Cowboys CB Jenkins not cleared to practice

By foxsports
Published

OXNARD, Calif. (AP) -- Dallas Cowboys cornerback Mike Jenkins needs more strength in his surgically repaired right shoulder before he will be cleared to practice.

"I can still do everything," Jenkins said Tuesday. "Just the strength. Everything else was there."

A day after visiting Dr. James Andrews in Florida for a follow-up on his shoulder, Jenkins said he hopes to be ready for the season opener Sept. 5 at the New York Giants (No. 3 in the AP Pro32). The former Pro Bowl cornerback will have another follow-up in a couple of weeks with Andrews, who performed the surgery in January.

For now, Jenkins will continue to do rehabilitation and conditioning work.

"We felt like the report was good. The timetable they have given him is at least a couple more weeks before he goes back to see Dr. Andrews again," coach Jason Garrett said. "The big thing for Jenks is to continue to get his rehab done, continue to get his conditioning done and try to inch the process along as quickly as he can."

Garrett said it wasn't a surprise that Jenkins wasn't cleared to practice yet and called it a "medical decision" for the player. Jenkins remains on the physically unable to perform list for Dallas (No. 15).

At the start of training camp, Garrett had expressed hope that Jenkins could practice and get into a preseason game before the season starts. The coach isn't sure that will happen, and wasn't ready to make any predictions.

"It's probably guarded optimism, to be honest with you," Garrett said. "We are certainly hopeful of that."

Jenkins, a first-round pick in 2008 who went to the Pro Bowl the next year, is going into the final season of his rookie contract. It comes after the Cowboys signed free agent Brandon Carr to a $50 million, five-year deal in March and traded up in April's draft to get LSU All-American cornerback Morris Claiborne sixth overall.

Claiborne was working with the first-team defense, but will likely miss the preseason opener Monday night at Oakland. Claiborne has a sprained MCL in his left knee and has been out since leaving practice early Friday.

"We have corners on our roster that we like. Guys who have been with us, guys that we have added," Garrett said. "We don't think Morris Claiborne is going to be out for long, so we are hopeful he gets back fairly soon and can start practicing and playing in some of these preseason games."