IRVING, Texas -- When Brandon Carr heard Greg Hardy's name asked in a question, the Dallas Cowboys cornerback could not hold back his smile.

There is no better friend to a cornerback than a pass-rusher.

Hardy gives something to the Cowboys' defense that it did not have last season. The Cowboys had just 28 sacks as a team and were led by Jeremy Mincey's six. In the divisional round playoff loss to the Green Bay Packers, a hobbled Aaron Rodgers did not have to move much at all.

Hardy was the best pass-rusher available in free agency, and the Cowboys signed him to a one-year deal. As of now, they will have him for only six games, but his appeal of a 10-game suspension will be heard May 28.

"I think he's going to be an asset once we get him on the field," Carr said. "I think he has a good motor for a big guy. I love his attitude, his mentality right now. He takes it serious when he's out there on that field. When he's locked in, he gets after it pretty good. That's something we need. He has that demeanor you ask of a defensive lineman that likes to get after the quarterback."

Hardy has yet to speak publicly since joining the Cowboys, since he remains on the commissioner's exempt list. His tweets have raised the ire of the front office and coach Jason Garret on more than one occasion.

But his work on the field has been noticed by his teammates.

"You need guys that come and bring that added fire and passion," Carr said. "It's always contagious. It really gets guys going out there. It's something I hope we can use to our advantage this year."

Defensive tackle Nick Hayden was Hardy's teammate for a spell with the Carolina Panthers. During Friday's rookie minicamp practice, they were spotted on the field running sprints together.

"He's definitely an intense kind of guy, just comes to work" Hayden said. "That's the kind of guy we want, a blue-collar guy willing to work and give it their all."

It doesn't hurt that Hardy has talent too. He has 26 sacks in his last two full seasons. He had a sack in the only game he played last season.

Hayden's lasting memory of Hardy from their time together with the Panthers is not of a sack.

"The craziest thing I've seen, he was about 290, and he was a gunner on the punt team," Hayden said. "He ran down there, beat the guy and made the tackle, and I'm like ‘Wow.' You don't see many 290 guys play gunner, run down and beat guys on punts. It was really impressive.

"That's what he's going to bring to the team -- his heart, his effort and his ability to pass rush."