ARLINGTON, Texas – Anthony Spencer's return to practice Wednesday was much-discussed, but apparently short-lived.
Spencer missed the Cowboys' practice at AT&T Stadium on Thursday afternoon, just one day after he returned for his first practice since a July knee surgery. His absence was a planned day off to rehab his injury at Valley Ranch.
The Pro Bowl defensive end was one of just two absentees at Thursday's practice, along with linebacker Ernie Sims.
Cowboys coach Jason Garrett spoke with the media ahead of the afternoon practice. Garrett addressed a number of injury and game concerns following the Cowboys' Wednesday practice.
Most noteworthy among those is that guard Brian Waters received first-team reps during parts of the Wednesday practice. Garrett was not ready to address Waters' availability for Sunday's game against Kansas City, but the veteran is working toward playing time.
Here are some more notes from Garrett's press conference:
- Garrett said the Cowboys want to move Waters toward playing "at some point." He said the coaching staff needs to evaluate Waters' readiness to play before they determine his role as a full-time starter or if they rotate him with other linemen while he re-acclimates to the game.
- Garrett said the coaching staff was pleased with the way Mackenzy Bernadeau played against the Giants. Given Bernadeau's flexibility in the interior, Garrett said he could potentially start in place of Ronald Leary at left guard if Waters starts at right guard. He said the coaching staff will evaluate all possible options.
- Anthony Spencer's role in practice was limited to certain situations, and the Cowboys will continue to evaluate his readiness to play. The same goes for cornerback Morris Claiborne, who didn't participate fully after dislocating his shoulder. [embedded_ad]
- Offensive coordinator Bill Callahan coached with Kansas City defensive coordinator Bob Sutton while the pair both worked for the New York Jets. Garrett said that may play some role in the matchup this weekend, but that both coaches have adapted to their new personnel and schemes.
- Dez Bryant "did some work" on Wednesday. It wasn't a complete practice, but Garrett said the wideout responded well to the workload, which included team reps. Bryant is slated to practice Thursday, but Garrett did not clarify how much.
