IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys took the field Wednesday in preparation of Sunday’s game against the Saints. Below are a few notable observations from the portion of practice open to the media.
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Dez Bryant
was out on the field with a helmet and looked to be ready for a full load of work. Bryant fractured his index finger less than two weeks ago, but effectively played through the pain against the Steelers.
After the contest, Bryant announced that he would be playing the following week against New Orleans. On Wednesday, he was wearing a white glove over his left hand with the injured finger.
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DeMarco Murray didn’t practice with the team on Wednesday. This has been a common trend in the weeks since Murray returned from his foot injury. The Cowboys have typically opted to rest Murray in the early days of the week as to not overwork his foot. It’s thought to be simply a precautionary move.
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Morris Claiborne was also present looked to be ready to practice with the rest of the team. Claiborne was concussed against the Bengals after his helmet popped off on a hit, forcing him to also get stitches on his lower lip. He was unable to pass all of the necessary concussion tests last week forcing him to be inactive for the Cowboys’ victory against the Steelers.
Garrett said the team anticipated Claiborne “doing a little something today” prior to Wednesday’s practice.
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Ernie Sims was with the team on the practice field, he didn’t have a helmet and didn’t appear to be prepared to participate much beyond stretches and warm ups. Sims was taken out of the game in the first quarter against the Steelers and treated for concussion symptoms.
Alex Albright was given an extended role in the defense in Sims’ absence.
“We’ll keep monitoring (Sims) day by day,” Garrett said Wednesday morning.
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DeMarcus Ware was present and looked ready to participate, although he did have a large brace on his hyperextended elbow.
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Charlie Peprah was also on the field with a helmet and looked to be an active participant. Peprah has been recovering from a foot injury for the past few weeks.
