IRVING – Patrick Crayton lost two jobs earlier this month.

He's about to get one back.

Return specialist Allen Rossum will miss Sunday's game against Seattle and will likely be out longer with a pulled hamstring. That means Crayton will resume his role as the team's primary punt returner.

Rossum was signed to be a threat in the return game – especially punt returns – that the team lacked. But he was injured the first time he touched the ball for the Cowboys on a kickoff return against Atlanta and didn't return.

Crayton responded by returning three punts for 87 yards. His 73-yard punt return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter was the longest of his career and earned him the NFC's Special Teams Player of the Week award.

Not bad for a player who averaged 8.4 yards per punt return for his career entering this season.

"There you go," Crayton said. "I've been dealing with that my whole career. He can't get it done. He's too slow. He can't run. He ain't fast. He ain't a deep threat. We've got him back there to catch punt returns because he can catch them. Not really to score, just to catch them.

"Good. I appreciate that."

What Crayton did not appreciate was the coaching's staff failure to inform him that they were about to move Miles Austin ahead of him as the starting receiver. He expressed that opinion publicly.

"It didn't have anything to do with Miles at all," Crayton said. "Don't turn it into a personal thing with Miles. That's a different thing. We love each other. The guy is out there making plays. I never had anything against Miles at all. Never will."

And the coaching staff?

"I was never not cool with them," Crayton said. "We have a better understanding of things, and that's good.

"We talked it out. That's all that needs to be said."

Crayton responded in that area as well, catching a touchdown pass from quarterback Tony Romo just before the end of the half.

"No redemption at all, man," Crayton said. "We won and now we start getting ready for Seattle."

No more contract talks: DeMarcus Ware has signed his long-term deal.

Has Miles Austin now moved onto the Cowboys' radar screen with his 421 yards and four receiving touchdowns in the past two games? He is on a one-year tender and will be a restricted free agent this off-season.

"You don't ever want to speculate because you don't know, but probably in both his case and our case, he needs to put games together and seasons together," said Stephen Jones, the team's chief operating officer. "Some of the biggest mistakes that are ever made are when you pay a guy off of one year.

"For right now, I'd be surprised if we are doing any more business this year in terms of during the season," Jones said. "Let the season play out and see where we go next."