Training Camp Notebook: 7/26

*TE Martellus Bennett has spent the first three days of training camp nursing a non-football-related ankle injury, running lightly on the sidelines and catching balls from a JUGS machine. Bennett told reporters on Sunday that he'd return "next week." Fifth round safety Akwasi Owusu-Ansah remains sidelined with a shoulder injury, and LB Keith Brooking, who underwent knee surgery this off-season, has been limited to one practice a day.

*Though he has drawn some criticism for refusing to carry Roy Williams's pads--part of the tradition of rookie hazing--rookie WR Dez Bryant has been nothing less than impressive on the field. As in mini-camp, Bryant has made a habit of bringing down highlight reel catches, but he says his most important job in camp is to develop a strong rapport with Tony Romo.

*It's still early in camp, but seeing Dallas struggle with false starts conjures some nasty images of last season. TE Jason Witten and Andre Gurode were the guilty parties on Sunday, with Gurode jumping twice and Witten jumping once--these came in a row, and made for an ugly three-snap sequence. "That can't happen," Witten would say later. "It's an area we have to address, all of us. It's one of those things you can't tolerate."

*Dallas signed linebacker Brandon Sharpe on Sunday, three days after the New Orleans Saints cut the Texas Tech product. He is the 13th linebacker on the roster.

*In his own words, K David Buehler is competing against himself in camp. The former kick-off specialist, who will enter the season as the Cowboys' place-kicker as well, said recently that the key to his development is to stave off complacency. "You have to be consistent day in and day out," Buehler said, per the Dallas Morning News. "You could have a good day here but it doesn't really mean much. You can't get complacent, you have to come out and see it as a job and as a position that's up for grabs. It's not mine yet, I still have to come out here and perform."

*WR Sam Hurd returned to the team Sunday after missing Saturday's practices in order to be present for the birth of his daughter.

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