Cowboys Have 'Sugar Plum' Visions As Camp Opens
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OXNARD, California (105.3 THE FAN) - Cowboys owner Jerry Jones opened his 'State of the Union Address' on Friday in Oxnard by expressing a Christmas-like joy over the visions of "sugar plums'' dancing in his head due to the training-camp health of Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Orlando Scandrick and others.
But as Saturday's first practice looms, Dallas has some lumps of coal in its football-holiday stocking, too.
Linebacker Rolando McClain and end Randy Gregory are no-shows, both in part due to their impending drug suspensions. Gregory's absence is "excused,'' in a sense, as he's at a rehab facility. McClain is a problem of a different sort, having opted to skip the reporting date and pushing the Cowboys to say goodbye to him, quite likely, when the rules and finances can be worked out.
"We're gonna move on from some guys,'' coach Jason Garrett said in as ominous a tone as he can offer.
The Cowboys will also start camp without the services of linebacker Damien Wilson after he sustained an eye injury playing paintball. And running back Lance Dunbar, tight end James Hanna, defensive tackle Maliek Collins and end Benson Mayowa will all start camp on the PUP list. (All could be fine eventually during camp.) Running back Darren McFadden and linebacker Jaylon Smith are on the NFI list; McFadden will come off it it soon; Smith likely will not.
Tight end Gavin Escobar's knee rehab has gone well enough that he's staying on the active list. Same with end Tank Lawrence, though he faced a four-game drug suspension when the regular season starts. But most of Dallas' confidence stems from its offensive stars, like Romo and Bryant, who weren't healthy enough last year to help the Cowboys past 4-14, and rookie running back Ezekiel Elliott, who the Cowboys braintrust expressed faith in despite the domestic-violence charge that his camp has claimed is an extortion attempt.