No one expected to see wide receiver Dez Bryant join his Cowboys teammates at team headquarters on Monday morning for the start of the team’s offseason workout program.
Bryant wants a long-term contract, so he is following the familiar path of refusing to sign his franchise tender or attend team activities in hopes of getting the Cowboys to budge in talks about a new deal. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Media, he’s not the only key player missing from Monday’s kickoff to workouts.
Per Rapoport, cornerback Orlando Scandrick is also going to be absent from the voluntary workouts. There’s no confirmation about why Scandrick is absent, but Rapoport points out that he’s slated to make $1.5 million in salary this season and has a deal that runs through the 2018 season after signing a two-year extension to his current deal in 2013.
Scandrick was the best Cowboys cornerback last year and is set to play a big role again in 2015 as Morris Claiborne tries to return from a torn patellar tendon and Brandon Carr works to rebound from a disappointing season. Missing voluntary workouts probably won’t change those plans and there’s no reason to think things will get contentious unless Scandrick starts making plans to miss mandat.
