What a roller coaster of a ride the 2017 NFL Draft ended up being for the Dallas Cowboys. The ride really got interesting when rumors started circulating the Cowboys were shopping Orlando Scandrick, which brings into question whether or not he is still in their plans for the 2017 season?
If I am being completely honest, I was not all that surprised Orlando Scandrick’s name started floating around as a potential trade candidate, especially after the Cowboys spent two of their first three draft picks on defensive backs.
Scandrick is what he is at this point in his career. He is a solid cornerback in the NFL that has the versatility to play in the slot or outside. But, he hasn’t been known as one of those difference making CBs that are able to accumulate a lot of interceptions. Plus, his age and recent injuries could indicate he is starting to decline as a player.
Scandrick however is still the best CB the Cowboys currently have on their roster and he provides that valuable veteran leadership for these incoming rookies. For those reasons alone he is still a valuable commodity for the organization, but I wouldn’t rule out the possibility of him playing somewhere else in 2017 just yet.
The rumor was that Jerry Jones and the Dallas Cowboys were seeking a third round draft pick in exchange for Scandrick. Whether or not there were any interested teams remains an unknown, but from what I hear the Cowboys were pretty firm on that third-round asking price. That to me indicates that #32 is still in their plans, but open to the possibility of parting ways if the price is right.
Now that the 2017 NFL draft is over, I am pretty sure that any trade involving Scandrick probably won’t involve a draft pick for next season unless it is at the very least a third-round selection. Instead, I believe it could be more of a player for player type deal if it happens at all.
I think the Cowboys will first wait and see how everything plays out in training camp and evaluate how these new rookies will fit into the defensive plans for 2017. If they feel that these rookie CBs are ready to start right away, then we could once again see Orlando Scandrick’s name start to circulate as a potential trade candidate.
Unfortunately, that’s just the nature of the business. Scandrick is one of the better defenders the Cowboys have on the defensive side of the ball, but no one is safe when there is an influx of youth and talent added to the roster.
This will ultimately did come down to how the rookies perform and how comfortable the Dallas Cowboys feel about moving on from Orlando Scandrick. Which is why I for one will be paying particularly close attention to the position battle at cornerback.
I don’t know about you, but I will be paying a little bit more attention to injuries at the cornerback position around the league once off-season practices get underway. That could end up being Orlando Scandrick’s new team.
I have to agree that they will sift things out with training camp. It’s kind of strange how the Cowboys looked like a vacant parking lot before the draft and now there’s not enough parking spaces. To me, that’s great. The pressure to make the team went up ten-fold on the defense. One competition is Frazier vs, Blankton because Xavier Wood will be playing. Initially, I thought Marquez White was drafted in case the legal action went south on Jourdan Lewis, but….maybe not. White might have another function and that would be to give Orlando his wake-up call.
Then there is the Defensive Line. Taco comes in and does that push Ash out? Charles Tapper is healthy so is Moore gone before he starts. What about Cedric? When push comes to shove is he better than Paea? Is Tyrone Crawford healthy, I mean really? What about Lawrence? I see a lot of questions being answered in the training camp trenches and a stronger D-Line when it is all through.
Could they go with 6 CBs and 5 Safeties? Could you keep 6 LBs and 8 for the Defensive Line.? Would that be enough?That does comes to 25. Add in a K, P and LS and you have 28. That leaves 25 for the Offense. Makes you get out the calculator!
I personally can’t wait for training camp to see how all these position battles shake out. All of this competition should make the defense better in 2017.
This is honestly going to be one exciting training camp.
Hard to part ways with a competitor, leader, and player that Orlando Scandrick is. At least this year.
I think they have to hold onto him throughout the year and allow competition to take over. It would be odd for a Jason Garrett coached team to come in and just hand a rookie a starting job. He likes to make his players earn it.
I think training camp will be big for Scandrick and all of these new rookie CBs. Everything will sort itself out, but I wouldn’t be surprised if 32 is still subject to trade talks.
Yeah for sure. Scan can help a team still at this age. It would be hard for me to imagine them letting another leader in the DB group go though. I think the likeliest outcome is Scandrick is here in 2017 and as the season goes along he becomes a rotational player with Lewis in the slot to keep both fresh and to allow Lewis to ease into the NFL grind. In 2018, Scandrick gets released and Lewis becomes the full time slot corner.
Wouldn’t surprise me to see Brown and Carroll start on the outside, Lewis and Scan rotate in the middle, Awuzie become the strong safety this year and move to corner in 2018, letting Woods become the strong safety in 2018.
Heath and Frazier stay on as depth and special teams players. Carroll and Scandrick get released.
I was thinking along the same lines. I can’t wait to see how things shake out though.
like wise.