Cornerbacks Make Positive Plays in Scandrick's Absence

If Saturday night in Arlington was any indication, the Cowboys might just survive the loss of Orlando Scandrick after all.

Of course, we’ve been teased – and fooled – by Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne before.

But in the 28-14 preseason loss to the Vikings bot of the starting cornerbacks had positive impacts. Which, even if it occurred in a meaningless game, is a bit of a relief.

It was Carr’s first game since breaking his right hand early in training camp, and Claiborne’s first start since Week 4 of last season when he tore the patellar tendon in his knee. Each showed glimpses of why the Cowboys gave one $50 million (Carr) and traded up in the draft to get the other (Claiborne).

Not that it was perfect by any means. On the Vikings’ first scoring drive Carr negated a third-down stop with a holding penalty. Four plays later he was beaten on a deep route for a 39-yard gain by Mike Wallace. But two series later he intercepted a pass from Vikings’ backup Shaun Hill, timing his jump perfectly to snatch the pass away from receiver Stefon Diggs.

Claiborne, likewise, overcame an early hiccup. In the second quarter he was called for pass interference for bumping receiver Adam Thielen. But on the next series he was in perfect position for an interception in the end zone until bumped off by Thielen, who was called for offensive pass interference.

“You’re going to invent a hole where Scandrick was,” owner Jerry Jones said after the game. “I’m confident just from whatever I’ve seen during training camp and what I’ve heard the coaches say that we’re going to be able to have a good go at taking up some of the slack Scandrick gave us. We won’t replace him. He’s too good a player to do that, but I certainly think we’ve got a chance to compete at a level we all expect.”

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A native Texan who was born in Duncanville and graduated from UT-Arlington, Richie Whitt has been a mainstay in the Metroplex media since 1986. He’s held prominent roles on all media platforms including newspaper (Fort Worth Star-Telegram, Dallas Observer), radio (105.3 The Fan) and TV (co-host on TXA 21 and numerous guest appearances, including NBC 5). He lives in McKinney with his wife, Sybil, and two very spoiled dogs.

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