Cowboys Morris Claiborne Targeting Mid-June Return To Training

Morris Claiborne tore some ligaments in his left wrist during LSU's 9-6 win over Alabama in November, but still played the final five games of the season. At the Combine, teams advised him to get surgery to repair the torn ligaments, and Claiborne subsequently underwent surgery on March 23rd. He had the pins removed on Wednesday last week and is now wearing a soft cast around the surgically repaired wrist.

The early prognosis was that he'd be ready for action around the start of training camp at the end of July, but according Todd Archer of ESPNDallas.com Claiborne himself is targeting the June 12-14 mandatory minicamp for his debut.

"I hope to be fully recovered and ready for that," Claiborne said. "I'm so eager and ready. It's hard just sitting there, watching, knowing you can do it but you've just got one small thing wrong with you holding you back. But I'm looking forward to it and trying to push that up."

Archer correctly points out that the ultimate decision on whether Claiborne will join practices as early as mid-June rests with the Cowboys' medical staff.

When the Cowboys drafted Claiborne in April, they were aware of his situation. If it now turns out that Claiborne could be ready sooner than anticipated, that'll be a bonus for the Cowboys, who'll get an extra couple of weeks to get their number one pick ready improve their pass defense.