The Dallas Cowboys do not know if veteran cornerback Mike Jenkins will be present for the start of OTAs, but head coach Jason Garrett would like to see him there.
"We're certainly hopeful of that," Garrett said of Jenkins attending, according to Charean Williams of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
A first-round pick out of South Florida in 2008, Jenkins has started 43 of 44 games over the last three seasons, was a Pro Bowl selection in 2009 and has eight interceptions and 40 passes defensed in 58 career games. The Cowboys made substantial investments towards upgrading the cornerback position this offseason, however, and Jenkins' long-term future as a starting cornerback is not in Dallas.
On March 15, Dallas signed Brandon Carr to a six-year, $50.1-million contract that included $26.5 million in guarantees. Six weeks later, the Cowboys traded up to the sixth pick in the 2012 NFL Draft to select LSU cornerback Morris Claiborne. They join a group that also includes Orlando Scandrick, whose work as a nickel corner earned him a five-year, $25-million extension last August.
Until the team holds their minicamp on June 12-14, participation in these workouts is voluntary. Jenkins also is rehabbing his surgically-repaired right shoulder and would be unable to participate in the on-field portion of these workouts. There are still mental reps and classroom work, though, and the Cowboys hired a new secondary coach (Jerome Henderson) this offseason. A player planning on being with a team for the long-term would want to work with his new position coach.
Jenkins is due $1.052 million in the final year of his rookie deal and he will not get the kind of big-money second contract he's seeking from the Cowboys, who will have Carr, Claiborne and Scandrick under club control through 2016. Jenkins would also have a hard time securing a good second contract if he's playing in 40-45 percent of the snaps as a No. 3 or No. 4 corner this season. Hi might be better off if he's shipped off to a place he could start.
