FRISCO, Texas – Finally, some good news on the Cowboys' injury front.
It's been a bit of a sobering start to the regular season, as the Cowboys had to put a couple of key players on injured reserve at the conclusion of training camp – most notably, starting right tackle La'el Collins.
On Tuesday morning, though, team owner/general manager Jerry Jones provided a positive update on Xavier Woods. In his weekly interview with 105.3 FM The Fan in Dallas, Jones was asked if Woods – who injured his groin last week – would be available for Sunday's season opener against the Los Angeles Rams.
"Yes I do. Yes. Everything is on go," Jones said. "It would be really a surprise if he didn't get out there Sunday night. I think he got a good checkup yesterday and should be moving around out there this week."
That would be big news for a position that is in a state of flux. Woods has obviously been on top of the depth chart all summer, but he hasn't practiced since Aug. 30, when he suffered the minor groin strain.
Meanwhile, the Cowboys somewhat surprisingly cut fellow veteran Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, who was widely presumed to be the other starter at the position.
"We obviously had a little setback there in our plans with Clinton-Dix, but I think that certainly he's a player that is certainly an NFL-caliber football player," Jones said.
As always, that topic of conversation raised questions about Earl Thomas. The veteran Pro Bowler has been available for the better part of the month, and the Cowboys have obviously been linked to him for the better part of three years.
Regardless of the supposed link, the Cowboys seem to have made their lack of interest clear with their lack of action. When asked about Thomas on Tuesday, Jones answered the question by instead talking about the acquisition of Brandon Carr.
"I think one of the most fortuitous and one of the most positive things that has happened to us is the availability of Carr," he said. "We've always known Carr to be an outstanding player, and he's fresh off a season that he played very well."
New NFL rules allowed the Cowboys to sign Carr to their practice squad, despite the longtime veteran boasting 192 starts to his name. Obviously, Carr has been an NFL corner for many years, including for five years with the Cowboys. But he spent the second half of last season at safety for Baltimore.
It's obvious that flexibility was a big part of the reason the Cowboys signed him.
"We know him well, and he's outstanding – outstanding as a teammate, a person, a big corner and as well as he might be a big safety," Jones said.
Carr wasn't with a team during training camp, so it doesn't seem likely he'll be available in Los Angeles this weekend. But over the long haul, it sounds like the Cowboys are happy with the way they've addressed the position.
"I think we landed on our feet in getting to bring Carr here," Jones said. "He probably won't be available for Sunday, but still in a little longer term, I think we've landed on our feet there."
