Cowboys' Owens returns after high ankle injury

Dallas Cowboys leading receiver Terrell Owens returned to practice Thursday for the first time since suffering a high ankle sprain on Dec. 22, but remains uncertain for today's playoff game.

Owens caught 81 passes for a team-best 1,355 yards and 15 touchdowns in 15 games for the Cowboys but was injured in a 20-13 Dallas victory over Carolina and might yet miss the second-round home matchup against the New York Giants.

"It was better because he practiced," Cowboys coach Wade Phillips said.

"He warmed up. He did the routes. He limped some. That's a bigger problem for a receiver than an offensive tackle. He was limited some. But he did practice," he said.

Owens played a major role in two Dallas regular-season victories over the Giants, catching a combined nine passes for 212 yards and four touchdowns in triumphs at Dallas in the season opener and New York in week 10 of the season.

"You think he's going to play. You don't think he's going to play. That's where I am," Phillips said. "We're going to see."

While playing for the Philadelphia Eagles in 2004, Owens missed the last two games of the season and two playoff games with a broken ankle but returned for the Super Bowl and caught nine passes for 122 yards in a loss to New England.