IRVING, Texas - As a young player, either on the fence of making the team or on the outside looking in, all you want is a chance.
For these young receivers trying to find a way on the roster, or even the practice squad, they all got somewhat of a break this weekend when Miles Austin suffered a sprained MCL that will keep him out for at least a month.
Sure, Austin is expected to return. And even head coach Wade Phillips said the injury probably won't affect the decisions made for the final roster cuts. However, these last two preseason games, and even the practices in between, are now vital for several young receivers whose playing time will likely be increased.
Austin, the team's leading receiver in the first two preseason games with seven catches for 106 yards and a touchdown, appeared to be closing the gap for the third receiver spot with Sam Hurd.
"Miles was really coming on strong here lately," said Hurd. "We were both just competing really hard. That's what football is all about. You want to compete for your spot. It's unfortunate that he got hurt because he was playing well. But we expect him back."
In the meantime, Hurd said his mindset won't change a bit.
"I'm still going to go out there and try to eat," Hurd said. "That's going to be the way I play every time I step out there. That's how you have to approach it. We've got some young guys that need to have that same attitude."
As for those young guys, the Cowboys have some rookie and first-year vets such as Mike Jefferson, Danny Amendola, Mark Bradford and even Todd Lowber, the player who replaced Terry Glenn's roster opening, all looking to find a spot on the Cowboys' 53-man roster.
"This is a chance for them," Phillips said. "I'm not sure how it will play out. But we're still evaluating all the guys at that spot."
However, Phillips said Austin's injury, which realistically could keep him out the first game or two of the regular season, won't necessarily open up another roster spot.
Even had Austin not gotten injured, Phillips said he expected the Cowboys to dress only four receivers in a regular-season game. So if the club keeps five or even six receivers on the roster, only four would likely be active.
"Miles is coming back and obviously he's going to be on the team," Phillips said. "We expect him to play this year, so it doesn't really affect your numbers as far as the team overall. You keep the best 53 players, as long as you have enough, and I think we have enough wide receivers to be a strong group."
Phillips cited last year's injury to Terry Glenn as an example of how the Cowboys handled an inactive receiver and said that Austin's situation would be similar, although he's only supposed to miss a few games, unlike Glenn, who sat out the first 15 games after suffering two arthroscopic surgeries.
"Miles is going to be inactive. He's going to be one of the inactives for awhile," Phillips said. "Terry Glenn was inactive the whole season last year, every game. You can say we had this many receivers. But you usually take four to the game, maybe five. You can keep four, keep five or keep six. It's going to come down pretty close on the last cut, certainly, as to who we keep."
The Cowboys know Terrell Owens and Patrick Crayton will occupy the starting two spots and with Austin banged up, Hurd clearly takes over as the No. 3, although he might have been able to hold onto that spot anyway.
After that, Isaiah Stanback moves into the fourth position for now. The second-year receiver is still trying to make the transition from a college quarterback. Considering he was often injured last year, Stanback still has a ways to go before he blossoms into a consistent receiver. Until then, the Cowboys seem to give him plenty of chances to showcase his athletic ability, letting him return kickoffs and giving him extensive playing time on offense in the preseason games.
"Stanback will still get a lot of work. He's doing better and better," Phillips said of last year's fourth-round pick, who played quarterback at the University of Washington. "I think he'll get his opportunity. He ran some good routes in the game. We need to throw to him sometimes. I'd like to see him stay on his feet and run with it because that's what he does well besides catch the ball is run. He's a strong runner after the catch.
"I think it's confidence with him, too. The more he gets it the better he'll do. We're still looking at him as one of the receivers. But without Miles, he'll get more playing time."
But now you wonder who will step up and get the reps Stanback was getting.
Could it be Amendola, the rookie free agent from Texas Tech who turned a few heads early in training camp and figured to be right in the mix for a spot? However, a fumbled punt in his first preseason game and then a lack of offensive production the last two weeks has caused him to take a step back, at least for now.
"He'll get some chances at wide receiver," Phillips said of Amendola, who has become one of the team's three main punt returners in practice. "He might do some (punt returns), but we need to see him at receiver, too."
Another receiver that could get increased reps is Jefferson, who spent all of last year on the practice squad. After a rather quiet training camp, the former Montana State standout had a nice week of practice against the Broncos and could start to make his move.
And don't count out "Hard Knocks" star Todd Lowber, who made his preseason debut Saturday night and caught a 39-yard pass against Denver.
When first interviewed on the HBO series, Lowber called himself the "80th guy" on the 80-man roster. While he seems to have moved ahead of receivers Bradford and Daniel Polk, Lowber isn't changing that view.
"No, I'm not going to think any different," Lowber said. "To me, I'm still the last guy. That will keep you hungry. You don't start thinking you've done anything or you'll stop working hard. So I'm just going to keep doing what I'm doing."
And with Austin's injury, Lowber, and many other receivers should be able to do a little more here in the next few weeks.
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Nick Eatman - 
