FRISCO, Texas – Tyrone Crawford is expected to return to practice Wednesday for the first time in 29 days, and the veteran defensive lineman feels "extremely fortunate" that his lateral ankle sprain in training camp wasn't more serious.
At the time, when his right ankle bent awkwardly while chasing down Ezekiel Elliott in team drills, Crawford feared the worst: a repeat of 2013 training camp in Oxnard, Calif., when he suffered a season-ending Achilles tendon tear.
An ankle sprain meant only a matter of weeks sidelined. Now he's pointing toward Sunday's season opener against the Giants for his return.
"I owe it all to the trainers – (associate athletic trainer/director of rehabilitation) Britt Brown and those guys – they pushed me and made me do things that I didn't even think I could do," he said.
When healthy, Crawford is a versatile addition to the defensive line, having started games at tackle and end throughout his career.
His focus now is using practice to knock off some rust.
"My technique and my pad level, things like that," he said. "I'm hoping (Wednesday's) practice can get me right back right."
