Free agent receiver Farmer ‘blessed’ to be with Cowboys

The Cowboys didn’t draft a receiver after losing Dwayne Harris, but among the rookie free agents they signed was Southern Cal’s George Farmer.

They liked Farmer so much, they guaranteed him $55,000.

“I’m just blessed to be a part of this organization,” Farmer said. “The coaches are great out here. The players are great. The camaraderie is great. I’m just learning every day from these veterans and just trying to keep progressing day by day.”

Although he doesn’t have free time for fun right now, these are the five things he enjoys doing during the off-season:

1 Playing video games. Call of Duty Black Ops. I’m looking forward to the new one coming out.

2 Going to the beach. Anywhere along the coast of Dockweiler, Newport Beach, Manhattan Beach. Any of them.

3 Going to theme parks.

4 Hanging with family. Me and my two sisters we have this thing where we play Monopoly and Uno. We have a huge competition going on. I do that a lot with them, like when I have a bunch of free time. I’d have to say my older sister, Veronica Green, is the best. She’s very smart, very good with numbers, so she gets to buying property and wins the game.

5 Working on my aviation license. I’ve been going to Hawthorne Municipal Airport on my off time just trying get down the hours. It’s very tedious. There are a lot of things you have to do. I try to take as much time as I can to put toward that, to get as many hours down as I can. It’s really weird, but when I was growing up, I was intrigued by birds and how things are able to flow in the air. I was very into birds of prey — eagles, and the bigger birds. I took an interest in it in my 11th grade year in high school and have been working on it since then. But I’m far away from getting it.

Showers playing special teams

Jameill Showers isn’t Ryan Tannehill. The former Texas A&M and UTEP quarterback isn’t switching positions, like Tannehill did for a season in College Station, but Showers has shown his athleticism and versatility on special teams.

“He’s a really good athlete,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He runs well. He’s strong. He’s aware. He’s smart. So he is certainly working at quarterback, but we’re also trying to give him opportunities to show that he could have a role on this team maybe somewhere else.”

Showers has practiced on the kickoff-return team as an off returner and on the punt team as the personal protector. It’s something he hasn’t done since seventh grade, though he did double as a safety in high school.

“[Special teams] coach [Rich] Bisaccia came up and asked if I’d be willing to play special teams,” Showers said. “I wasn’t getting too many reps in OTAs and things, and I am a rookie. Anything I can do to help the team.”

Showers completed 31 of 49 passes for 359 yards and two touchdowns in two years at A&M, beaten out for the job by Johnny Manziel after Tannehill’s departure. In two seasons at UTEP, Showers completed 56.1 percent of his passes for 3,121 yards, 23 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

“We want to see him play quarterback,” Garrett said. “We like him as a quarterback. He has been someone who has kind of showed up in the drills, and we want to make sure we give these guys a complete chance to show what they’re all about.”

Still Dem Boyz

Greg Hardy didn’t need long to get involved in the Cowboys-Eagles rivalry.

The controversial defensive end responded to a fan’s request to help pay for a Cowboys-themed banner to be flown over Eagles camp with a $300 donation. The banner will read “WE STILL DEM BOYZ! #SACKSCOMIN!” and is scheduled to fly Aug. 9, according to the GoFundMe page set up by a Cowboys fan.

Hardy suggested what the banner read, as it originally was going to say “✭ WE GOT THE DIVISION ✭”

The GoFundMe page started in response a Philadelphia fan’s plans to fly an Eagles-centric banner over Cowboys camp on Aug. 9 during the blue/white scrimmage. That banner, if enough money is raised, will read: “WE GOT DEMARCO! — Eagles Fans”

As of Saturday afternoon, the Cowboys’ site had more than doubled its goal of $1,350. The additional proceeds will be donated to a Dallas-area children’s hospital, the page’s creator, Ashley Hill, said via email.

The Eagles’ site also has gone over its goal, which was $1,800.

Hardy will not be eligible to play in the first Eagles-Cowboys game of the season, as he will be serving his four-game suspension when the Cowboys travel to Philadelphia in Week 2. However, Hardy and his representatives are still considering going to federal court to try to have that suspension further reduced or eliminated.

Quote of the day

“This is where we start, right here at training camp. Our coach says it every year. This is where we start the journey, and we certainly are looking forward to a great season, and we certainly expect to contend for a championship, and it starts right here in Oxnard.” — Executive vice president Stephen Jones to the crowd during the opening ceremony officially to kick off training camp.

Injury report

RB Darren McFadden (left hamstring): PUP

LB Rolando McClain (right knee): PUP

OT Chaz Green (hip): PUP

LB Mark Nzeocha (knee): NFI

Telling number

5,802 Attendance at practice Saturday, bringing the total to 11,291 in three days.

This story was originally published August 1, 2015 at 9:37 PM with the headline "Free agent receiver Farmer ‘blessed’ to be with Cowboys."