IRVING, Texas – The Cowboys are still in Phase 2 of their offseason conditioning program, which means the grind of OTAs is still two weeks away.
Despite that, Cowboys coach Jason Garrett was encouraged about his team's progress to this point in the spring when asked about it Wednesday at the Cowboys' Annual Sponsor Appreciation Golf Classic.
Specifically, it sounds like Garrett has a fairly full cast of players to work with at this point in the process. The Cowboys obviously have their full class of 23 rookies who joined the roster roughly two weeks ago. On top of that, it sounds like the list of injured and limited veterans is a small one as the offseason continues to ramp up.
"We have some guys who are injured who are all doing well in their rehab, and we just take it day by day, week by week," Garrett said. "Orlando Scandrick is still working on the side – Dez Bryant, Lance Dunbar, Gavin Escobar, DeMarcus Lawrence. Each of those guys has made a lot of progress. Again, we'll come in each day, work hard, make some progress, take the right steps and keep going."
None of those names should be surprising. Just las week, Garrett listed in detail where Bryant is during his rehabilitation from offseason surgery on his foot and ankle.
Scandrick, Dunbar and Escobar are three of the Cowboys' most high-profile injury concerns. Scandrick tore his ACL and MCL during training camp last summer and missed the entire 2015 season. Dunbar suffered the same fate during the Week 4 loss to New Orleans, missing the 12 remaining games of the year. Escobar tore his Achilles in the Dec. 19 loss to the New York Jets and was placed on injured reserve for the final two weeks of the season.
All three players' availability is questionable for OTAs and minicamp, which will be taking place over the next month, and their status will undoubtedly be revisited as the Cowboys edge closer to training camp in late July.[embeddedad0]
Lawrence has been in headlines as a result of his four-game suspension for violating the NFL's substance abuse policy, but he also had offseason surgery on his back. While he might not be integrating into the team workouts, Garrett said he was encouraged by what he's seen.
"He seems to be doing well," he said. "He's still working on the side with our rehab guys, but he's made a lot of progress and he seems like he's doing well physically."
