Defensive tackle David Irving returned to the Cowboys after missing organized team activities. He continues to try to straighten out his personal life, which is a work in progress.
“It feels great to be back out there working with my boys,” Irving said in a quick soundbite to the media Tuesday. “I had a lot of stuff going on in the offseason as you all know, and I’m working through it the best that I can and put it behind me and focus on the season.”
He risked an $84,435 for missing the entire minicamp.
Irving is in a custody dispute with his ex-girlfriend, Angela Sanchez, over their 5-year-old daughter. He recently was investigated by police for domestic violence allegations, which Sanchez later recanted.
Last season, Irving served a four-game suspension for violating the league’s performance-enhancing drug policy.
Irving, 24, has 11.5 sacks in 35 games with Dallas, including seven in eight games last season. The Cowboys placed a second-round restricted tender on Irving for $2.91 million.
Now, the Cowboys hope they can keep Irving around to see more of what they saw last year when he was on the field.
“It’s our job to help him, and we’re going to do that,” Cowboys defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said.
