Dallas Cowboys

Orlando Scandrick has been working out hard this offseason

Published May. 20, 2015 3:17 p.m. ET

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Dallas Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick finally reported to the team after missing the team's first set of voluntary organize workouts. When he showed up to work this week, everyone was happy to see him back. Scandrick finished as Pro Football Focus' 10th-best cornerback in the NFL in 2014, and they charted him with allowing zero touchdowns in primary coverage throughout the entire season.

The Cowboys are not only getting their best cornerback back, they're also getting a leader and veteran.

“He’s a smart and great player inside that locker room,” Cowboys safety J.J. Wilox said, per Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News. “And he’s a veteran. Our defense is real young, so having a veteran presence makes a big difference.”

Scandrick was briefly holding out in hopes that it would propel the Cowboys to rework his contract. Despite his enormous success after taking over as the starting outside cornerback in 2014, Scandrick is set to earn just $1.5 million in 2015.

The good news is that Scandrick didn't allow his contract situation to get in the way of his offseason preparation.

“He looks good and you can tell he has been working out,” Garrett said, per Rainer Sabin of the Dallas Morning News. “We’re going to take care of the football part of it. And the business side will take care of itself.”

In the end, it seems obvious that Scandrick simply couldn't stay away from the football field.

“Orlando loves to play football,” Cowboys coach Jason Garrett said. “He loves playing for the Cowboys. His great strength as a football player is his passion for the game and the edge that he plays with. So, good to see him back out there doing the work this week leading up to the OTA’s next week.”

Scandrick is locked in to a starting cornerback spot for the 2015 season, but the player lining up across form him is still up for debate. Brandon Carr runs the risk of being released if he doesn't accept a pay cut, Mo Claiborne is recovering from micro-fracture surgery and first-rounder Byron Jones is a rookie. The Cowboys' secondary was a weakness at times in 2014, but their improved pass rush in 2015 should help to mask some of the deficiencies that could surface.

(h/t Dallas Morning News)

Photo Credit: Tim Heitman/USA TODAY Sports