IRVING, Texas -- Because practice squad players don't make road trips, rookie cornerback Mario Butler watched Sunday's opener on TV from Dallas and saw starters Orlando Scandrick (ankle) and Mike Jenkins (shoulder) leave with injuries.
Jenkins returned; Scandrick didn't.
And considering Terence Newman (groin) hasn't practiced since the first week of training camp, the Cowboys might need to sign corner depth, pronto. Alan Ball and Bryan McCann can fill in, but behind them the Cowboys were forced to use safety Barry Church as the emergency nickel corner.
Butler would seem to be a logical choice because at the very least, he's been in Rob Ryan's scheme for weeks now. The Jacksonville native signed as a rookie free agent, in part, because he was familiar with Cowboys secondary coach Dave Campo's work on the Jaguars' staff.
If he gets the call this week, he says he's ready.
"That's where preparation meets opportunity," Butler said. "That's been my whole mentality from Day One of camp."
