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INDIANAPOLIS – Cowboys coach Jason Garrett offered a mixed message when asked about the future of defensive end DeMarcus Ware, the franchise’s career sacks leader.
While calling Ware “a cornerstone piece,” Garrett declined to say definitively whether the 10th-year pro would be with the team next season.
The cash-strapped Cowboys can clear major cap space by cutting Ware, whose cap figure for next season is a whopping $16 million.
“We don’t want to get into all of these roster discussions right now,” Garrett said Thursday. “But I had a great meeting with him yesterday. What we anticipate all of the guys on our football team to do is get ready to play in 2014. In DeMarcus’ case, he’s got to get himself healthy, get that elbow cleaned up, the other things he’s had to deal with and get himself ready to go and be his best version.”
Ware had elbow surgery this week. He’s been plagued by injuries the last two seasons, a big reason why his production has dropped considerably from his days as one of the league’s premier pass rushers.
“DeMarcus has been a great football player for us for a long time,” Garrett said. “He has had to deal with some injuries over the last couple of years. He just had elbow surgery a couple of days ago. He’s been dealing with a few different things. Give him a tremendous amount of credit for being as tough as he is. I think he has missed three games over that time. He just plays through things. And one of the things he and I have talked about a lot is that he needs to practice football more. He hasn’t practiced enough football over the last couple of years because of his injuries.
“We’ve got to get him healthy. Certainly there is a lot that go into decisions when you’re talking about a guy like DeMarcus or some other players on our football team. But we feel like he is a cornerstone piece. And we’re excited to get him back healthy and playing again.”
Ware finished last season with a career-low 6.0 sacks, but Garrett believes he’s still an elite pass rusher.
“Yeah, obviously he didn’t have that production this past year and again I think injuries had a lot to do with that,” Garrett said. “He was dealing with a number of different things throughout the course of the season. So he’s been a great football player for us. We still feel like he’s a young player. We’ve got to get him healthy and get him back to the form we’re all used to.”
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While calling Ware “a cornerstone piece,” Garrett declined to say definitively whether the 10th-year pro would be with the team next season.
The cash-strapped Cowboys can clear major cap space by cutting Ware, whose cap figure for next season is a whopping $16 million.
“We don’t want to get into all of these roster discussions right now,” Garrett said Thursday. “But I had a great meeting with him yesterday. What we anticipate all of the guys on our football team to do is get ready to play in 2014. In DeMarcus’ case, he’s got to get himself healthy, get that elbow cleaned up, the other things he’s had to deal with and get himself ready to go and be his best version.”
Ware had elbow surgery this week. He’s been plagued by injuries the last two seasons, a big reason why his production has dropped considerably from his days as one of the league’s premier pass rushers.
“DeMarcus has been a great football player for us for a long time,” Garrett said. “He has had to deal with some injuries over the last couple of years. He just had elbow surgery a couple of days ago. He’s been dealing with a few different things. Give him a tremendous amount of credit for being as tough as he is. I think he has missed three games over that time. He just plays through things. And one of the things he and I have talked about a lot is that he needs to practice football more. He hasn’t practiced enough football over the last couple of years because of his injuries.
“We’ve got to get him healthy. Certainly there is a lot that go into decisions when you’re talking about a guy like DeMarcus or some other players on our football team. But we feel like he is a cornerstone piece. And we’re excited to get him back healthy and playing again.”
Ware finished last season with a career-low 6.0 sacks, but Garrett believes he’s still an elite pass rusher.
“Yeah, obviously he didn’t have that production this past year and again I think injuries had a lot to do with that,” Garrett said. “He was dealing with a number of different things throughout the course of the season. So he’s been a great football player for us. We still feel like he’s a young player. We’ve got to get him healthy and get him back to the form we’re all used to.”
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