IRVING, Texas – Danny Coale planted and cut off his left foot Friday.

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Cowboys WR Danny Coale discusses his foot injury, the timetable of his return, learning the offense as a rookie and more. Listen

Not a hard cut, the kind a receiver makes coming out of his break. But it was still a significant step for the fifth-round pick who has been sidelined since breaking the foot in rookie minicamp, an injury that required surgery to fix, putting a permanent screw in his foot.

Coale, who started running a couple of weeks ago, still doesn’t know exactly when he’ll be able to start competing for a role and roster spot in a crowded receivers corps.

“Sooner rather than later,” Coale said. “It’s really how it responds. We really don’t put a timetable on it. I’d like to say (near) the beginning of camp, the first couple of weeks into camp, we’ll be ready to roll. But it’s how it responds really. Everybody responds differently. We’ll just add more each day and see how it feels.”

Coale acknowledges that it’s been a frustrating couple of months. He’s done his best to study film and take mental reps, but he knows how important live reps are to a rookie learning an offense.

“My opportunity will come,” Coale said. “You’ve just got to stay mentally right and focused.”