Jones said he wished he could say the same about defensive end, regarding DeMarcus Ware and his quad strain that caused him to miss the first game of his career. Ware was a game-time decision last week and could be the same this Sunday in Detroit.
"We want to watch this because he's got the type of injury that if he comes back too fast - he doesn't have a tear there now, he doesn't have an imperfection – if he tries and goes too early, then he could get an imperfection," Jones said. "So that's another world, relative to how quickly he'll be back." [embedded_ad]
The Cowboys have been adding all sorts of defensive linemen to offset these injuries up front. The latest was Marvin Austin, a second-round pick of the Giants in 2011. Jones said he was present for a meeting between defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and Austin on Tuesday.
"Rod actually wanted to draft him in the second round at Chicago and Austin was coming out," Jones said. "They were both proud to be able to hook up. Rod said, "The big thing is, he's got unquestionable talent. Now the question is, will he come in and be a part of this unit. Rod told him, 'unless you abide by these rules, you're not going to mess my unit up. We've got a good thing going here. We're going to see if you can be a part of it or not. But if you're ready to come in here, you've got the talent to really help us.'"
While the Cowboys have signed several defensive linemen on the street, there has been plenty of talk about adding players through the draft, albeit mostly just rumors.
On Tuesday, Jones addressed the possibility of adding players via trade, and all but the squashed the notion.
"I don't want to say never, certainly I'm not spending a lot of time right now trying to trade for a defensive lineman," said Jones who then elaborated on trading at this time of the season. "In general, if that phone's not ringing, that's me calling…In other words, if you don't get a call, you're going to have a hard time making a trade.
"We chum it, we talk it, we talk from time to time. But again, if you said, 'why don't they trade for a defensive lineman? Well, trading is made more difficult because you have to eat that cap when you trade. If you've got future bonus on a player, and trade them, all of it comes forward. There's a lot of teams, we're one of them that can't bring a bunch of bonus forward in 2014."
IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys are hopeful DeMarco Murray returns to practice this week and ultimately plays against the Lions on Sunday. However, owner Jerry Jones said the club will certainly not rush Murray back from a sprained knee injury, especially because of Joseph Randle's play in his first start last week.
Jones also said Lance Dunbar will play after missing two straight games with a hamstring injury, making it even more likely Murray will only play if he's fully cleared.
"We hope that Murray will get to practice this week," Jones said Tuesday on his weekly radio show on 105.3 "The Fan" in Dallas. "We will be guarded as to how we bring all of these guys along. The reason is being, Randle played exceptional for us. He gives us confidence now as we go into Detroit. We want to be real careful with how fast we bring (back) Murray. Now Murray is a difference-maker, don't get me wrong. We're also going to have Dunbar. So we're good shape at running back."
Jones said he wished he could say the same about defensive end, regarding DeMarcus Ware and his quad strain that caused him to miss the first game of his career. Ware was a game-time decision last week and could be the same this Sunday in Detroit.
"We want to watch this because he's got the type of injury that if he comes back too fast - he doesn't have a tear there now, he doesn't have an imperfection – if he tries and goes too early, then he could get an imperfection," Jones said. "So that's another world, relative to how quickly he'll be back." [embedded_ad]
The Cowboys have been adding all sorts of defensive linemen to offset these injuries up front. The latest was Marvin Austin, a second-round pick of the Giants in 2011. Jones said he was present for a meeting between defensive line coach Rod Marinelli and Austin on Tuesday.
"Rod actually wanted to draft him in the second round at Chicago and Austin was coming out," Jones said. "They were both proud to be able to hook up. Rod said, "The big thing is, he's got unquestionable talent. Now the question is, will he come in and be a part of this unit. Rod told him, 'unless you abide by these rules, you're not going to mess my unit up. We've got a good thing going here. We're going to see if you can be a part of it or not. But if you're ready to come in here, you've got the talent to really help us.'"
While the Cowboys have signed several defensive linemen on the street, there has been plenty of talk about adding players through the draft, albeit mostly just rumors.
On Tuesday, Jones addressed the possibility of adding players via trade, and all but the squashed the notion.
"I don't want to say never, certainly I'm not spending a lot of time right now trying to trade for a defensive lineman," said Jones who then elaborated on trading at this time of the season. "In general, if that phone's not ringing, that's me calling…In other words, if you don't get a call, you're going to have a hard time making a trade.
"We chum it, we talk it, we talk from time to time. But again, if you said, 'why don't they trade for a defensive lineman? Well, trading is made more difficult because you have to eat that cap when you trade. If you've got future bonus on a player, and trade them, all of it comes forward. There's a lot of teams, we're one of them that can't bring a bunch of bonus forward in 2014."
