With Bryant, Ogletree Out, Hurd Gets His Chance

Opportunities have been hard to come by for wide receiver Sam Hurd, since joining the Cowboys as an undrafted rookie in 2006. Hurd has had the misfortune of being part of a loaded receiving corps, stuck behind names like Terrell Owens, Patrick Crayton and Roy Williams; last year, he watched as Miles Austin--the man with whom he battled that preseason for the no. 3 spot--explode onto the scene and become a sort of insta-star.

On Sunday against the Washington Redskins, with Dez Bryant and Kevin Ogletree done for the season with injuries, Hurd will finally fill that no. 3 role he lost to Austin in 2009, and the San Antonio native is intent on taking full advantage of the opportunity.

I want to fill that void to make sure we don’t lose a step,” Hurd said, per ESPN Dallas.

Hurd has just eight catches for 68 yards on the season, but is regarded as an asset on special teams. He was somewhat vocal prior to the season in his desire to see a greater role on offense, and for a while, it looked as though he wouldn’t emerge from the preseason as a member of the Dallas Cowboys. But, of course, he did, and now he will get a three game audition to show the team what he can do.

“You want to know people are counting on you and you want to make sure you’re reliable for the rest of the team,” Hurd said. “I don’t look at that as a bad thing. I know my job. I know my role and I know the team is bigger than me. Whatever they ask me to do I’ll go do it.”

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