OXNARD, Calif. – Maliek Collins and Benson Mayowa have been seen, but they have yet to be heard.
It's been 10 days since the Cowboys reported to training camp, and two of their most intriguing pass rushers are still on the Physically Unable to Perform list. Mayowa, who signed a three-year deal during free agency, is still recovering from the knee scope he underwent in June.
Collins, the Cowboys' third-round draft pick back in May, is on the mend after breaking his foot during OTAs.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett doesn't like to speak definitively about injuries, but he sounded optimistic on Saturday that Mayowa might be able to enter the playing field in the near future.
"I don't want to be definitive on that, but he's making progress," Garrett said. "But hopefully in the next few days we can inch him along and get him out there."
Collins' wait might be a bit longer. He broke his right foot during the last week of May, and the prognosis was about 10 weeks' recovery time. The hope is that the rookie will be able to contribute during training camp – but not quite yet.
"He's probably a little farther out. He's doing well, but again, he's not really on the day-to-day status yet," Garrett said. "He still has to do a lot of conditioning on the side to get himself closer. But we do anticipate seeing him in the next, hopefully, week or so."
It's an especially tough blow for Collins, who missed the majority of OTAs and the team's June minicamp. Garrett has said before that training camp is a crucial time for rookies' development – especially given the amount of injuries facing the Cowboys' defensive lien right now.
"Well, he'd be getting a ton of reps and he'd be growing," Garrett said. "But those situations are what they are, so you just have to say 'Ok, he's not ready to do it.' When he's ready to do it, we'll ease him back in and he'll take those reps."
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