FRISCO, Texas -- For the first time since suffering a gruesome ankle injury in January, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Allen Hurns ran routes and said he expects to be full go for the start of training camp.
Hurns, who said he is about "90 percent" after suffering a dislocated ankle and broken fibula, said he could practice now but would have issues with back-to-back workouts. He will not take part in individual drills during Wednesday's minicamp work, but he will on the final day of the camp Thursday.
"I still get a little cringy thinking about it, but you know what's surprising going through that? It wasn't like the worst pain in my life," Hurns said. "I was more freaked out about my ankle facing another way, but it was crazy for sure. Especially I had to stay off social media with everybody tagging me and things like that showing me the videos. I try not to watch it."
Hurns was injured on a 14-yard catch in the first quarter of the Cowboys' wild-card game against the Seattle Seahawks. After a tackle by Seattle safety Bradley McDougald, Hurns' left foot pointed up as he lay on his stomach in pain. He left the stadium in an air cast and immediately went to a local hospital for surgery.
Hurns said he could not put any weight on his leg for two months but he has been able to lift and started jogging in the early part of the offseason program.
"It's a progression thing," said Hurns, who caught 20 passes for 295 yards and two touchdowns in his first season in Dallas. "That's the great thing about it. Each week you come in and you see that, 'OK, I progressed to this,' and you can look back and say, 'I'm not where I was.' That's the great thing."
Hurns said he never doubted he would be able to return in part because of a former teammate at the University of Miami suffered a similar injury. He said the support he felt from teammates and players across the league also helped serve as motivation.
"It just goes to show having a good mindset will help you a lot," Hurns said.
Hurns is set to count $6.25 million against the salary cap with a $4 million base salary, and he understands the business of the NFL might mean he'll be asked to take a pay cut or be released. The Cowboys' top three receivers are Amari Cooper, Michael Gallup and Randall Cobb. They also have Noah Brown, Tavon Austin and others competing for the final few receiver spots.
"I know that I'd return. I'm not sure where it's going to be," Hurns said. "My main thing is to get healthy, put together a great training camp and go from there."