OXNARD, Calif. – The Cowboys agreed to terms with their two fourth-round
picks Thursday, but vice president Stephen Jones still has a lot of work
to do before the team's first practice in two days.
Running back Marion Barber III and defensive end Chris Canty each
received five-year contracts that pay them minimum salaries and void to
three years, if they achieve certain playing time incentives.
Terms were not released.
But Jones, who handles the club's negotiations, still needs to get
first-round picks Demarcus Ware and Marcus Spears and second-round pick
Kevin Burnett signed.
Spears was the only member of the unsigned trio to accompany his
teammates to California. Burnett lives in Los Angeles, an hour south of
Oxnard, and Ware is in Atlanta.
"We're still talking and hopefully we'll get it done soon," Spears said.
"I want to be here, so I'm ready as soon as we get it done. I'm a little
nervous about the start of training camp, but that's to be expected."
Spears is also nervous about what coach Bill Parcells is going to say
when he finds out that Spears isn't at his assigned weight of 294
pounds. Spears declined to say how much over his target weight he is,
but admitted he felt weak and sluggish at that weight.
He hopes to convince Parcells to let him play at 300 or 305.
"I'm going to talk to him about it," Spears said. "I've never had a
problem with conditioning, but I know he wants me a little lower than I
am right now."
Spears said he thinks the extra weight will help him play defensive end
in the Cowboys' scheme, which will require him to go head up on tackles
who will generally outweigh him by 25-30 pounds. At LSU, he played
defensive tackle and was usually aligned on the guard's outside shoulder
so he could use his quickness.
Owner Jerry Jones said he isn't worried about whether his three unsigned
players will be on the field for the first day of practice.
"I'm not any more concerned than I usually am," he said. "I know how the
negotiations are going. I expect them all in by Saturday."
The Cowboys have not had a draft pick miss a portion of training camp
since Flozell Adams, a second-round pick, missed the first two days in
1998.
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