The Cowboys released Connor Hughes on Tuesday. Hughes represented David Buehler's competition as the team's field-goal kicker. Last season, the Cowboys missed a NFL-high 11 field goal attempts with Nick Folk (10 misses) and Shaun Suisham (one).

Jeff Duncan of the Times-Picayune reports that the Cowboys had interest in Jammal Brown before the Saints dealt him to the Redskins. "As an addendum to the Jammal Brown story, a source told me the Cowboys also showed interest in him," Duncan wrote on his Twitter page.

Cowboys running back Marion Barber may be entering his final year with the team. Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas writes that Dallas may even begin working Barber out near the end of the season if Tashard Choice and Felix Jones produce well.

The Cowboys could keep five wide receivers on their 53-man roster this season and Calvin Watkins of ESPNDallas.com believes that Patrick Crayton could make the team. Crayton doesn't believe Dallas will pay him $2 million this year to be a fourth or fifth wide receiver. Miles Austin, Roy Williams, Dez Bryant and Kevin Ogletree are locks to make the roster, while Crayton will battle Sam Hurd, Manuel Johnson and Jesse Holley for the final spot.

Ken Hamlin said Friday that he has reached agreement with the Baltimore Ravens on a one-year contract for the 2010 season. Hamlin was cut by the Cowboys in April. The safety will provide insurance behind Ed Reed.

Gerry Fraley of the Dallas Morning News writes that Cowboys wide receiver Dez Bryant has had some issues on the practice field. While Fraley wrote that Bryant has "showed rookie-of-the-year talent," he added that he is "trying to get back into football condition, had difficulty staying on the field and running the proper routes." Bryant was held out of some practices last week due to a hamstring injury.

Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin signed his $3.1 tender on Friday, but still hopes to receive a contract extension from the team. Dallas owner Jerry Jones reiterated that he sees Austin as a cornerstone player for the Cowboys. "He's just a pleasure to have on your team," Jones said. "We all are so impressed with how his career has evolved, where he came from, how he's developed.... It makes it an easier job for me to think about what we're going to be doing in the future involving him." If a new deal doesn't happen before the season, the Pro Bowler likely will be the third-highest-paid receiver on the team behind Dez Bryant and Roy Williams. "I'm making double what I made last year, so at the end of the day, you can judge it toward other people, but I don't like to compare myself to other people," he said.

Cowboys rookie wide receiver Dez Bryant returned to practice with the team on Friday. He missed a majority of the three previous days of workouts with tightness in his left hamstring. Dallas was cautious with the injury, while Bryant wanted to get back out on the field. "It felt unfair. My teammates get to go back out there and practice, catch footballs. I'm 100 percent," Bryant said. "I just feel like it's all part of football. Everybody gets injured. It's just been my time. Look at my past, I've barely been injured." Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said Bryant had wanted to get back on the field the day after he injured his hamstring. "I do want to make it clear. He hasn't asked to get out of anything," Phillips said. "We're the ones that took him out when he said his hamstring was sore. He said he could come back two days ago and we said no."

Cowboys wide receiver Miles Austin signed his tender offer Friday, giving him a salary of $3.168M for the 2010 season, according to an ESPN.com report. Austin is the last of the Cowboys' 13 restricted free agents to sign their tender deals.

Cowboys running back Marion Barber reportedly played a majority of the 2009 season with a torn left quadriceps muscle. ESPNDallas.com first reported the story. Barber suffered the injury the second game of last season and still has a hole in the quad, according to the report.