Most rookies will return May 14

May, 5, 2012
5/05/12
4:41
PM CT
IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys concluded their rookie minicamp Saturday afternoon and will get the chance to welcome back almost all of the draft picks and college free agents May 14.

There is some question as to whether fourth-round pick Matt Johnson will be able to return May 14 because of Eastern Washington’s system. Several players will graduate in the next two weeks, including Tyrone Crawford from Boise State and Caleb McSurdy from Montana.

When the rookies return, they will work out and do on-field sessions with the veterans as part of Phase 3 of the offseason program.

“The guys that go home and work, I’ll be able to tell,” secondary coach Jerome Henderson said. “I’ll look and say, ‘That guy’s been working on what we talked about, working on his technique, working on his body position.' I’ll be able to tell the guys that haven’t because they’ll be at the same place they left this camp and shame on them if they are at the same place when they come back.”

The Cowboys have 88 players on the roster and have two spots left open. One player who impressed was North Texas fullback Jamize Oliwale, who played linebacker in college. He caught the ball well out of the backfield and did a decent job as a runner.

The next bit of business for the Cowboys is signing their draft picks. They were allocated a rookie pool of $5.714 million and could begin talks sooner with the agents for their choices than they have in the past. After June 1 the Cowboys will gain a $6 million credit because of the release of cornerback Terence Newman earlier in the offseason.
Todd Archer joined ESPNDallas.com in November 2010. He's covered the NFL since 1997 and the Cowboys since 2003. He covered the Bengals and Dolphins before arriving in Dallas. A Massachusetts native, Archer lives in the Dallas area with his wife and two children.

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