Young Cowboys WRs grab spotlightInjuries to starters give Austin, Hurd chance to put talent on display01:10 AM CDT on Wednesday, August 8, 2007By CALVIN WATKINS / The Dallas Morning News cwatkins@dallasnews.com SAN ANTONIO – With veteran starters Terrell Owens and Terry Glenn limited at practice because of their injuries, younger receivers Miles Austin and Sam Hurd have been given an opportunity to show the Cowboys' offensive coaches what type of future they have at the position. Owens and Glenn are in their early 30s and have battled injuries in their two seasons together in Dallas. Patrick Crayton, the No. 3 receiver, is highly regarded by the Cowboys, but the offensive coaches want to see more consistency. That brings the team to Austin and Hurd, two undrafted free agents who made the team last season by hustling on special teams. "They are different body types," Crayton said. "Sam is more of a lanky type of receiver. Real flexible. We call him Noodle for how flexible he is. Miles is more husky, a bigger type of receiver." Hurd saw more time at wide receiver, even gaining two starts. He made five catches for 75 yards with no touchdowns last season. On special teams, former coach Bill Parcells praised his work. Hurd had 16 tackles, a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. After practice in training camp, Hurd is running routes against veteran cornerback Aaron Glenn and starters Anthony Henry and Terence Newman. Hurd also catches tennis balls out of a machine, a drill that helps him with his hand-eye coordination. "Every moment, every play, every practice is important to me," said Hurd, who attended Brackenridge High School. "I feel like I deserve to belong here, so I want to show them. It's not even this year. Last year was just as important to show them that I can play." Austin didn't see any time at receiver in 2006. He mainly was a scout team wide receiver, which he said helped him develop. But Austin came through for the Cowboys when Tyson Thompson suffered a season-ending fractured left ankle Oct. 29 at Carolina while returning a kickoff. Austin responded and finished his rookie season with 29 kickoff returns for 753 yards. His 26-yard kickoff return average was the second-best by a rookie in team history, behind Bob Hayes' 26.5. In the NFC wild-card loss to Seattle, Austin returned a kick 93 yards for a touchdown. Austin's return marked the first kickoff return for a touchdown in team playoff history.