Second-round pick Bruce Carter, who suffered a torn ACL injury last November, says his left knee is nearly fully rehabbed and he expects to participate if and when training camp begins.
Carter, the 40th overall pick in last April's draft, told ESPN Radio (103.3 FM in Dallas) that "it would be a game-time decision" if the Cowboys had a game next weekend.
"The knee is doing well," Carter said. "I'd probably say to myself that I'm about 85 percent. I will say that I am full speed. I've been cutting. It's just kind of more like a mental thing more than it is physical. Just trying to get my feeling back and I feel pretty good about it. I'm ready to go."
Now once training camp starts, Carter would likely be held back considerably by the Cowboys' athletic training staff. Due to the lockout, Carter has missed valuable rehab time with head trainer Jim Maurer and especially associate trainer Britt Brown, who is widely considered one of the NFL's best rehab trainers.
Players rehabbing from knee injuries typically only practice once a day in camp, despite the two-a-days on schedule. It's likely Carter won't be rushed into anything, possibly even starting camp with the training staff and working his way into practice.
But the confidence he has in his knee has to be an encouraging sign at this point.
