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IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys held the first of four organized team activities that will be open to the media at Valley Ranch on Wednesday, so we bring you some observations from the two-hour workout:

** Maybe it’s the product of not seeing him throw in four months, but Tony Romo was throwing the ball with a tremendous amount of velocity. Romo went 8-of-11 in team and seven-on-seven drills Wednesday with one drop by TE John Phillips.

** LB Sean Lee looked in midseason form by snuffing out a pass to the flat to FB Lawrence Vickers for what would have been no gain or a short pickup.

** QB Stephen McGee and rookie Tyrone Navikoff had a difficult time with the snap, muffing three before Navikoff was pulled in favor of Bill Nagy. And Nagy’s first snap with McGee went to the ground.

** WR Raymond Radway, who missed his rookie year with a broken ankle, was knocked out of practice briefly after getting poked in the eye.

** Dez Bryant, Kevin Ogletree, Akwasi Owusu-Ansah and Dwayne Harris worked as punt returners. Tim Benford, Radway and Lance Dunbar handled kick returns.

** With OLB DeMarcus Ware missing the workout, Victor Butler was with the starters and showed good awareness on a reverse by Harris by not allowing the wide receiver to get outside. Anthony Spencer did the same later in practice on a reverse to Miles Austin.

** WR Andre Holmes made a nice grab on a Kyle Orton throw in seven-on-seven drills while crossing the middle. Earlier, Holmes snared a Romo pass that was a little ahead of him.

** Rookie Saalim Hakin struggled in the rookie minicamp with drops and he struggled Wednesday. Unofficially he had three and the last brought receivers coach Jimmy Robinson over with some encouragement.

** Undrafted rookie CB Lionel Smith intercepted a McGee pass along the sideline.

** Rookie S Eddie Whitley ended practice with a nice breakup of a McGee throw to James Hanna. Whitley broke on Hanna’s route perfectly to bat the pass away.

** RB Phillip Tanner did not look any different after being put on injured reserve last year with a hamstring injury. He was quick and decisive with his cuts.

The Dallas Cowboys begin three weeks of organized team activities today at Valley Ranch. It's the first time the entire team will be available to the Cowboys coaches on the field since the 2011 season ended.

We tell you what's going on.

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Jenkins won't be here: Cornerback Mike Jenkins will not attend the three days of organized team activities. Yes, the OTAs are voluntary, but most, if not all, the players are expected to show up for the three-day teaching sessions. Jenkins, who is seeking a trade from the Cowboys, is irked somewhat by what's going on at the cornerback position. Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne are the projected starters at corner, with Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick battling for the No. 3 cornerback position. Most of the people that matter at Valley Ranch have praised Jenkins' play last season, when he was tied for the team lead with 10 pass breakups while playing through shoulder, neck and knee issues. Without attending the sessions, it will be difficult to know far Jenkins has progressed from offseason shoulder surgery. Jenkins has attended only a handful of voluntary workouts at Valley Ranch.

Rookies will be here, too: If a rookie is not here, it's because school is still in session. One rookie who will attend the sessions but not participate is first-round pick Morris Claiborne. Claiborne is still recovering from left wrist surgery. He got three pins taken out recently and will wear a soft cast. He said he wants to be ready for the veteran minicamp, but it's doubtful if the team will allow that. Expect Claiborne to get a majority of practice reps when training camp starts in late July.

Who is injured? Let's see, Jenkins and Claiborne won't get any work in. DeMarco Murray (ankle) said he's 100 percent and should be a full participant in the sessions, though it wouldn't surprise any if he was limited. Bill Nagy (ankle), Raymond Radway (leg), Barry Church (shoulder), and Phillip Tanner (hamstring) finished the season on injured reserve and will get a chance to work out fully. Newly-signed guard Mackenzy Bernadeau (hip) will not be available to work out because of his recent surgery. Bernadeau won't be around until the second week of training camp. Also, fourth-round pick Kyle Wilber (finger) will not be around due to his surgery. He should be ready for training camp.

No media access until Wednesday: The media has access only one day, Wednesday, so please don't ask how certain players are doing today because we won't know. The media will speak with certain players and coaches once a week for the next three weeks during OTAs.

Notes: There were no OTAs last year because of the lockout and defensive coordinator Rob Ryan said that led to rushed teachings of his defensive scheme once the players were allowed to attend training camp. With OTAs and minicamps, Ryan can take a more measured approach to teaching his 3-4 scheme. ... Much has been made about leadership this offseason. It will be interesting to see who is the most vocal on the practice fields among the players. ... With Jenkins and Claiborne out, reps at corner will start with Carr and Scandrick.

The NFL announced recently that teams can have up to 90 players on their roster heading into training camp.

With the Cowboys adding cornerback Akwasi Owusu-Ansah on Tuesday, they have 88 players on their roster and more are on the way as the team is expected to sign some players who tried out last weekend at Valley Ranch.

But the free-agency period is still ongoing and it begs a question: Should the Cowboys sign a veteran free agent?

We look at three positions that could use a veteran.

Wide receiver: The starters are Dez Bryant and Miles Austin, talented and explosive players. The No. 3 receiver is uncertain. There's a gaggle of players battling for the final three receiver spots, leading with the underachieving Kevin Ogletree, but the Cowboys drafted Danny Coale from Virginia Tech in the fifth round as a possible slot receiver. Signing a veteran could help bolster this unit, considering how Bryant and Austin battled injuries last season. Patrick Crayton comes to mind, but it's doubtful the Cowboys would go back to the talkative receiver, especially after he asked for a trade when Bryant was drafted. Jerheme Urban is another possibility but it's not known if the Cowboys like his skill set.

Running back: This position, like wide receiver, is a strength for the Cowboys. DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones are a solid 1-2 punch. Phillip Tanner can play special teams and get some snaps as a No. 3 runner, but all three running backs were injured at some point last year. Murray didn't finish the season, needing surgery to repair a broken ankle. You can't have four running backs on the roster, yet signing someone such as Patrick Cobbs (North Texas) to mainly play special teams and become an insurance policy might be a good move. Ronnie Brown, a former first-round pick, while he might not play special teams, is someone to look at too.

Punter: Chris Jones is the favorite to win the job, but Mat McBriar, who is a free agent, is recovering from leg surgery. There's some uncertainty regarding McBriar's availability for teams, because some might want him to prove he can punt after recovering from surgery. McBriar should be ready to kick in training camp. Daniel Sepulveda (Baylor) punted with Pittsburgh last season and in eight games had a 40.6 net average. If Jones struggles and McBriar is unavailable due to health or signing with another team, getting a veteran such as Sepulveda might be worthwhile.

IRVING, Texas -- Over the years the Cowboys have been wildly successful finding undrafted free agents and turning them into starters. Tony Romo and Miles Austin are at the top of the list, but don’t forget about a guy like Stephen Bowen, too.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones anticipates the Cowboys adding 13-17 undrafted players.

The Cowboys have been willing to pay solid signing bonuses to undrafted players over the years, totaling more than $100,000 on occasion.

Those days are over.

According to the new collective bargaining agreement, teams can spend only $75,000 total in signing bonuses to undrafted players.

Will that discourage the Cowboys and other teams from signing players? Not really. What teams did last year to get by that rule was to guarantee a small portion of the player’s base salary so it would not count toward the $75,000 limit.

Last year the largest signing bonus the Cowboys gave was to offensive lineman Jose Acuna ($6,500). Wide receiver Lyle Leong received $6,000 to sign.

The four undrafted free agents who made the 53-man roster -- Kevin Kowalski, Dan Bailey, Alex Albright and Phillip Tanner -- combined to make $10,500 in signing bonus money. Bailey had a signing bonus of $2,500.

This is the second-part of a 12-part series on the Cowboys roster. Today we look at the running backs.


Players: Felix Jones (signed through 2012), Tony Fiammetta (free agent), Shaun Chapas (signed through 2014), Sammy Morris (free agent), Chauncey Washington (free agent), DeMarco Murray (signed through 2014), Phillip Tanner (signed through 2013).

Top free agents: Matt Forte, Chicago Bears; Arian Foster, Houston Texans; Peyton Hillis, Cleveland Browns; Marshawn Lynch, Seattle Seahawks; Ray Rice, Baltimore

Top draft prospects: Trent Richardson, Alabama; Lamar Miller, Miami (FL); David Wilson, Virginia Tech; LaMichael James, Oregon; Doug Martin, Boise State.

2011 review: The season started off with uncertainty as Jones took over the starting role after Marion Barber was released. An injury to Jones opened the door for Murray, a rookie, who set a franchise record with a 253-yard rushing performance against St. Louis. Murray's season ended with a fractured ankle, but he rushed for 897 yards. He will become the starter in 2012 and Jones will go back to coming off the bench. Murray is the future and has the skills and mindset to have a bigger season. Fiammetta burst onto the scene as a strong fullback that cleared the way for Murray and Jones to pick up big yards. Tanner has a future as Murray's backup but must have a strong training camp to make the roster again.

Offseason preview: Should the Cowboys consider trading Jones this offseason? It's hard to accomplish a trade with Jones entering the final year of his contract. The Cowboys should explore whether a fourth-or fifth-round pick is available for the former first-round pick. The team doesn't trust Jones to become a 20-down back in the NFL. He's a solid backup, which leads us to Tanner. He should compete with Jones for more playing time. If he makes the roster, he should get more game-day carries and special teams snaps. The Cowboys need to re-sign Fiammetta to maintain the chemistry he developed with Murray. Fiammetta was the glue to a solid running attack in the middle of the season. If Fiammetta's health issues (inner ear infection) are solved, then his return should be considered a positive.

Bryan Broaddus' Scout's Eye: Running back will be a position of strength for the Cowboys going into the 2012 season. Murray was outstanding when given the opportunity to start for the club, which allowed Jones to return to the role for which he is better suited -- backup off the bench. Tanner was a nice fit as a third back who contributes on special teams -- a role that Jerry Jones likes.

The learning curve for Murray was not that steep and he was able to do things as a pass protector that allowed him to stay on the field for more than two downs. The Cowboys were a different offense with Murray in the lineup, and Garrett was a better playcaller. If the Cowboys try to upgrade the position, it will most likely be for Tanner, but he will be tough to replace. I don't see the club using a draft pick on this spot unless it's late and it's a height, weight and speed player with high-quality traits.

Need meter (0-5): 2.

IRVING, Texas -- For the sixth straight year the Cowboys had more than 100 penalties in a season, matching the longest streak in team history.

The Cowboys’ 114 penalties were fifth-most in the NFL and Jason Garrett was unable to correct a problem that has plagued predecessors Bill Parcells and Wade Phillips.

Doug Free and DeMarcus Ware led the Cowboys with 10 penalties called, although Ware had one penalty declined during the year. Free had five holding penalties and five false starts. Ware had seven offside penalties, two roughing the passer penalties and a neutral zone infraction.

Tyron Smith, Anthony Spencer and Orlando Scandrick had eight penalties called against them this year. Scandrick had two declined, Smith had one.

Spencer had four neutral zone infractions, which means the Cowboys’ best pass rushers had 12 penalties in which they could not time the snap properly. Spencer’s other penalties were an unnecessary roughness, roughing the passer, running into the kicker and face mask.

An interesting note: three backup secondary players combined for 20 penalties. Scandrick had eight. Alan Ball had seven. Frank Walker had five. Fourteen of those were on defense. Scandrick was a quasi-starter as the nickel back, but Ball and Walker were flagged far too often given the amount of snaps they played. Guard Montrae Holland had six penalties in 10 games.

Another interesting note: Mike Jenkins was not penalized all year. Yes, he missed four games, but he was flagged nine times last year with six pass interference penalties. He was a much improved player all around in 2011.

Here’s the player-by-player breakdown of penalties

10 – Doug Free, DeMarcus Ware
8 – Anthony Spencer, Tyron Smith, Orlando Scandrick
7 – Alan Ball
6 – Montrae Holland
5 – Terence Newman, Tony Romo, Frank Walker
4 – Jason Hatcher
3 – Martellus Bennett, John Phillips, Jason Witten, Phillip Tanner, Kyle Kosier
2 – Keith Brooking, Jesse Holley, Kevin Ogletree, Tony Fiammetta, Barry Chruch, Josh Brent, Derrick Dockery, Jay Ratliff, Dez Bryant
1 – Bradie James, Sean Lee, Laurent Robinson, Gerald Sensabaugh, Victor Butler, Kenyon Coleman, Phil Costa, Abram Elam, Kevin Kowalski, L.P. Ladouceur, Stephen McGee, Miles Austin, Sean Lissemore

IRVING, Texas – It’s possible that Sammy Morris could go from the couch to the Cowboys’ starting lineup in a span of two weeks.

The Cowboys hope Felix Jones’ tight hamstring won’t prevent him from playing Saturday against the Eagles. However, if Jones can’t play, the Cowboys’ starter will be a 34-year-old who thought he was done with football until the Cowboys called last week.

“It just shows you how fast things can change,” Morris said. “I thought my life was going in this direction, and it ends up going in the other direction. You just never know what you are going to get, and you just got to be prepared for whatever does happen.”

Morris, a 12-year veteran, was cut by the New England Patriots at the end of the preseason. After a couple of months without hearing from another team, Morris assumed his football career was over, although he continued to train.

He finally heard from a team when Dallas developed a desperate need at running back. The Cowboys signed him to replace DeMarco Murray when the rookie star went on injured reserve due to a fractured ankle. Rookie Phillip Tanner, the Cowboys’ third-string back, had been placed on injured reserve the previous week with a strained hamstring.

Four days after signing, Morris carried 12 times for 53 yards, quite an impressive feat given the circumstances. The Cowboys might need even more from Morris, a teammate of coach Jason Garrett’s with the 2004 Dolphins, against the Eagles on Saturday.

Morris has gotten much more work during this week’s practices with Jones not participating. But the graybeard back says his approach hasn’t changed.

“It's not really complicated,” Morris said. “It's help the team win, whether it's five carries or 25.”

It’s a challenge for Morris to learn the Cowboys’ system and verbiage on the fly despite his high football IQ. And it’s asking a lot physically for somebody who has never been a featured back to move into that role in such a high-stakes game at his age.

“You think about both of those things,” running backs coach Skip Peete said. “Obviously here is somebody who is not really doing a whole lot probably besides working out on his own or with a personal trainer. Now you’re asking him to go in an NFL game and carry the ball quite a bit and pass protect and do all those things he did. Plus, not make mistakes to hurt you.”

The Cowboys hope they don’t have to ask that much of Morris.

IRVING, Texas -- The Cowboys are not too concerned about Felix Jones’ hamstring injury, which could be part of some poker game late in the season, but this particular injury has bit the club too many times this year.

Wide receiver Miles Austin missed six games because of pulls in both legs. The first injury came in training camp, and he aggravated it at San Francisco. He hurt his right hamstring against Seattle on Nov. 6. Cornerback Mike Jenkins missed four games with a hamstring injury suffered Oct. 30 at Philadelphia.

Wide receiver Laurent Robinson got hurt in his first practice back in September and was cut and brought back. Phillip Tanner is on injured reserve because of a hamstring injury. DeMarco Murray’s season ended because of a fractured ankle, but he showed up to training camp with a hamstring injury that kept him out of most of the preseason.

Tony Fiammetta, Andre Holmes and Dwayne Harris also had hamstring issues.
Maybe Jones’ hamstring injury is minor and not something to be worried about, but given his injury history overall and the hamstring injuries that have happened this season it should give some pause.

ARLINGTON, Texas -- Fragile Felix Jones finds himself as the only healthy running back on the Cowboys’ roster.

DeMarco Murray, who seized the lead horse role in record-setting fashion when Jones went down with a high ankle sprain, is done for the season after fracturing his right ankle. Rookie reserve Phillip Tanner was put on injured reserve with a strained hamstring earlier this week.

The Cowboys will scour the NFL scrap heap for some running back depth, but the load rests squarely on Jones’ shoulders now.

Jones, who has always been more dynamic as a change-of-pace back, seemed up to the task for most of Sunday night. He had his third career 100-yard rushing game, gaining 106 yards on 16 carries.

“With that duo, there’s not much drop-off,” fullback Tony Fiammetta said. “Felix is a great back. He stepped right in there and it’s like we didn’t have to even blink. We’ve just got to keep working with what we’ve got.”

However, Jones didn’t do his job well enough at the end of both halves. He tried to bounce outside instead of following Fiammetta’s block to get stuffed at the line of scrimmage on second-and-5 with a little more than two minutes remaining, a key play that led to the Cowboys punting two steps later. Jones’ most egregious error came when he coughed up the ball deep in Dallas territory after the Giants' Jason Pierre-Paul hit him with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, gift-wrapping a field goal.

“I didn’t have it secured good enough and it just came out,” Jones said. “Another lesson learned, just gotta take care of it. If I had eyes in the back of my head, I would have seen him, but I didn’t see him.”

Jones, who attempted to avoid the media by slipping out a back door, danced around a question about being ready for a workhorse role. He replied by saying his prayers go out to Murray and praising the rookie running back.

“Everybody hates that that happened,” receiver Dez Bryant said, referring to Murray’s injury. “Felix has just got to come back in and take his game to another level. I feel like that’s what we’ve all got to do. We’ve got to take our game to another level and just finish out.”

ARLINGTON, Texas -- It does not appear DeMarco Murray will play again this season.

The rookie running back suffered a fractured right ankle and high right ankle sprain Sunday against the Giants. Typically fractures take 6-8 weeks to heal and the Cowboys have three games left after tonight’s game.

Murray was forced from the game with 4:54 left in the first quarter after an 8-yard run when Giants defensive end Dave Tollefsen fell on the rookie’s ankle while making a tackle.

Felix Jones is the only tailback on the 53-man roster. The Cowboys placed Phillip Tanner on injured reserve last week to make room for wide receiver Andre Holmes. Tanner had been slowed by a hamstring injury. The Cowboys have Chauncey Washington on the practice squad.

Murray exploded onto the season with a franchise-record 253 yards against St. Louis on Oct. 23. He entered Sunday’s game on track to become the Cowboys’ first 1,000-yard rusher since Julius Jones in 2007. He had 872 yards on the season and had 25 yards on five carries Sunday before getting hurt.

IRVING, Texas -- Phillip Tanner’s dream season is over because of a hamstring injury. The Dallas native was put on injured reserve on Friday to make room for practice squad wide receiver Andre Holmes.

Holmes spent time with the first-team special teams units earlier in the week before suffering a hamstring strain on Thursday. A team had expressed interest in calling up Holmes this week, so the Cowboys promoted him even with the injury.

Holmes was among Minnesota’s final cuts in training camp before joining the Cowboys’ practice squad. He caught 104 passes for 1,300 yards and 11 touchdowns last year at Division II Hillsdale College. He visited Valley Ranch before the draft.

By placing Tanner on injured reserve, the Cowboys have only two running backs (DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones) on the active roster. They signed Chauncey Washington, who is familiar with Joe DeCamillis’ special teams schemes, to the practice squad last week.

Tanner missed the last two games but had expressed hope of returning soon. Instead his season ends with 76 yards on 22 carries and a touchdown to go with two catches for 19 yards.

IRVING, Texas -- Linebacker DeMarcus Ware and wide receiver Laurent Robinson returned to practice Thursday after missing Wednesday’s workout with stinger and shoulder injuries.

Safety Abram Elam was missing from the practice likely to return to Florida to attend the funeral of his father, Donald Elam Sr.

Wide receiver Miles Austin (hamstring) and fullback Tony Fiammetta (illness) are practicing for the second straight day and guard Kyle Kosier (foot) has returned to work as well.

Safety Danny McCray (ankle) and tight end Martellus Bennett (ribs) missed their second straight day of practice. McCray has been in a protective boot the last few days. With Bennett’s availability in doubt, the Cowboys will likely keep two fullbacks on the gameday roster in Fiammetta and Shaun Chapas.

Running back Phillip Tanner (hamstring) and nose tackle Josh Brent (knee) continued to rehab on the side. Quarterback Jon Kitna (back) is not at practice.

IRVING, Texas -- There are no surprises on the Cowboys’ injury report for Sunday’s game at Arizona.

Wide receiver Miles Austin (hamstring), nose tackle Josh Brent (knee), fullback Tony Fiammetta (illness), quarterback Jon Kitna (back) and running back Phillip Tanner (hamstring) did not practice all week and will not play against the Cardinals.

Cornerback Mike Jenkins is listed as questionable, but he will return for the first time since suffering a hamstring injury in the second half of the Oct. 30 loss at Philadelphia. Right guard Kyle Kosier is also questionable with a foot injury, but he will start his 12th straight game.

Punter Mat McBriar (foot), linebacker Sean Lee (wrist) and linebacker Bruce Carter (knee) are probable.

Brent’s absence will push Sean Lissemore into the backup role behind Jay Ratliff. Brent was inactive for the Eagles’ game and the Cowboys allowed 239 yards rushing, led by LeSean McCoy’s 185 yards. With Tanner out, the Cowboys will have only two tailbacks active: DeMarco Murray and Felix Jones.

IRVING, Texas -- The official word will come down later today, but Miles Austin missed his fourth day of practice this week all but eliminating the chance he plays Sunday at Arizona.

Austin is recovering from a right hamstring injury and has missed the last three games. He had expressed the desire to return this week but the medical staff has taken a cautious approach considering Austin had trouble with his left hamstring earlier this season.

He should make his return next week against the New York Giants.

Fullback Tony Fiammetta, quarterback Jon Kitna, running back Phillip Tanner and nose tackle Josh Brent are not practicing and not expected to suit up against the Cardinals.

IRVING, Texas -- Cowboys running back Felix Jones didn't get a rushing attempt in the Thanksgiving Day game vs. Miami. He did touch the ball five times -- one reception and four kick returns -- in the victory.

"I didn't know that he didn't have a carry," starting running back DeMarco Murray said. "Now that I do, I don't know. It's just how the rotation went."

Jones is still working on kickoffs and it appears the team wants to give him more of a role in the offense. But it could change game to game.

Jones missed four games with a high-ankle sprain that eventually cost him his starting job to Murray, who rushed for 601 yards in his absence.

"He's back and he's excited," running backs coach Skip Peete said of Jones. "He looks good, looks quick. So we'll obviously have to utilize both of them."

How is the issue.

The Cowboys could give Jones about 10 touches a game, based on special teams and rushing and receiving plays. But will it be enough to have an impact on the offense?

Murray said adding Jones creates depth at the running back position that's been thinned with the hamstring injury to Phillip Tanner.

"I don't know what is significant, but certainly Felix is a big-time playmaker for us and I'm excited about having him," owner/GM Jerry Jones said. "He does and will have a big role in our success."