Owens Returns For Tuesday Practice!

IRVING, Texas - Maybe there was a reason head coach Bill Parcells didn`t seem too concerned Tuesday when asked about his wide receiver position between practices here at Valley Ranch. While he cited the return of Patrick Crayton and the progress of his young receivers, he probably had a good idea his main guy, Terrell Owens, would be on his way back to the practice field later that day. And that`s exactly what happened, Owens returning for the second practice, his first workout with the team since the morning workout Aug. 19 in Oxnard, Calif. Owens, who had missed 21 of 32 practices before rejoining the team late Tuesday afternoon, has been bothered by a sore left hamstring. He originally suffered the injury Aug. 2 in training camp and missed two weeks of practice before returning Aug. 16. However, after just five practices, Owens said he aggravated the hamstring and did not practice again until Tuesday. Parcells was not available for comment following the second practice, but did say after his late morning media briefing he would have the media informed if Owens worked in the afternoon practice, which was closed to the media. Owens did not make an appearance in the locker room Tuesday during the open media session. Owens has missed the first three preseason games, and his availability for Thursday`s game with Minnesota (7 p.m., CDT) at Texas Stadium remains highly questionable since Wednesday`s workout will be a light one. The Cowboys likely will err on the side of caution since Owens would have just one full practice in pads in before Thursday`s game. Parcells realizes he wants Owens ready for the season opener. And with 12 days to go before the regular-season opener at Jacksonville, getting Owens back on the practice field has to ease some of Parcells` concerns with a position he earlier contemplated trading for some insurance. In fact, the Cowboys had traded a sixth-round pick to Denver for Charlie Adams, but the deal was nullified when Adams failed his physical. Even after that trade fell through, Parcells said he would keep his eye on the receiver "landscape" since at the time veteran Terry Glenn was the only healthy, experienced receiver on the team. But Parcells` thinking has now changed two weeks later. Owens is back in practice. Crayton not only returned to practice this week, but has a chance of playing Thursday night. And, as Parcells pointed out Tuesday, some of his young receivers have continued to progress - guys like Jamaica Rector, Sam Hurd and Terrance Copper. "The wide receiver position would be down the list a little bit," Parcells said when asked about making contingency plans at certain positions. "I think some of these kids have come on pretty well, so I`m a little more encouraged there by what I`ve been seeing from some of them." Owens` return Tuesday marks the first time since Aug. 2 the Cowboys` top three receivers have been on the field together. And that threesome would include Glenn, who has caught two touchdown passes in less than five quarters of preseason work. Parcells said the 32-year-old Glenn is a better receiver now than he was in 2003, when the Cowboys acquired him in a trade with Green Bay. He should have more one-on-one opportunities this year with Owens drawing double coverage. "Terry doesn`t want to look bad," Parcells said, referring to Glenn`s competitiveness. "He`s just a player now. He`s a good player. But more than that, he knows how to play. "That route he ran the other night for a touchdown, there`s not 10 guys in the league that can run that route. There`s not 10 that can run it just like he ran it." The Cowboys still have nine receivers on their 70-man roster, and likely will have to cut at least three guys by Saturday.