LARAMIE - First the crutches were tossed.

Then David Leonard removed the bulky boot on his left ankle.

The Wyoming wide receiver still wasn't cleared to practice on Wednesday, but he was one step closer to overcoming yet another injury.

At least the snake-bit Cowboys sophomore has had some company in the training room, which could double as the meeting room for a receiving corps that has caught nearly as many ailments as passes this season.

"Hopefully it's not a trend by any means," Leonard said. "Football is obviously just a really big contact sport, and you're going to have injuries. You just have to hope they're not injuries that are going to take you out of a game, hopefully just nicks and bruises.

"It's been a little bit of a bad luck streak, but I should be back for this game (Saturday against TCU) and hopefully the injuries will be a thing of the past."

The struggling Cowboys could certainly use a run of good luck to snap out of their four-game funk, and keeping some receivers healthy would be a good place to start:

- Leonard has dealt with problems literally from head to foot, ranging from a concussion to the sprained ankle that's had him hobbling around for the last couple weeks.

- Chris Johnson is out for this weekend with a broken hand.

- Brandon Stewart missed five games with a broken shoulder and is just finally playing his way back to full strength.

- Leading receiver Greg Bolling hasn't missed any games yet, but even he has had to deal with some soreness after taking a huge hit late in the loss at New Mexico.

"I don't know what it is, we started off with a lot of receivers at the start of the year during camp and everything with walk-ons and stuff like that," Leonard said. "The numbers at first looked like we had too many receivers, and as the season goes along it's kind of the exact opposite.

"We kind of had some early injuries with Brandon Stewart and Chris Johnson now with a wrist injury. It's part of the game, but it is a little odd that's it all coming down on one position a little bit more than the others."

Offensive coordinator Bob Cole has addressed the decreasing number of hands on deck by shuffling around the targets he has, and the Cowboys have given running back Wynel Seldon more reps in the passing game at practice this week.

The senior could end up taking some snaps in the slot against the No. 15 Horned Frogs, and Cole has also tinkered with the spread option attack by overloading the formation with running backs.

"We tried to put a wrinkle or two in there that we think will help us and get guys on the field that can help us," Cole said. "Probably not real smart to not have (Devin Moore) and Wynel on the field at the same time, things like that.

"But I'm not really frustrated at all to be honest with you. I swear to God I'm not lying. Those four days off or whatever (during the bye week) did wonders for everybody to get all that stuff out of our head and start over. Call me an idiot, but I can't wait to get going again Saturday."

Clearly the same is true for Leonard.

But instead of losing equipment like he has over the last few days, today he's expected to add some - and the Cowboys need to have him in pads.

"It's really not my call, and I just have to continue rehabbing and hopefully get the green light to go," Leonard said. "We always hope and pray that everyone stays healthy, but right now it just doesn't seem to be the case.

"I just take my sleeping bag to the training room."

Odds are he hasn't been the only receiver there.

Contact sports reporter Austin Ward at (307) 266-0634 or austin.ward@trib.com.

Cowboys Tracker

WEDNESDAY: Wyoming went through another session at the Indoor Practice Facility in preparation for Saturday's trip to No. 15 TCU.

BUMPS AND BRUISES: Wide receiver David Leonard was cleared to practice today, and nose guard Fred Givens returned on Wednesday.

NUMBERS GAME: Leonard is second on the team in both catches (13) and yards (121) despite missing a full game and parts of others.

HE SAID IT: "I just take my sleeping bag to the training room." - Leonard.