a mutually agreed upon decision involving Jones, Romo and coach Jason Garret.

“How can we take who you are, the great experience at your age, how can we take this experience and maximize it to win football games?” Jones said.  “What can we do to make that an asset? He has an excellent understanding, an excellent grasp of offensive concepts, an excellent grasp of what he and Jason have been involved in the last seven years. I’ve been told by many people who’ve worked closer with him than I do that they’ve never heard him have a bad idea, but as we all know you don’t just walk in and have a few good ideas and that be part of the game plan. You’ve got to have prepared, looked at a lot of film, watch your opponents and do that a lot. That takes more time to do and he’s going to be doing that. Certainly he wanted that to be a part of everybody’s understanding and I wanted it to be a part of his and everybody’s understanding. And Jason (Garrett) did, too.” 

-- Clarence Hill

 

Rookie running back Joseph Randle limited until training camp but Cowboys not worried

Rookie running back Joseph Randle will be limited in workouts until training camp as he continues to rehab from thumb surgery. Randle, the rookie fifth-round pick who is supposed to come and share the load with starter DeMarco Murray, will be in a cast for six to eight weeks.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said the team knew Randle’s situation when they drafted him. However, he said Randle won’t be completely idle. Randle will do some individual drills and get plenty of mental reps in minicamp and on field team activities leading up to training camp.

“It’s certainly a restriction on his thumb, but I think candidly there are a lot of things we can do out here in OTAs and get that thumb clubbed up and he’ll get a lot of work in, a lot of valuable repetition,” Jones said. And we made that decision when we drafted him. Was he going to be able to be ready and that is mentally as well, prepared, to get out here to camp and not have to make up all the lost time in OTAs? I think he will be.”

Whenever Randle gets back, he will be motivated to prove all the teams wrong that passed on him in the draft. He had expected to go as earlier as the third round but dropped to the fifth.

"I use my own motivation," Randle said. "I put things on my own mirror at home to let it drive me like that. Grind, keep grinding, a lot of teams passed up on me, but it's all good I'm just going to try and make the best of the situation that I'm in. I can't really be in a better situation maybe the wait was worth it."

-- Clarence Hill

 

Rookie safety J.J. Wilcox doesn't think his inexperience will keep him from competing for a starting job

J.J. Wilcox played offense his first three seasons at Georgia Southern. He admits he was "hesitant" when the idea of moving to safety was proposed to him by head coach Jeff Monken before Wilcox's senior season.

But Wilcox, who hadn't played safety since he was a two-way player in high school, wouldn't have been a third-round draft pick as a slot receiver or as a running back. The Cowboys drafted WIlcox in the third round, gambling on his upside.

"I’m a team player," said Wilcox, who caught 45 career passes for 898 yards and four touchdowns and had 138 carries for 968 yards and 13 touchdowns. "I love to win, so whatever it takes to win, I’m all in."

Having been a safety for only one season, Wilcox has a long way to go before he makes an impact at the position in the NFL.

"Light years. Light years," Cowboys defensive backs coach Jerome Henderson said when asked how far away Wilcox is. "You have that coupled with the fact that the league he played in. He jumped into this league with only one year at the job. Then, just the adjustment that all rookies have. He’s got a lot to adjust to and learn."

But Wilcox doesn't think his inexperience at the position will prevent him from winning a starting job. That is his goal.

"I think my ability, the characteristics I have, I can contribute and hopefully turn into an NFL starting safety on Day 1," he said.

The Cowboys are unsettled at the position after releasing Gerald Sensabaugh. They have faith that Barry Church can return from a torn Achilles' tendon he suffered in Week 3 and that Matt Johnson can develop into the player they drafted with a fourth-rounder last year. Johnson missed his entire rookie season with hamstring and back injuries. The Cowboys did sign Will Allen in free agency, though he has started only 33 games in six seasons and now is with his third team.

Still, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is not concerned about the position.

"I think we are unproven would be the overall assessment," Jones said. "Church has played and has shown us that if he can play at the level that he’s shown us, then we’re going to have a really outstanding safety. The other guys, Johnson and these guys we’ve brought in from the draft, they’ve got to show it. That’s one of the other good things that I think Monte [Kiffin] and Jerome bring is that we’re going to have a system here that those guys can not have to think about and can go out there and use that natural, physical ability they have and their natural speed. These guys have that, and they’re all very aggressive. I think that we have really something to work with here. I think that we will benefit a lot from a scheme that emphasizes what these guys bring – big, physical guys who like to hit. ...If you look at their backgrounds, the thing that comes up is tough. That’s a common thread that was in all of their evaluations was how tough they are. I’m talking about the new guys we brought in. We know about Church.

"I’m looking forward to seeing how it evolves."

-- Charean Williams

Twitter: @NFLCharean

 

 

 

Jerry Jones has eye surgery

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones apologized for the dark sun glasses he wore Friday. He had eye surgery Wednesday to repair a retina.

"I actually don’t know when it was injured, but it probably could have been as much as 10 or 15 years ago," Jones said. "It had me where I wasn’t hitting the curve ball like I know that I can."

-- Charean Williams 

 

 

Cowboys sign sixth-round pick, LB Holloman

The Cowboys announced the signing of their sixth-round pick, linebacker DeVonte Holloman.

It continues a trend of the Cowboys getting signings made earlier than they normally have, which owner Jerry Jones credited to the latest collective bargaining agreement, which leaves less flexibility in pay range for draft picks.

“The new system is doing a good thing for the teams and the fans, and that is getting these guys signed, getting them in, and you’ve got them participating earlier,” Jones said. “I think that’ll be the result. I think the new system is helping that.”

The team also announced the signing of 15 undrafted rookies: kicker Spencer Benton, cornerback Xavier Brewer, tight end Paul Freedman, safety Jakar Hamilton, cornerback Dustin Harris, safety Jeff Heath, receiver Greg Herd, linebacker Deon Lacey, linebacker Cameron Lawrence, running back Kendial Lawrence, linebacker Brandon Magee, linebacker Taylor Reed, receiver Eric Rogers, cornerback Devin Smith and quarterback Dalton Williams.

Quarterback Aaron Corp, signed and released in a span of two days this week, cleared waivers and worked in the second practice Friday.

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Jerry Jones clear about Travis Frederick: 'We want him to come in here and contribute immediately'

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is not hiding his wishes for first-round pick Travis Frederick.

He wants him to start. He expects him to start.

“We want him to come in here and contribute immediately,” Jones said Friday as the Cowboys started a three-day rookie minicamp. “Jason says it right when he says there is competition, but certainly, there ought to be a spot for him on that offensive line. We think he has the combination of skill and mental to play immediately.”

It makes sense Jones wants Frederick to play immediately. The Cowboys were criticized for not getting enough in return in a swap of first-round picks with that eventually resulted in the selection of Frederick with the 31st pick.

And, Jones does not often burn first-round picks on linemen. But this is the second time in three years the Cowboys have done it – they selected tackle Tyron Smith in 2011, and he started from the first game.

“One of his No.1  traits and assets was his ability to mentally cover a lot of ground,” Jones said of Frederick. “We should get him ready to give us some position flex between guard and center.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Jerry Jones says he would like to keep Doug Free, but "it's no secret that we're trying to renegotiate"

The Cowboys want right tackle Doug Free back, but it will have to be at the right price.

"I’d like to keep him," Cowboys owner Jerry Jones said Friday. "We think that Doug Free can be an important part of the team. He’s been here. We know him. We think that with what we’re doing in other parts of our offense, certainly in the offensive line, that this will bode well for him. So we think he can really be an asset to us."

Free would not talk about the Cowboys' request for a renegotiation at a team charity event Wednesday. But Jones confirmed the Cowboys have asked Free to take a pay cut from the $7 million salary he is scheduled to make. (Free currently is slated to count $10 million against the salary cap.)

"It’s no secret that we’re trying to renegotiate the contract," Jones said. "But I think it’s a wrong assessment to say that anybody’s saying 'take it or leave it' or we’re at our wit’s end or those kinds of things. That’s just not the way I see it going."

Though Jones said the sides still are talking, the ball is in Free's court to decide his future.

Free had a team-leading 13 penalties, including five holds, and allowed seven sacks. He played better late in the season when he played in a rotation with Jermey Parnell.

Although the Cowboys likely would go after a veteran tackle -- Eric Winston is the biggest name still on the free-agency market -- if they move on from Free, Jones said Parnell is ready to take the next step.

"When you say the next step, if that implies is he getting better, yes," Jones said. "I think he is getting better. I think his arrow so to speak is going up. I feel good about where he is and the ideal place for the Cowboys is on the right basis is have them both."

-- Charean Williams 

Twitter: @NFLCharean 

Cowboys see what they want to see from Frederick in first practice

No pads. No hitting. Just jerseys and helmets.

So it was going to be hard for the Cowboys to see the aggression and leadership they like in their first-round draft pick, center Travis Frederick.

But they saw hints Friday in the first practice of a rookie minicamp.

"I thought it was evident in the last team drill," offensive line coach Bill Callahan said. "There was more tempo, and he was in and out of the huddle a lot faster. He was more aggressive getting to the line, making the calls, and then hustling back and getting everybody re-huddled – just those simple mechanics that you take for granted sometimes. We’re trying to get them established on a Day 1 practice."

That was all the Cowboys really wanted to see as they opened a three-day camp for rookies, selected veterans and tryout players.

And that was all Frederick asked of himself.

"For me, it’s just about going out and playing the way I played in college and playing the way that I know that I can play, and taking advantage of the tremendous coaching,” he said. "Coach Callahan’s a tremendous coach. I think he can make me a lot better player than I have been. If I can work as hard as I can and take advantage of his coaching, I can prove some people wrong."

Frederick worked almost entirely at center in the first practice Friday, taking only a few snaps in individual drills at guard.

“Really, I studied as hard as I could to play center,” he said. “I knew I was going to take a lot of center reps. A ton of calls that go into that.”

Callahan was also impressed by Frederick's football IQ.

"That was a real positive note as I watched him in all the team drills today — how he ID’s the ‘Mike’ linebacker, he makes the point, he makes all the calls, he puts everybody on the same page," he said. "So I’m impressed from that standpoint. Day 1, just to get out and start talking in front of all these new people and players in front of you, with all the coaches and pressure on you, I thought he did pretty good."

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Jason Garrett: Gerald Sensabaugh has a lot of football left in him

Jason Garrett was surprised when he heard Gerald Sensabaugh was retiring. The 29-year-old safety got calls from a couple of teams after he was released by the Cowboys in March, but he announced his retirement Thursday by signing a one-day contract with the Cowboys.

Sensabaugh played eight seasons, the final four with the Cowboys.

"I think he has football left in him," Garrett said Friday.

Garrett said he hasn't talked to Sensabaugh, but the next time they speak, Garrett said he will tell Sensabaugh just that.

"He's a young football player, with a lot of football left in him," Garrett said. "One of things is line one in football is the desire to do it. It's a hard, physical game, and if you don't really want to do it, you're in the wrong profession. He's had a very good career, and I wish him certainly the best. He's been a good player for us the last few years."

-- Charean Williams

Twitter: @NFLCharean

Danny Coale focused on his getting his knee right to compete for a job after injury-plagued rookie season

Danny Coale arrived here a year ago ready to compete for the team's third receiver job behind Miles Austin and Dez Bryant. That excitement quickly turned to disappointment for the former Virginia Tech star.

The rookie minicamp was the last time he was healthy. He broke his left foot in the Cowboys' first organized team activity. Then, he pulled his hamstring and strained his quad after making the practice squad. He went on injured reserve in late November after tearing the anterior cruciate ligament in his left knee. Dr. Dan Cooper performed reconstructive surgery on Coale on Dec. 11.

"It was a learning year," Coale said. "I didn't have any injuries at Virginia Tech. I think the most frustrating part is you've never been that guy who's been hurt constantly. I've never been that person, so to have year like this, it was tough. It teaches a lot about yourself and slows you down a little bit and causes you to appreciate things a little bit more. But it's part of the game. If you play the game a long enough time, at some point you're going to have some injuries."

Coale was eligible to participate in the team's rookie minicamp this weekend, but he hasn't been medically cleared. Though he is running routes in the voluntary practices, he will have limited participation in the team's OTAs. He expects to be fully cleared for the start of training camp.

Coale now is the forgotten receiver in the battle to make the roster. The Cowboys drafted Terrance Williams in the third round; rookie free agent Cole Beasley made the 53-player roster last season and caught 15 passes for 128 yards in getting a jump on Coale; and Dwayne Harris came on late in the season and finished with 17 receptions for 222 yards and a touchdown. So Coale has some catching up to do if he is to stick with the Cowboys for 2013.

"That happens every year," Coale said of the addition of Williams. "I think right now, the thing I've been focusing on is what I can control and that's my rehab. Does that get better every day? Does it get better every week? It has to this point. I'm going to focus on that, and we'll worry about the receiver stuff at a later point. The first thing I've got to focus on is getting this right."

-- Charean Williams

Twitter: @NFLCharean

 

Sean Lee says he'll consider it a competition for the LB spots in Cowboys camp, and he plans to win one

Fourth-year Cowboys veteran Sean Lee said he’ll consider it a competition for the linebacker spots in training camp, and that he plans to win one.

“Right now, I’m in the middle, but you never know,” he said Wednesday at a charity event in Arlington. “You always have to come in there and win a spot, and that’s what I plan to do.”

Lee, the Cowboys’ best playmaking linebacker since he was drafted in 2010, is just being nice. He’s going to be the middle linebacker. And Bruce Carter is set to be the weakside linebacker. The other spot is up for grabs, however.

“The positions are similar in certain formations,” Lee said. “Just being out there, learning all the positions, is what all the linebackers need to do.”

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez

Cowboys' veteran receivers welcome the addition of Terrance Williams

Cowboys starting receivers Miles Austin and Dez Bryant welcome the addition of Terrance Williams. Williams, a third-round pick from Baylor, will compete with Dwayne Harris for the No. 3 job.

"He’s a great receiver," Bryant said of Williams. "He can stretch the field. He can go deep. He can make a short-yardage play go long. He’s got that type of ability. He can go up and grab the ball. That’s what you want in the guy.

"...Whatever I know, I’ll be in his corner to help him, because we need him. As soon as he comes in, we’ll expect him to do big things."

Williams, a Dallas native, caught 97 passes for a nation-leading 1,832 yards and 12 touchdowns as a senior last season. He had 34 catches of at least 20 yards and 16 that went at least 30.

Two years ago, Dallas' third receiver, Laurent Robinson, caught 54 passes for 858 yards and 11 touchdowns.

The Cowboys could groom Williams to be a cheaper replacement for Austin in 2014. But that won't stop Austin from helping Williams adjust to the NFL.

"From what I’ve seen, I think he’s a tremendous player," Austin said. "He seems like a really nice humble guy on the interviews and everything like that. I’m going to try to teach him things and learn things from him. I’m sure he has things he’s done over there. But just try to bring as many of the guys along as we can."

-- Charean Williams

Twitter: @NFLCharean

 

Cowboys release Aaron Corp and Brian Price

Quarterback Aaron Corp didn't last a week in Dallas. The former USC backup, signed Tuesday to throw in voluntary practice sessions this week, was waived Thursday.

Defensive tackle Brian Price's stay with the Cowboys didn't last much longer. Price was signed after the season in hopes he could regain the form that made him a second-round pick of the Buccaneers in 2010. But he was waived injured with a shoulder problem.

Price, who had required pelvic surgery, was out of the league last season after the Bears traded for him and cut him.

Gerald Sensabaugh, who was released in March, retires a Cowboy

The Cowboys made it official in a relesae: Safety Gerald Sensabaugh signed a one-day contract with the Cowboys on Thursday, allowing him to retire with the team he spent his final four seasons.

The Cowboys released Sensabaugh in March in a salary-cap move, and Sensabaugh did not sign with another team. Dallas will place him on the reserve/retired list.

Sensabaugh, 29, played eight seasons. He spent his first four in Jacksonville, which made him a fifth-round pick in 2005.

In Dallas, Sensabaugh started 60 of 62 games. He made 306 tackles, two sacks, eight interceptions, three forced fumbles and had 30 pass breakups for the Cowboys.

He had been scheduled to make $3 million this season and count $3.8 million against the cap as part of a five-year, $22.5 million deal he signed in December 2011.

Former Cowboys safety Gerald Sensabaugh confirms via text message that he is retiring

Safety Gerald Sensabaugh, who released by the Cowboys in March for salary cap reasons, confirmed via text message that he has decided to retire rather than continue to seek in employment as a free agent.

Sensabaugh said he has drawn interest from a couple of teams but was no longer interested in playing football, bringing his eight-year career to an end.

Sensabaugh signed a one-day contract with the Cowboys on Thursday to offiically retire with the club the team he has spent the last four years with.

Sensabaugh was drafted in fifth round by the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2005. He stayed their for four years before joining the Cowboys in 2009.  

He started 84-of-112 games, posting 469 tackles, two sacks, six tackles for loss, 43 pressures, four forced fumbles, five fumble recoveries and 14 interceptions in eight years in the league. Sensabaugh had 62 tackles in 15 games with the Cowboys last year but he had no interceptions and just two in the past two years combined.

The Cowboys saved $1.5 million by releasing him March, while hoping the upgrade the position with more playmaking ability.

Safety, however, still remains a concern for the team after the draft and after free agency as they have yet to even replace Sensabaugh with a proven upgrade though they do have cheaper options in veteran Will Allen, second year man Matt Johnson and rookie third-round pick J.J. Wilcox.

Clarence Hill

 

Jason Hatcher says he's a role player in Cowboys' defense, just like everyone else

Jason Hatcher said there are no stars on the Cowboys defense, just role players with one job -- getting to the football.

“I’m a role guy – there’s no star players,” he said Wednesday at a charity event at Rangers Ballpark. “Don’t care if it’s D-Ware or nobody – we’re all role guys. We’re all going to do our role: get to the football.”

Hatcher was answering a question about where he was going to line up in the Cowboys’ new 4-3 defensive scheme under new coordinator Monte Kiffin.

He said he’ll play wherever he’s asked and perform in whatever role he is asked. He was a defensive end in the 3-4. He will likely be asked to play at defensive tackle in the 4-3.

“Wherever coach puts me, I’m going to play all across the board,” he said. “I don’t care where he puts me. I just want to play football and help our team win the Super Bowl.”

Hatcher already proved to be a winner that day – he won a home-run derby against a handful of other teammates and coach Jason Garrett, part of a fundraiser for the Salvation Army put on by the Cowboys and Reliant Energy.

-- Carlos Mendez

Twitter @calexmendez