Corneback Mike Jenkins is one step closer to finally taking the field for the Dallas Cowboys.
Coming off shoulder surgery, the team's former first-round pick has dressed for three practices and hopes to play Sunday against the Seattle Seahawks. "That's the plan," Jenkins told The Dallas Morning News.
Where he'll play is the second part of this equation. The emergence of Morris Claiborne and Brandon Carr on the outside will likely push Jenkins inside, a role he's never taken on. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett told the newspaper he'd like to ease Jenkins back into action on the outside and go from there. Jerry Jones sounded less patient.
"I'd obviously like to see him out there on all of our money packages, nickel, dime, all of that," Jones told KRLD-FM, via the newspaper. "I sure hope that we can be as innovative as Rob (Ryan) has indicated to me he wanted to be, and Jerome Henderson, our secondary coach. So, hopefully we'll get to see a lot of Jenkins. He's impressive. He's looked really good at the practices he's been out there."
The Cowboys don't have to rely on Jenkins the way they did before, and that's the best news in Dallas. Claiborne and Carr were as good as advertised in a season-opening win over the New York Giants. They give Dallas its best corner duo in eons, meaning Jenkins -- if healthy -- simply improves the back-end of this defense.
Follow Marc Sessler on Twitter @MarcSesslerNFL.
