The minor knee injury that kept Gerald Sensabaugh out of mini-camp practice last month actually required minor surgery, which might keep the veteran out of action for the start of training camp, which officially begins on July 25 but the veterans won't start practicing in Oxnard, Calif. until July 30.
The Cowboys don't seem overly concerned. In fact, there is a chance Sensabaugh might even be ready despite undergoing the arthroscopic surgery earlier this month.
But it appears once again the door will be open for third-year pro Barry Church, who actually began camp as the starter last year before Sensabaugh and Abram Elam signed one-year deals.
Church even split time this offseason with Brodney Pool for some first-team reps at free safety. But his more natural spot is strong safety. If he plays well in any absence from Sensabaugh, the Cowboys could always keep him there and slide Sensabaugh over to free safety, a spot he has played before.
Don't forget about rookie Matt Johnson, who hasn't been around much this offseason because of school obligations at Eastern Washington. But he'll get the chance to show his skills as well.
As long as the Sensabaugh injury doesn't linger into something more serious, this could be a good situation to evaluate players like Church and Johnson with the first-team defense.
