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CARROLLTON, Texas - Whether or not the Cowboys have 20 receivers lining up for this week's mini-camp practices, or just more than a handful, Roy Williams knows that all eyes have been and will be on him.
He knows the deal. He understands with the release of Terrell Owens back in March that being the go-to receiver in this offense also means being the media's go-to guy as well.
"That's just how it is," Williams said. "I know what's expected of me. The expectations are big, but that's fine. That's how I want them to be."
While Williams understands that his every move will be monitored during Monday's first two practices here at Standridge Stadium and throughout training and the regular season, he certainly wishes there wouldn't be so many moves, as in less reps.
But that's the situation the Cowboys find themselves in just six weeks before the start of training camp in San Antonio. With injuries to Sam Hurd, Miles Austin, Isaiah Stanback and Travis Wilson, the Cowboys are rather shorthanded at receiver, meaning more reps not only for the young undrafted rookies, but even for starters Williams and Patrick Crayton.
"You'd like to see more guys out there," Crayton said. "But you can't worry about it. You have to keep working through it. It's an important time for those rookies and young guys to step up."
The Cowboys added another young receiver to the mix on Monday, signing Willie Reid, who has spent time with the Steelers. Reid has just four career catches for 57 yards, coming in 2007.
Reid, along with Mike Jefferson, who has been to two training camps with the Cowboys and has spent time on the practice squad, should get plenty of reps here during the three-day mini-camp. The Cowboys also have seventh-round pick Manuel Johnson and undrafted rookies in Kevin Ogletree and Julian Hawkins. However, Ogletree tweaked his knee in the afternoon practice, leaving the Cowboys even more shorthanded.
"You can't worry about it, we've got to go with what we have," wide receivers coach Ray Sherman said. "What it does is give the young kids a chance to get a lot of reps and that's happening right now. Roy is doing well and Patrick is doing well. But the young kids are getting more reps."
Cowboys head coach Wade Phillips said on Monday that both Hurd and Austin would not return to action this week. Hurd is battling a strained quad and Austin has been bothered by a hamstring injury.
"The good thing is that both Hurd and Austin have played in this offense," Phillips said. "They're not like rookies. We want them to get back to training camp and get them back to speed."
Felix Sits
One offensive player the Cowboys are counting on to not only stay healthy, but provide big-play ability is Felix Jones, who missed 10 games due to injury last season.
While the second-year back from Arkansas has returned and has a full plate of duties, Jones was forced out of the afternoon practice because of a slight calf strain.
The injury didn't sound too serious and there is a chance Jones could return to action on Tuesday, if not Wednesday for the final two mini-camp practice.
Jones, a first-round pick in 2008, played the first six games, scoring four touchdowns, before a hamstring injury kept him out of action for nearly a month. Then a toe injury which required season-ending surgery caused his rookie year to have an abrupt ending.
This year, Jones is not only working on punt returns, but has been involved in different offensive formations so far this off-season.
Ellis To Oakland
Ex-Cowboys linebacker Greg Ellis is expected to sign with Oakland after meeting with Raiders officials over the weekend.
Oakland runs a base 4-3 defense, which means Ellis could return to his old defensive end position. The 11-year veteran switched to outside linebacker in 2006 as part of the Cowboys' new 3-4 alignment and reached his first and only Pro Bowl in 2007.
Third-year veteran Anthony Spencer will replace Ellis in the starting lineup on the strong side. Behind Spencer is a pair of fourth-round picks, Brandon Williams and Victor Butler. Both were 4-3 ends in college.
Head coach Wade Phillips has been impressed with Williams' improvement but admits Butler is "pretty far behind" after missing all of the OTA's while waiting to graduate. He and seventh-round pick Mike Mickens (graduation) returned to practice Monday.
Former Cowboys safety Keith Davis also signed with Oakland earlier this off-season.
-Rob Phillips
Versatile Safety
When asked what specific part of Gerald Sensabaugh's game that Wade Phillips is excited about, the head coach spoke highly of his new strong safety's ability to cover.
Without calling out any of the former safeties at the position, who are now in Cincinnati and Oakland, Phillips has expressed some excitement with Sensabaugh's ability to match up with other teams, particularly in the NFC East.
"Sensabaugh gives us a chance to play man-to-man . . ." Phillips said. "When (the Eagles line Brian) Westbrook out of the backfield or any other matchup we've had problems with - the (Giants) did it with Shockey a couple of years ago, he can play corner coverage. Any time they split someone out, and we want to play man-to-man, we can do that."
In the last two years, with safeties such as Roy Williams and Keith Davis, who are now playing in the AFC, the Cowboys were forced to use more safety help or play zone when they found matchups they didn't prefer.
Punter Works Out
The Cowboys had rookie punter Matt Fodge in for a workout this week for the mini-camp. Fodge hasn't been added to the roster, but he could lighten the load for Mat McBriar, who is returning from a broken foot injury last season.
Fodge, the winner of the Ray Guy Award, given to the nation's top punter, went undrafted this spring out of Oklahoma State.
When McBriar went down last year, the Cowboys signed Sam Paulescu, who played the last 10 games of the season.
It's unlikely the Cowboys will even taken more than one punter to training camp, especially already having two place-kickers in Nick Folk and rookie David Buehler.
Short Shots
The Cowboys will practice just once on Tuesday, giving the players a light rest in between the two-a-days scheduled for Monday and Wednesday. Although the players might not be off their feet too much. The team will tour the new Cowboys Stadium in Arlington with owner/general manager Jerry Jones . . . Scouting assistant Rich Behm, who was paralyzed from the waist down during the May 2 practice facility collapse at Valley Ranch, attended his first practice since the accident. Behm is getting close to returning to work full-time back at Valley Ranch . . . Former Cowboys assistant coach Joe Avezzano, one of the two primary coaches in Michael Irvin's reality show "4th and Long," which will provide the team a player for the start of training camp, was in attendance. The show has finished taping but is only halfway through the airing on Spike TV, with another new episode to air Monday night at 9 p.m. (CDT).
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Nick Eatman - 
