THE BOYS ARE BACK: Ninety-ninth day from the Green Bay replay | Dallas Cowboys 2015 offseason conditioning campaign kickoff at Valley Ranch | Dallas Cowboys Calendar of Events

By robertdknight on 04/20/2015

IRVING, Texas – Ninety-nine days removed from the playoff heartbreaker at Lambeau Field, Dallas Cowboys players are back together for the start of the team’s voluntary offseason workout program – the first official organized sessions of the 2015 NFL season.

Under the NFL collective bargaining agreement, each team’s offseason program is divided into three phases:

Phase One – these next two weeks – permits only strength, conditioning and rehab work with strength and conditioning coaches.
Phase Two includes three weeks of on-field work with coaches. Offense vs. defense or kick team vs. return team reps allowed, live contact is not permitted.
Phase Three includes up to 10 days of non-live organized team activities (OTAs) and a three-day team minicamp.

Everything is technically voluntary except the Dallas Cowboys June 16-18 minicamp – the last team workouts before training camp gets underway (expected to be late July). The club typically has close to full program participation throughout the spring.

Although the Cowboys don’t release an official list of voluntary participants, newly-signed defensive end Greg Hardy was among a large group of players who got started Monday morning. Hardy’s incentive-laden one-year deal includes a workout bonus totaling $1.3 million.

All-Pro receiver Dez Bryant’s attendance level is sure to be a hot topic of conversation over the next several weeks. Remember, Bryant is not under contract until he signs the Cowboys’ one-year, guaranteed $12.82 million franchise tag or signs a long-term deal before July 15, the negotiating deadline before the season.

If Bryant chooses to train elsewhere as most observers have predicted, it would be common practice for a player without a signed contract. In 2008, franchised safety Ken Hamlin missed all team activities, including the mandatory minicamp, until he signed a long-term deal just before the deadline. In 2009, wide receiver Miles Austin skipped offseason workouts without signing his restricted tender offer and eventually worked out a new contract.

Cornerback Orlando Scandrick, the defense’s most tenured player and most productive defensive back, is another name that has filtered out as an early non-participant. Signed through 2018, Scandrick earned an extension two years ago that included an additional $9 million in guaranteed money, yet his $1.5 million base salary for 2015 is the source of speculation regarding his workout status.

Again – as this type of news seems to crop up around the league every spring with a notable player here and there – it’s early. And voluntary.

Dallas Cowboys Calendar of Events – Key training dates: