Morris Claiborne is back in the building.
The disgruntled cornerback returned Wednesday to Dallas Cowboys headquarters after packing up his possessions and storming out on Tuesday after learning that he would be benched in favor of Orlando Scandrick.
Coach Jason Garrett told reporters Wednesday that, despite the incident, Claiborne would play Sunday against the New Orleans Saints.
"Yeah, we informed Mo yesterday that his role was going to change, and he didn't take that news very well, by his own admission," Garrett said. "He left the building and didn't participate in the meetings and our short walkthrough that we have on Tuesdays. He did come back to building last night, he and I visited and he was here early this morning and been going through everything. We're going to discipline him, we'll keep how we're disciplining him in house and we'll move forward. It's behind us."
"The reason why I left was how something was brought to me and how it was presented to me," Claiborne said, according to the Dallas Morning News. "I felt I had to just leave. I'm pretty sure everybody has been [there]. I felt like if I stayed, who knows what would happen."
Claiborne declined to elaborate on how he was told he was being replaced as a starter.
Garrett said that Claiborne would compete for a role in the team's nickel package, but reiterated that after seeing Scandrick's handiwork against the Rams, "We felt like he deserved the opportunity to start at the cornerback position."
Claiborne's demotion came just hours after Cowboys owner Jerry Jones described him as a disappointment since being drafted with the No. 6 overall pick in 2012.
"Is he what we had hoped for at this point when we drafted him with the sixth overall pick, giving up the (second-round) pick to go up to the sixth pick to get him? No," Jones told KRLD-FM on Tuesday. "But he's going to be a good player."
Garrett acknowledged that Claiborne's outburst was unusual for a player who "hasn't done anything like this before," adding that the cornerback's teammates remain "supportive of him, because I think they know how important it is to him."
As irritated as Claiborne might be with Tuesday's benching, earning his starting job back will come only through a surge in performance that finally hints at his lofty draft pedigree.
On the latest Around The NFL Podcast, the heroes chat with two-time MVP Kurt Warner, debate the NFL's top throwing arms and preview Thursday night's game.
