IRVING - Gifted pass-rusher Greg Hardy missed most of last year on the commissioner's exempt list because of domestic-violence charges and may face an NFL suspension for part of this season. But as free agency enters it's second week, the "second tier'' may be a place for second chances -- and the Cowboys are interested.
There are negotiations at some level between the Cowboys and Hardy's agent, we are told -- and while the interest from both parties might be characterized as "exploratory'' by some, there is nevertheless movement ... something Dallas certainly wasn't interested in a week ago, when Hardy may have still viewed himself as the 15-sack-in-a-year player he was for Carolina, which paid him $13 million last season as their franchise-tagged player.
The details of Hardy's possible coming suspension are not known. Some media outlets have written it will be a six-game penalty, but some voices inside Valley Ranch wonder if it might top out at four games. In whichever scenario, surely Hardy's availability to his next team will be factored into negotiations ... negotiations the player is ready to enter into with the Cowboys and another other team interested in second chances.
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