NFL teams
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer 6y

Orlando Scandrick was one of Cowboys' better success stories

FRISCO, Texas -- On Saturday, the Dallas Cowboys cut cornerback Orlando Scandrick. On Monday, the veteran signed with the Washington Redskins on a two-year deal that is worth a max of $10 million.

That Scandrick opted to remain in the NFC East should not surprise anybody. His whole career has been about proving people wrong, so the fact that he will see the Cowboys twice a year could have played some sort of part in his decision to sign with Washington.

Scandrick does not leave the Cowboys with anger. More than just about any player on the roster, he understands the business. He thanked the Cowboys in a tweet Sunday.

The Cowboys can only hope to find another fifth-round pick to last as long as Scandrick and produce as well as he produced from 2008-17. Since taking Scandrick with the 143rd pick out of Boise State in 2008, the Cowboys have made eight selections in the fifth round: DeAngelo Smith (2009), Michael Hamlin (2009), David Buehler (2009), Josh Thomas (2011), Danny Coale (2012), Joseph Randle (2013), Devin Street (2014) and Ryan Russell (2015).

See any keepers there? Randle had the chance to become the starting running back after DeMarco Murray's departure in free agency in 2015 but saw his life fall apart. Street has bounced around a number of teams. Russell has been a backup for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

In 2008, the Cowboys selected Mike Jenkins in the first round with the No. 25 overall pick. He made one Pro Bowl in his time with the team, but Scandrick outplayed him almost from the start.

He came to the Cowboys with a massive chip on his shoulder and played that way for 10 years. He developed into one of the league’s better slot players earning a $27 million extension in 2011 despite not starting more than four games in a season. In 2013, he became a starter. He never had more than two picks in a season but he played a vital role on defense. He had an excellent ability to time his blitzes off the slot and had 11.5 sacks. Yes, the Cowboys would have liked more interceptions, more plays on the ball.

He missed the 2015 season with torn anterior cruciate and medial collateral ligaments. He missed four games in 2016 because of a hamstring injury. He missed one game last year with a broken hand and the final four games with two transverse process fractures in his back.

The Cowboys opted to move on to younger secondary players in Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis and Xavier Woods. This offseason they are looking at moving Byron Jones back to cornerback.

By late in the season, Scandrick knew his time with the Cowboys was coming to an end.

The end came Saturday. A new beginning came Monday.

The Cowboys know what to expect from Scandrick when they see him in a Washington uniform next season.

It’s what they loved about him for 10 years.

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