Cowboys expect DeMarcus Lawrence, Byron Jones to start on PUP

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Byron Jones recently expressed hope that he would return in time for the start of training camp. The Cowboys don’t expect that to happen.

Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said Thursday that with training camp still six weeks away, nothing is definitive, but the team expects Jones and DeMarcus Lawrence to start on the physically unable to perform list.

The Cowboys, though, are confident both Pro Bowlers will be available for the season opener.

“There are a number of guys who have been out and coming back from surgeries,” Garrett said. “We feel good about the timetable of all of those guys. Each of them have just handled their rehab the right way, so they’re all on schedule if not ahead of schedule. So I think that’s probably accurate [that Jones and Lawrence will be the only players to begin camp on PUP]. We’ll have some more definitive conversations with our medical staff in the next couple days as we break to talk more about the exact timetable that they’re on, and we’ll get more updates as we go through these next four or five weeks. Again, everybody’s on schedule, and we feel good about where they are coming back.”

Jones underwent offseason hip surgery and is not running full speed yet, he said earlier this week.

Lawrence put off shoulder surgery until he signed a five-year, $105 million deal. He had surgery April 9, five days after signing his long-term deal, and has said he expects to miss the preseason.

“He’s doing great,” Garrett said. “Obviously, the focus for him is to get the rehab done, so he’s spent a lot of time with our training staff and our weight staff to make sure he comes back the right way. He’s just handling everything the right way. All reports about him are really positive. When those guys are on that schedule, they’re not in every meeting or at every part of practice, because they’re doing their own stuff. But whenever he has a chance to be out there, he’s out there encouraging guys. He’s really grown into a really good leader on our guys look to him. The pace he sets, the example he sets for everybody else has been really positive.”