Dallas Cowboys News & Notes: Cowboys Holding Out Hope For Brian Waters Return?

Source close to injured Brian Waters says Dallas Cowboys OG would delay surgery if it enabled him to play - Barry Horn, DMN
The Cowboys have not yet placed Waters on IR. While it remains to be seen whether Waters will play again this season, the Cowboys like having the veteran in their locker room and may try to keep him around as long as possible even with the injury.

Cowboys waiting on Brian Waters to explore all his options before making a roster move - Charean Williams, Star-Telegram
Williams writes that Waters wants to try to rehab for two weeks and see if he can play with his injury after the bye week, and the Cowboys want to keep the door open for Waters.

"We just want to explore every option with him," Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Wednesday. "He has that kind of impact on our football team, so when you have a guy like that you just want to check every avenue before you make any definitive comments, and then we’ll have to make a decision one way or another here in the next few days."

Cowboys prepare for worst-case scenario by giving Free and Frederick reps at guard - Charean Williams, Star-Telegram
Suddenly thin at guard (the Cowboys don't currently have a backup guard on the 53-man roster), starting center Travis Frederick and starting right tackle Doug Free took snaps at guard during practice Wednesday.

"Just preparing for if the worst happens," Free said Wednesday. "I don’t really know what’s going to happen, so we’ll just prepare for the worst, and see where it goes."

Morris Claiborne points toward the Giants game on Nov. 24 for his return - Charean Williams, Star-Telegram
Claiborne will at least the next two games, and is currently targeting a return after the Cowboys' bye week.

"I think the bye week is definitely going to be a big week for me in terms of getting back," Claiborne said. "If it was up to me, I would do everything I could to play this week, but I know that’s not happening. Probably not much of chance next week as well. Just continue to do the things I can do with rehab, and hopefully I’ll feel better even sooner."

Cowboys RB Murray looks ready to return to action - Keith Whitmire, FSSouthwest
DeMarco Murray was a full participant in Wednesday's practice and appears ready to return to game action, Whitmire writes.

"I don't know if I can put a percentage on it, but I'm feeling better," said Murray, who suffered a sprained MCL against Washington. "I feel like I can contribute at a high level and help this team win."

Beset by injuries, can Dallas Cowboys fix 32nd-ranked pass defense? - Brandon George, DMN
Even though the Cowboys have been giving up yards like there's no tomorrow, Monte Kiffin remains confident about his defensive scheme.

"You can say whatever you want," Kiffin said Wednesday. "There’s nothing wrong with this system."

"We’re getting better," Kiffin said. "We have stretches where we look good at it and sometimes we don’t. It’s quite evident. It’s not all pieced together yet, but we have to hurry up."

Brandon George writes that the Cowboys may get a breather this week against the 29th-ranked Vikings passing offense, but that injuries to the secondary mean the Cowboys may not be able to improve as quickly as they need to.

The Notebook: Blown coverage and broken plays costly for Cowboys, Steelers - SBNation.com
Retired NFL defensive end Stephen White looks back at what happened to the Cowboys defense on the last drive in a Week 8 loss to the Lions. (Hat tip to BTB member Cowboys Joe)

Dallas Cowboys make Everette Brown signing official as they release DE Jason Vega - Rainer Sabin, DMN
DE Everette Brown officially became a member of the Dallas Cowboys on Tuesday, and the Cowboys released recently signed DE Jason Vega to make room on the roster.

Brown is the 15th player signed by the Cowboys since September 3rd.

Sept. 3: DE Caesar Rayford
Sept. 4: OG Brian Waters
Sept. 7: DT Jerome Long (released Sep. 24)
Sept. 17: DT David Carter (released Oct. 15)
Sept. 17: WR Jamar Newsome signed to PS (released Oct. 19, signed to PS Oct. 21)
Sept. 24: DT Drake Nevis
Sept. 25: CB Chris Greenwood (released Oct. 15)
oct. 11: LB Cameron Lawrence signed off own PS
Oct. 15: DE Jarius Wynn
Oct. 15: RB Davin Meggett signed to PS
Oct. 18: DE Jason Vega signed off own PS (released Oct. 29, signed to PS Oct.31)
Oct. 21: DT Marvin Austin
Oct. 21: OG Ray Dominguez signed to PS
Oct. 22: WR Lanear Sampson signed to PS
Oct. 29: DE Everette Brown

Struggling Defenses Set To Meet Sunday In Dallas - Vikings.com
Vulnerable defenses have plagued the Dallas Cowboys and Minnesota Vikings, with especially poor showings leading to losses for both clubs last week.

Minnesota's Frazier: No QB announcement until Friday - NFL Nation Blog - ESPN
Minnesota Vikings coach Leslie Frazier said on Wednesday he has an idea about who will start between Christian Ponder and Josh Freeman on Sunday in Dallas, but wasn't going to announce anything until Friday. Except that it won't be Matt Cassel.

Dallas' roller-coaster defense hard to figure out - St. Paul Pioneer Press
It's a little hard to figure out what exactly the Cowboys have on defense, as they've played with flashes of dominace but are also ranked dead last against the pass.

"We've been on a roller coaster," said Kiffin, the 73-year-old defensive coordinator who replaced Rob Ryan and brought a scheme that was supposed to be a little more safe and sound. "Two pretty good games in a row and wanted to really get that third one. We'll come back. We have to do it."

Vikings: One more loss would match worst start in franchise history - St. Paul Pioneer Press
If the Vikings lose on Sunday, their 1-7 record would mark the franchise's worst start since going 1-7 to begin their first season of 1961.

Official Injury Report (via the NFL Media department) from Wednesday's practice:

Which position will be deepest in 2014 NFL Draft? - NFL.com
NFL Media analyst Daniel Jeremiah polled five NFL executives to find out which position in the 2014 NFL Draft will offer the most depth. Bodes well for those who want to bolster the offensive line... not so well for those who hope to restock the defensive line next year. (Hat tip to BTB-Member Admiral Dallas)

Explaining the Veteran Waivers Process - OverTheCap.com
While the trade deadline turned out to be almost all bark with no bite, now that it has passed a new chapter opens in the League calendar for veteran players.

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