Dallas Cowboys Headlines: DeMarco Murray Is 100%, AOA is Back, 18 Teams Wanted WR Saalim Hakim

Cowboys bring back Akwasi Owusu-Ansah | The Dallas Morning News
Owusu-Ansah, the Cowboys' fourth round pick in 2010, was claimed off waivers after he was released by the Jacksonville Jaguars. The Cowboys were not the only team to put in a waiver claim, as the Eagles tried to get their grubby little fingers on AOA as well. AOA is expected to play either safety or cornerback for the Cowboys, but will likely be used mostly on special teams.

Cowboys running back Murray says he's healed, set to roll again - San Antonio Express-News
Running back DeMarco Murray told a crowd in San Antonio on Sunday that he's back to 100%:

"I'm back 100 percent. (Strength and conditioning coach) Mike Woicik has been great to work with," Murray said. "In college, usually everyone did the same type of program. But here it's more position-specific. I definitely feel better prepared."

More headlines after the break.

Cowboys RB coach Skip Peete on DeMarco Murray's condition: 'He looks normal and fine' | The Dallas Morning News
Reports out of Valley Ranch are that Murray's fractured right ankle has healed and his rehabilitation is going according to schedule.

"He's at a point now where he goes and does everything on the field with everybody else," said Cowboys running backs coach Skip Peete. "I know he comes out and does every on-field drill and runs routes with the backs and catches with the quarterbacks. But as far as his ability to do things a normal player would be able to do in an offseason program, he looks normal and fine."

Half the NFL wanted Cowboys rookie Saalim Hakim | SportsDayDFW
Rick Gosselin writes that despite never having started in a football game at any level, 18 NFL teams tried to sign UDFA wide receiver Saalim Hakim. His 4.31 40-yard dash time is a big reason for that, but also the endorsement Hakim got from former Giants coach Jim Fassel, who coached Hakim last year with the UFL's Las Vegas Locomotives:

"You don’t find guys like him walking around on the streets," Fassel said. "He’s so strong — explosively strong. He’d jerk a guy, go around him, and once he got into a leverage position they couldn’t run with him. Once he gets going, he’s as fast as anyone I’ve ever seen on the football field."

Cowboys rookie Wilber already looks to be ahead of the class - San Antonio Express-News
Midway through the three-day camp, defensive coordinator Rob Ryan gave Wilber a positive review.

"He's a smart kid," Ryan said of Wilber, who graduated in December with a double major in sociology and communication. "He plays hard. He knows how to cover, which is a hard thing for an outside linebacker. All they do is rush in college. Well, this kid knows how to cover. He's going to be a lot further advanced than most rookies are. The kid's got a lot of talent. So we hope he'll be able to help (right away)."

Dez Bryant: Cowboys receivers will enjoy going against Morris Claiborne | SportsDayDFW
Bryant thinks matching up against Claiborne in practice will be beneficial for both the wide receivers and the cornerback:

"We are all going to enjoy going against him," Bryant said. "He's going to make all of the wideouts better and we are going to make him better."

Lee: Defense Should ‘Master’ Scheme Now - DallasCowboys.com
Rob Phillips observes that the Cowboys had some issues mastering Rob Ryan's scheme last season, as evidenced by their trouble communicating in two-minute, no-huddle situations all year. Sean Lee thinks that the additional time the defense will be spending together this year will help them 'master' the new scheme.

DL coach Baker: Nobody that matters wants to move Jay Ratliff to DE | SportsDayDFW
Brian Baker pours a bucket full of ice-cold water on all the voices calling for Ratliff to move to defensive end, as he makes it crystal clear that nobody that matters is thinking about moving Ratliff anywhere.

"I’m still looking to see whose thought that is. I hear that question and it’s always posed exactly like you posed it in that there is a thought," Baker said. "I’m trying to identify who has that thought because nobody that matters to me does have that thought. OK? The players don’t have that thought, the coaches don’t have that thought, the personnel department that I know of doesn’t have that thought, so I don’t know. Who has that thought? I don’t know who has that thought. I haven’t talked to the guy who has that thought, so there is no thought for me. That’s for sure."

Baker goes on to explain that Ratliff was playing with a cracked rib at the end of last season, and that while he may consider giving Ratliff an occasional breather on first and second down, Ratliff will "take all the third downs unless somebody proves that they’re a better pass-rusher inside."

CB Troy Woolfolk released - Josh Ellis
Josh Ellis reports via Twitter that the Cowboys released the undrafted rookie CB from Michigan yesterday afternoon.