Orlando Scandrick, Cowboys Nearing New Deal

Until last week, Cowboys cornerback Orlando Scandrick had been boycotting the club’s offseason workout program in the hopes of securing a new contract — he ended his avoidance of Valley Ranch last week to discuss his deal with team officials, and now it seems as though more progress has been made. According to Todd Archer of ESPN.com (Twitter link), Scandrick will report to workouts on Monday, with an eye on negotiating a new deal by the end of the week.

Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram adds (via Twitter) that he’s also heard that Scandrick will report this week, and while he could get to workouts by Monday, that’s not guaranteed, as Scandrick has “family obligations to tend to” before he heads to Valley Ranch. Additionally, tweets Hill, the Cowboys have not enforced the de-escalators tied to Scandrick’s contract, which would heard last month could cost the 28-year-old $500K.

Scandrick is scheduled to earn just $1.5MM in base salary in 2015, and $3MM in each of the following three seasons as part of a contract (and subsequent two-year extension) he signed in 2011. Given that Scandrick graded as the 10th-best corner in the league last season per Pro Football Focus (subscription required), it would seem that he merits a substantial raise. Fellow Cowboys cornerbacks Brandon Carr — who last year ranked as just the 90th-best CB per PFF — and Morris Claiborne, a former top-five pick who has contributed little during his career, are both set to earn more than Scandrick in 2015.

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones indicated last month that the club was unlikely to give in to Scandrick’s demands, noting that Dallas just renegotiated Scandrick’s contract. But it sounds as though the two parties are close to an agreement, one the could potentially satisfy both player and team.

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