Stanback's return from shoulder subluxation gives Phillips a necessary third active receiever.

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IRVING, Texas - Cowboys receiver Isaiah Stanback says his protective shoulder harness causes some minor physical limitations. Apparently, it didn't prevent him from having what head coach Wade Phillips called "maybe one of his best days" on Wednesday.

"We might ought to put a harness on him all the time," Phillips joked.

Stanback's return from an Aug. 22 shoulder subluxation gives Phillips a necessary third active receiver for Sunday's regular-season opener at Cleveland. Miles Austin (sprained MCL) and Sam Hurd (high ankle sprain) will miss at least Week 1, and the team chose to place first-year receivers Mike Jefferson and Danny Amendola on the practice squad rather than the 53-man roster.

There's a good chance the Cowboys will fetch a fourth receiver, most likely Jefferson, before Sunday, which will require a roster cut at another position. Stanback provides at least one reserve behind starters Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton.

Stanback said he will wear the harness all season long in an attempt to delay shoulder surgery until after the season. He played through a similar shoulder injury for the final eight weeks of the 2007 season, but only appeared at receiver Thanksgiving Day against the Jets.

"It's going to be all year," Stanback said. "The shoulder's not stable and it's not going to be until they go in there and take care of it."

Stanback said the harness restricts his movement "enough to the point where you notice it, but it's not going to hinder you from doing what you need to do." In Wednesday's practice, Phillips said the second-year wideout caught passes over his head and with one arm.

Stanback said he's been assured by doctors that he's not risking further injury by playing, though there's a chance the shoulder could pop out of place again at some point during the season.

That's fine with the former college quarterback, who realizes he must stay on the field to continue making his now two-year transition to NFL wideout.

"I've dealt with pain plenty of times," Stanback said. "There was a game back in college where I played with a pulled hip flexor and a hernia. I could barely even walk, but I was going to play."

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