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Cowboys' Romo, McClain Sit Out Wednesday Practice

By Mike Fisher | @FishSports

IRVING (105.3 THE FAN) -- The Cowboys worked early Wednesday morning at Valley Ranch without both their offensive and defensive signal-callers.

Dallas has taken a summer-long cautious approach with quarterback Tony Romo following discectomy surgery on Dec. 27. So a day of rest is not cause for alarm as the team prepares for a Saturday night exhibition game at Miami.

But in the case of potential starting middle linebacker Rolando McClain, there are concerns because of the unknown. It's fair to say that Dallas wants the former Alabama star to win the middle linebacker job, and on Tuesday, he received most of the first-team reps as Justin Durant and Bruce Carter moved around on the depth chart to accommodate that.

But during the open-media portion of the practice, McClain spent his time in the Valley Ranch weight room. This doesn't necessarily indicate a "want-to'' problem, though McClain has retired twice from the NFL since being drafted eighth overall in 2010. But it at the very least suggests a conditioning issue that needs to get solved by the time Dallas opens the regular season against the 49ers.

Defensive tackles Henry Melton (groin) and Terrell McClain (high ankle sprain) also did not practice. Cornerback Morris Claiborne and tight end Gavin Escobar (both working through shoulder problems) were in pads on Wednesday.

(©2014 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

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