With Dwayne Harris gone and Terence Newman and Dez Bryant occupied by full time starting dutie, it appears likely that Kevin Ogletree will serve as the Cowboys’ punt returner for their week seven match-up with the St. Louis Rams, though head coach Jason Garrett won’t dismiss the idea that either Bryant or Newman could get in on the action as well.
"What we'd like to be able to do is be able to use each of those guys when we need to use them," Garrett said, per ESPN Dallas. "That's why they'll continue to be back there working in practice and be ready to do it in the game. Terence is a starter as well [as Bryant], and you've just got to manage that situation as best you can. Kevin Ogletree has done a nice job back there in practice catching the punts. He’s been doing it since the start of training camp. We just want to maximize that opportunity and at the same time make sure we're securing the football."
Ogletree has one return for a total of no yards in his career. Bryant, meanwhile, has two returns for touchdowns, but his involvement in this aspect of the game was called into question after he was injured on a punt return during the team’s week one game with the Jets.
"Dez wasn't a full-time starting player last year at receiver, so we felt we could give him some more return opportunities," Garrett explained. "We feel he's a dynamic returner. At the same time, he's our starting X receiver, so you've got to be selective in how you use those guys in the return game. He has to continue to catch punts and even catch some kickoffs as well and if he's needed to do that, he has to be ready to do that. But you try to get some of your starting players off of some of those special teams as much as they can, because they're playing so many plays on offense and defense."
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