IRVING, Texas – Newly signed safety Eric Frampton said he's not sure if he'll be playing Monday night against the Bears at Cowboys Stadium.
But if he's not, he doesn't expect it will be because of his conditioning, or even his knowledge with the defense and special teams.
As a five-year veteran, Frampton knows what it will take to get himself ready to play against the Bears Monday night, and said the extra day will probably be an advantage.
"I'm glad I've got that extra day to prepare," Frampton said Wednesday. "It's only one day, but it's big for me. I've been studying (the playbook) and I don't think it'll be too hard to pick up."
Frampton spent most of his five-year career in Minnesota, which runs a defense that isn't too different from coordinator Rob Ryan's system.
"A lot of the actual scheme is very similar to Minnesota," Frampton said. "Clearly here, there is a lot more Cover 4 and they play Quarters a lot more. It's similar in a lot of ways, but the technique is different."
As for being in shape, Frampton said it's only been three weeks since he was in training camp with the Vikings and he continued to work out despite not being with a team.
"I feel like I'm in great shape. I've been back in Minnesota working my butt off," Frampton said. "It's been three weeks. I've had quite a few workouts during that time. I feel like I've been in great shape. It's a great opportunity for me."
Frampton doesn't have a career start, meaning he's obviously played plenty of special teams. He admitted covering kicks is his forte and said he was already on a couple of units Wednesday, meaning it's likely he will be active for the game Monday night.
Head coach Jason Garrett said backup safeties have to be able to play both defense and special teams.
"I think that role is always a combination," Garrett said. "We felt good about his experience as a teams guy and his productivity, and similarly, we feel like he can go in and play defense. We felt like he was the best of the options available to us. We're going to try to teach him as quickly as we can. We have an extra day this week. Obviously the health of our other players will affect how much he will play, but we'd like to get him ready to play both on defense and on special teams."
With Barry Church out for the season with an Achilles injury, it's likely Danny McCray will start at safety alongside Gerald Sensabaugh, who is coming off a strained calf injury. Mana Silva has played in a backup role and cornerbacks Brandon Carr and Orlando Scandrick have experience playing safety in nickel situations.
