Cowboys start training camp with Jabril Cox, James Washington available

By David Helman
FOX Sports Dallas Cowboys Writer

OXNARD, Calif. — The Cowboys have about as clean a bill of health as you could ask for to open training camp.

Fresh off their West Coast arrival, the Cowboys announced they’d made five roster moves, adding Michael Gallup, Dontario Drummond, Quandre Mosely and Aaaron Hansford to the physically unable to perform list and Damone Clark to the reserve/non-football injury list.

Gallup and Clark are the two big names, as the other three are undrafted free agents. Furthermore, those are both expected situations. Gallup is still rehabbing the ACL tear he suffered in early January, and Clark underwent neck surgery earlier this year. The Cowboys knew when they drafted Clark that he’d miss part of the season.

According to Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy, it shouldn’t be too long of a wait on Gallup, though it remains to be seen if he’ll practice at all during this stint in California.

“He’s probably into the fourth quarter of his rehab,” McCarthy said. “He looks really good. I don’t have a distinct timeline for you, but he’s definitely on target.”

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The Dallas Cowboys are looking to bounce back from a disappointing end to their 2021 season, when they lost to the 49ers in the wild-card round.

Honestly, the best news of the day might be that second-year linebacker Jabril Cox avoided the PUP. Cox tore his ACL last Halloween and missed the offseason program during his own rehab.

While McCarthy acknowledged that the coaching staff will bring Cox along slowly, he’ll at least be available to practice. 

“We’ve got to be smart with Jabril,” McCarthy said. “All players coming off a major joint injury, obviously you don’t want to just throw them back out there. He’ll definitely be on a rep count and be real position-specific on what he’s asked to do.” 

Veteran receiver James Washington also managed to avoid the PUP after missing the spring due to a foot injury. From the sounds of it, Washington will likely also be limited early, but his availability is a good start.

“We’ve just got to get him healthy, but he’s been a really, really good fit for us,” McCarthy said. “I think he’ll start more within a rotation, but it’ll be good to get him back out there.” 

With everyone else on the roster looking ready to roll, it’s not a bad place to be for the first practices of training camp.

David Helman covers the Dallas Cowboys for FOX Sports, providing insight and analysis on the NFL’s most visible franchise. Prior to joining FOX, David spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team’s official website, DallasCowboys.com. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” about the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State.