OXNARD, Calif. -Running back Felix Jones, wide receiver Andre Holmes and safety Brodney Pool all failed the conditioning test held on the Cowboys' practice fields on Sunday.
Jones took his shoes off and quit running with fellow running backs, receivers and defensive backs before he had completed the series of sprints. Pool was slowed by back tightness, according to defensive coordinator Rob Ryan. Holmes said there was no excuse for his own lack of stamina.
All three players will work with team athletic trainers until they can pass the test, head coach Jason Garrett said.
"We would anticipate all of our players being able to pass the conditioning test," Garrett said. "Right now they're going to do some remedial running. They did that this morning during the walkthrough. They'll do it again this afternoon and we'll just monitor their progress on a day-to-day basis."
Looking on the bright side, Garrett acknowledged that the absence of Jones, Holmes and Pool will give their teammates a chance to take more reps.
In the final year of his contract and coming off serious shoulder surgery this offseason, Jones is expected to fall in as a complementary piece to DeMarco Murray. Holmes, who spent most of last year on the practice squad, is in competition for playing time at receiver and Pool, the March free agent addition, is battling Barry Church for a starting job.
"Whenever you fail in something, you're going to question," Holmes said. "Go back to school. If you fail a test, you're going to question if you studied hard enough. So, I'm going to be questioning, but I'm just trying to put it behind me so I can be ready when I'm out there . . . training camp's a marathon, so there's going to be a lot of opportunities for me."
