FRISCO, Texas – Defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence continued to work his way back into practice Thursday coming off his completed four-game NFL suspension.
The Cowboys have a roster exemption for Lawrence until Monday, but they must move him to the active roster by Saturday if they plan for him to play Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Head coach Jason Garrett said Lawrence had limited participation Wednesday, his first practice with the team since his suspension took effect at the end of preseason.
"He obviously was suspended for the first four weeks, and then the other part of it was he was dealing with a back injury," Garrett said. "He did limited work yesterday and did a good job with that work and hopefully he can progress as the week goes on."
Lawrence had back surgery in January but was a full participant by training camp.
It's uncertain how much work Lawrence might get against the Bengals if active. The Cowboys certainly could use last year's sack leader (8) in the lineup, but they don't want to overload him, either.
"We've got see tomorrow, see where he's at tomorrow," defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said. "He did a little bit more today than he did the first day. We'll get a better feel tomorrow when he wakes up and comes in. Hopefully he'll be feeling fine.
"You want the guy right, not for one of the eight guys up but it's also about him, too. We've got to make sure he's ready to go and feeling good and all those things."
The Cowboys have six sacks through the first four games and will face a veteran Bengals offense that features the league's leading receiver, A.J. Green.
