FRISCO, Texas – Surrounded by reporters on Wednesday afternoon, Orlando Scandrick got straight to the point.
"I'm going to be able to practice," he said. "I'll be on that practice field tomorrow."
That was the question on everyone's mind as the Cowboys get into the swing of Week 3. Scandrick was the most notable absence of last week's loss to Denver, after he broke his hand in the season-opening win against the New York Giants.
With the veteran sitting on the sideline, the Cowboys saw two other cornerbacks go down during their game against the Broncos, resulting in a depleted secondary that wasn't quite capable of containing Trevor Siemian and the opposing passing game.
"Obviously, it's always frustrating when you've put in so much work and you want to be out there and you couldn't be out there with the dudes you've been putting all the work in with," Scandrick said.
It has only been nine days since Scandrick underwent surgery on the break, but he said repeatedly that his hand feels fine. If anything, the issue keeping him off the field in Week 2 wasn't about pain, but making sure the incision from his surgery wouldn't become infected.
"I'm not wearing any sort of a cast. I don't have any limitations," he said. "I'm going to protect the joint. It's fixed now and it's something I can play through until it heals. I don't think I'll have any limitations and I'll be perfectly fine."
That's got to be welcome news for the Cowboys, because the secondary still seems like a concerning issue – even with Scandrick available. Nolan Carroll is still in concussion protocol after taking a hit to the head during the loss, and it remains to be seen how much Chidobe Awuzie can practice after tweaking his hamstring.
As it stands right now, Scandrick's return gives the Cowboys four fully functional cornerbacks, along with Anthony Brown, Jourdan Lewis and Bené Benwikere. Cowboys coach Jason Garrett noted on Monday that Byron Jones is also capable of playing cornerback, but he said it's an all hands on deck situation.
"We had some young guys playing out there, we had some young guys playing inside and outside, but that's the nature of it," he said. "If you have a uniform on, you've got to be ready to play."
Speaking in the locker room on Tuesday, Lewis said he came out of the Denver game with his hamstring feeling fine, and he plans on raising his level of play during his second week of NFL action.
"You have to fight through it, playing in the NFL – everybody is nicked up and bruised," he said. "From a mental standpoint, I've definitely got to get better. From a physical standpoint I feel like I can go out there and do everything. It's just the attention to detail that definitely needs to be cleaned up."
