News: SAEN: Jones all but says Leary will start when he returns from knee surgery

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DALLAS – Cowboys owner Jerry Jones all but said Ron Leary will start at left guard when he returns from arthroscopic surgery on his right knee.

Asked during an interview Friday on Dallas/Fort Worth’s KRLD-FM who his top five offensive linemen would be, Jones said rookie Travis Frederick at center, Mackenzy Bernadeu at right guard, Leary at left guard, Tyron Smith at left tackle and Doug Free at right tackle.

“Starting from the interior, I’d like to think that Leary when he returns (he would be in the group) – we do expect him to return back before the Giants (game),” Jones said, per the Dallas Morning News’ web site. “Frederick has had a top preseason. He’s everything that we had hoped he would be. He’s arguably in the top two of our offensive linemen. And then Bernadeau has come back, has had a lot of reps, played well against Arizona, having a good week of practice, so the interior guys, those three come to my mind.

“And I look at it as certainly Smith at left tackle and Free at right tackle. We got some good depth here. (Jermey) Parnell will get some playing (at right tackle) for the first time this weekend and probably get quite a bit this coming Thursday (against Houston in the preseason finale) as well. I’d call that our top five with a couple of guys that would be immediately behind them.”

With Leary and 2012 starting left guard Nate Livings out after knee surgery, the Cowboys are experimenting with Bernadeau at left guard, Free at right guard and Parnell at right tackle.

Regarding whether the Cowboys are serious about playing Free at guard, Jones said not to read too much into it, “because to spend a few reps at a different position is as common as the sun coming up,” but then added, “but the fact that we’re doing it says enough.”

Jones also cast doubt on whether Livings would be coming back anytime soon. Signed as a free agent before last season, Livings has had right knee surgery twice since February.

“You’d ask yourself, ‘Is there a degeneration in the knee, as opposed to a fix of an injury that comes back as good as new?’ I think he’s having some of that, a degenerations,” Jones said. “But that’s not uncommon at all at this point in his career, so a combination of those things puts a little guess work into as when he might be back.”

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