IRVING, Texas – Moments after the Cowboys had finished their 2015 season, cornerback Orlando Scandrick sat quietly in the locker room, staring at the ground for several minutes.
It was the 16th and final game in which the veteran had to watch his teammates compete without him, as Scandrick suffered a torn ACL back in August and was on Injured Reserve the entire season.
Disappointed, helpless, frustrating? You name it, and Scandrick went through it, even calling 2015 a "wasted year," both for him and the entire team.
"It's not just disappointing because I can't be there, but it's disappointing because I know we expected to be better," Scandrick said. "It was a terrible. I guess we'll get some good players in here, free agency and the draft. We'll get some guys back healthy, so I guess it'll be almost a new team. But it's been disappointing. I'm just ready to get healthy and get back out there to contribute."
As for when he will be back, Scandrick said there hasn't been a specific return date in mind.
"I really don't have a schedule because I got hurt in training camp," he said. "It'll be a full year before I play a game. We really haven't talked about a timetable. We just talked about different stages of the process."
Scandrick said he doesn't expect to participate in the OTA practices in May and June, or even the minicamp in late June.
"I'll be back there for training camp, but I have nothing to gain from going to OTAs. I have everything to lose. I anticipate me being healthy, but I'm not going to get in live drills and run around with shorts. I'm expecting to be there for camp. They said it's a 10-12 month rehab. I haven't suffered any setbacks. I look forward to it."
Head coach Jason Garrett applauded Scandrick for his dedication during this process, along with the leadership he was able to display.
"Orlando has done a good job in his rehab. I think his spirit has been outstanding. He's really been committed to getting himself right," Garrett said. "He was around our football team a lot in a really positive way, demonstrated some leadership even though he wasn't really a part of the team on a day-to-day basis this year. He's really matured over the course of his career."
Garrett also said Scandrick was missed in a variety of ways on the field.
"He's a really good football player. He makes a lot of plays, both in the nickel position, but also demonstrated to us the last couple of years that he could be an outstanding corner," Garrett said. "I'm excited to get him back and his leadership back and his playmaking ability back. It's a real tribute to him how hard he's worked. We're hoping that we'll get him back early on in the offseason, and he'll get back to work and he'll get integrated with our team again."
