Report: Morris Claiborne skips Tuesday walk-through after being demoted

According to a published report, the Cowboys have benched cornerback Morris Claiborne — and he apparently did not take the news especially well.

Jean-Jacques Taylor of ESPN.com reports Claiborne “angrily left” the team’s facilities and did not attend Tuesday’s walk-through practice after being told he was being removed from the starting lineup in favor of Orlando Scandrick.

A first-round pick in 2012, Claiborne has struggled with injuries and his play at points of his three-season career with Dallas. This week, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made headlines when he said the team’s move to trade up for Claiborne two years ago hadn’t quite panned out just yet, though Jones also noted that the former LSU star still had upside.

Only 24 years old, and with 24 starts to his credit, Claiborne can still be of value to Dallas, even if it’s just in “sub” packages. But instances of NFL players skipping practice are exceedingly rare, and it will be interesting to see how the Cowboys react as they prepare for an important game against formidable New Orleans on Sunday night.

If nothing else, this is an unneeded distraction for Dallas, which has won two games in a row and has largely flown under the radar, save for a humbling loss to San Francisco in Week One.

But now, drama may have just made an unwelcome return to Valley Ranch.

UPDATE 10:19 p.m. ET: NFL Media’s Ian Rapoport also reports Claiborne left the club after being told of his benching.

Report: Morris Claiborne skips Tuesday walk-through after being demoted Report: Morris Claiborne skips Tuesday walk-through after being demoted Reviewed by Mr. DCStands4 on 7:59:00 AM Rating: 5

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