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The Dallas Cowboys returned to a regular practice today in anticipation of playing the New Orleans Saints on Sunday. The news was mixed. Tony Romo is siting out Wednesday's practice just like he did last week for the Rams game. Jason Garrett didn't say it was going to be a regular routine, but if Romo plays as well this week as last, then maybe it should be.
“We’re making no determination on what his schedule is for the course of the season,’’ head coach Jason Garrett said. “This week we feel like this is the right thing to do based on how he’s feeling coming out of the game. Typically Wednesday is a run and play-action type day for our whole football team,’’ Garrett said. “He can get a lot of that work done in the walk-thru like he did this morning and then some of the more situational stuff will happen as the week goes on."
As reported earlier, Morris Claiborne has returned to practice. In fact, he came back to Valley Ranch last night to talk to Jason Garrett, and today Garrett stated that Claiborne will be disciplined internally and that he will play on Sunday.
According to Cowboys coach Jason Garrett, Claiborne returned to the facility around 8 p.m. on Tuesday and the two had a meeting. Garrett said during his Wednesday morning press conference that Claiborne addressed the team and he will play Sunday night against New Orleans. “He didn’t take that news very well,” Garrett said. “We’re going to discipline him, but we’re going to keep how we discipline him in house, and we’ll move forward. It’s behind us.”
“He understood that he made a mistake,” Garrett said. “Guys are competitors. When they hear news that doesn’t go their way, different guys react different ways. He obviously knew that he didn’t react the right way.”
Some good news from the linebacker corps, Justin Durant is practicing today. Some bad news, Rolando McClain is not and it's still a question if he'll be able to go this week.
As for the linebacker position, Rolando McClain was not on the field because of a groin injury that kept him out of last week’s game. However, Justin Durant, who has missed two straight games with a groin injury was back on the field. If he plays Sunday, head coach Jason Garrett said the club will determine later in the week if he returns to the middle linebacker spot or goes back to the weak side and Anthony Hitchens plays in the middle.
The Cowboys are also having some issues at defensive tackle.
The defensive tackle spot was rather thin Wednesday as Henry Melton (hamstring) was not practicing. He suffered the injury early in the game Sunday and tried to fight through it until taking himself out at the very end. Defensive tackles Terrell McClain and Davon Coleman (calf) were not practicing as well.
Defensive end Anthony Spencer continues to practice and there is a possibility that he will get his first snaps in over a year on Sunday. And for some other good news in the near future, DeMarcus Lawrence was on the field doing conditioning work. He's got another month before he'll be ready to go but his rehab is moving along nicely.