The Cowboys have had their share of injuries to rehab this summer, and several of them have been with shoulders.
Newly-signed linebacker Dan Connor is not practicing this week because of shoulder surgery he had before signing with the Cowboys in free agency in early March. Connor has not been cleared to practice for this week's OTAs and it's likely he could be held out until the start of training camp on July 30 in Oxnard, Calif.
Connor is expected to compete for playing time with Bruce Carter for the starting inside linebacker spot, alongside Sean Lee. Either way, the Cowboys are planning to use both Connor and Carter in both the standard defense and the nickel. Both players have experience on special teams as well.
But Connor is one of five players who had offseason shoulder surgery, along with cornerback Mike Jenkins, who has not returned to action and hasn't been attending the OTAs, mainly for apparent disappoint with his role and contract.
Running back Felix Jones suffered a shoulder injury in Week Two against the 49ers and had to wear a harness for most of the year. The injury limited his pass-catching ability all season and he underwent surgery in early January, just after the regular season ended.
Jones has not been cleared to practice, nor has linebacker Alex Albright, who had shoulder surgery in the offseason.
Safety Barry Church missed the final month of the season with a shoulder injury and not only has returned to action, but split some first-team snaps at safety with newly-signed veteran Brodney Pool.
Health-wise, Jenkins, Jones, Albright and Connor are all expected to be available for the start of camp.
