Cowboys safety Matt Johnson getting anxious

October, 12, 2012
10/12/12
9:29
AM CT
IRVING, Texas – Of the five Cowboys’ draft picks on the 53-man roster, only safety Matt Johnson has not been able to play in a game.

The fourth-round pick hopes that changes Sunday at Baltimore.

Johnson missed the first four games of the season because of a hamstring strain suffered Aug. 25 against St. Louis in the preseason, which came on the heels of him missing most of training camp with another hamstring strain.

So far this week he has fully participated in both practices.

“Definitely, anxious is a good word,” Johnson said. “Not nervous or anything like that. I just want to get out and play.”

The Cowboys have showed a ton of patience with Johnson through the injuries, which is a sign that they think he can help on special teams and defense. Johnson said his conditioning has been better than he expected in practice, but he knows the pace of a game will be different.

He has worked on the special teams units this week in practice but has not been told he will be active.

“I think they want to make sure I get through practice,” Johnson said.
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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