IRVING, Texas -- Defensive end Anthony Spencer will be on the Dallas Cowboys' 53-man roster, but he won't be able to play right away.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones delivered that news Tuesday morning.
Spencer had microfracture surgery on his left knee in October and hasn't practiced since. His time in Oxnard and at Valley Ranch has been limited to running and resistance chords work with team trainers.
"I can assure you, at this time, as close as we are to Week 1, he won't be ready," Jones said on 105.3 The Fan [KRLD-FM]. "But he will be on our active 53-man roster. And we wouldn't be doing that if we weren't planning on him being on the field immediately."
Spencer is currently on the physically unable to perform list. If he remained on PUP after Saturday, he wouldn't be eligible to play until Oct. 19 against the New York Giants.
"He's progressed at a surprisingly fast pace," Jones said. "I would say not Week 1, but there's a possibility that any time after that he could feel good enough about his repairs, he's got that microfracture. We feel like that has completely grown in the way that that injury heals. It's a question of him feeling good about his cuts.
"He's in great shape. We certainly know that he could give us a lift earlier than we had planned."
