Inside Cowboys Training Camp: Executing the Vision | Dallas Cowboys 2025

[Music] Go Cowboys. [Music] It’s player rest day here in Oxnard, California. But there was no resting for this Dallas defense days prior. You see what I did here? We’re going to break it all down on Inside Cowboys training camp. Driven by Ford Nicole Hutcherson alongside Patrick Noi Walker. Now the goal for this defense is obviously clear. It’s to take the football away under Matt Eberloose. Now it’s been engraved in a lot of these players minds. Specifically also Kenneth Murray. Let’s hear what he has to say. How much is he on you guys to get the ball? Oh yeah, a thousand%. I mean, he expect us to be in the front, leading the front, um, and be able to be the ones take taking the ball away the most. So, um, he’s he’s on the the linebackers pretty hard. Like even this stuff, everybody’s punching the ball and the running back goes by. Yeah. I mean, that’s just that’s just, you know, our standard as a defense. That’s what what Coach Fus came in, um, and put down. And so, um, that’s what what we’re upholding. All right, Patrick, we’ve seen so many things happen. That’s good things specifically. A couple of interceptions from a Malik Hooker, a one-hand grab on Thursday’s Dian Childris. also the rookie getting an interception. Uh this defense has been very active. What’s stood out to you so far? You know, it’s the fact that they are able to take the ball away and this hearkens back to the Dan Quinn days when Dan Quinn ushered in the era of takeaways for the Dallas Cowboys. Matt Iberluse is keeping that going. It’s something that Brian Shottimer mentioned Nicole earlier in the in training camp. He said that he believes this defense can be one of the league leaders in takeaways. You’re seeing that. You’re seeing that with the violence in which they punch at the ball. They’re getting forced fumbles already through the first two practices. But today, tomorrow, yesterday alone, today, tomorrow, yesterday. They’re be they’re so good that I’m forgetting what day it is. Uh yesterday alone, there were three interceptions, including Caere Elum, who needs to step up, and the Cowboys are seeing him do that over OTAA’s mini camp in our training camp. So, bottom line is this Cowboys defense is hawking the ball once again. Now, how much of this is just this Eber flu’s cooking or is it just the offense is kind of like working its way through a couple of things? It’s still early on in training camp so far. I’m going to say it’s a combination of both things, Nicole. Uh obviously when you talk about the offense needing to work their way into things, there’s a reason for that. It might be because you have a new offensive play caller and a new head coach and Brian Shottenheimimer. So the install is still going on for this offense. But same thing can be said for the defense. Install is happening with Matt Iberlu. But as the offense is a little bit disjointed and trying to find their groove, it makes it easier for an elite defense or even an above average defense to make plays. And the one thing that you can do regardless of what the scheme might be, you can always punch at the ball and you can always try to attack the ball in the air and that’s what the defense is doing. Now, this goal that uh Matt Ebloo has for these guys is to get 40 takeaways. Do you think that that’s a goal, a reasonable goal? I think it’s a reasonable goal. Again, if Matt Eberlu can reinstall uh the takeaways that we saw during the Dan Quinn era, there is no reason that this defense should not be able to hit that number or at least come close to it. Again, when you combine their ability to force fumbles, which we’re already seeing, and you combine that with their ability to take the ball away, particularly if Trayvon Diggs comes back and gets back to top form, there’s no reason 40 should be out of reach. Yeah. Well, this defense has been very active, like I’ve already said. And uh specifically though, this linebacker room and Maris Leu, man, a guy that’s looking to make a jump in year two. I go one-on-one with him next here on Inside Cowboys Training Camp. Inside Cowboys Training Camp, presented by Ford, is brought to you by AT&T, official sponsor of the Dallas Cowboys. Sleep Number, the official sleep and wellness partner of the Dallas Cowboys, and by your North Texas Ford dealers. Ford is the best in Texas. This segment is brought to you by Academy Sports and Outdoors, official sporting goods retailer of the Dallas Cowboys. Well, the game is slowing down for secondyear linebacker Maris Leu, and that’s typically a recipe for success for any player. Well, for Maris, obviously the offseason homework is a little bit more means a little bit more to that success that he hopes to have in 2025. I caught up with him about all of the offseason work he put in. Here’s what he had to say. Just kind of with the new defensive um coaches in the in the on the team. I feel like I’m just trying to establish that respect from them. Um earn their trust and just start with that and um doing that with my play style and how I carry myself on and off the field. Talk about Ira Flu. I mean, how in what ways has he kind of challenged you to uh learn more about uh the linebacker that you want to be in the linebacker you need to be in this game? Yeah, one thing I can say for sure is um the footwork that we emphasize just like the drill work that we do I think is really good and he’s been doing this drills like for forever and um so we’ve taken that from him and I feel like it’s just it’s just been helping me to develop my skills even more as a linebacker being able to move better and um pretty much what they always say get us closer to the ball. when someone asked you when you spoke with the media this week about the homework that you put in this offseason and you said speed uh the footwork drills that you did. Can you kind of elaborate a little bit more on what specifically you did? Yeah, so I I did a lot of hill work. I got on the track um a bunch. Uh I wanted to emphasize speed and conditioning this off seasonason. Um just coming out of OTAAS and knowing what uh Coach Eva and and and the other coaches expect from us uh from a playing standpoint. To me, I feel like speed was never a problem for you. I mean, you were flying all over the field last year, known as uh running and your hair was on fire, right? But there was some mental aspect to the game where I feel like um you certainly you’ve been very vocal about it, wanting to improve as far as like diagnosing plays. Um and I would say what kind of helped you grow mentally in that aspect? Yeah, I think um just building off of last year being in the NFL system uh for one year and then playing in NFL games, I think a lot of it comes with the experience and so the the reps I got to take um last year were so helpful for me. Obviously, we see how much fun you guys are having on the field defensively, punching the ball out, playing physical. Uh what’s it like playing next to guys like Jack Sandborn and Kenneth Murray? Just like you said, it’s so fun. we have we’re having so much fun out there and uh the way we play defense right now and u the way they’re emphasizing it it’s it’s a player’s dream really a defender’s dream to to play in this kind of system and um and yeah we’re we’re we’re told to have fun with it and that’s what we’re doing and it’s been it’s been awesome so far three days into camp Brian Shenheimer uh credited the way that you guys communicate on defense and the way that it’s already off the charts in just what four or five days of of camp so far what kind of went into that. I I think we’re building a lot off of OTAAS. I feel like we had a great start in OTAAS and um especially towards the end of OTAAS. I feel like we cleaned up a lot of different things including communication. Kenneth Murray said that Matt Ilflu said that the goal is to have 40 takeaways this year. Do you feel like that’s reasonable, a reasonable goal? Yeah, 100%. Stick with us here on Inside Cowboys Training Camp. We’re breaking down all things offensive lineman, but specifically Tyler Gayton. Is it TG season? I don’t know. Find out after the break. This segment was brought to you by Academy Sports and Outdoors, official sporting goods retailer of the Dallas Cowboys. We’re back to wrap things up here on Inside Cowboys Training Camp. Nicole Hutcherson alongside Patrick Nosi Walker. And I’d be remiss without talking about Tyler Giden, a guy who is also leaned up. Said he was paying attention to what he was putting in his body. Also paying attention to the way the work that he was putting in, his technique has improved. Specifically, what have you seen from his technique so far in practice? You know, one of the biggest things that worked in Tyler Gton’s favor coming into the league last season was his footwork. His footwork has been exceptional because he’s a former basketball player. So, that plays into it. But now what I’m seeing is his hand placement, how he punches, where he’s placing his hands, and there was a particular rep today against Dante Fowler wherein Dante Fowler lost the first portion of the rep, recovered, almost got him on the second rep, but because the hands were where they needed to be. That was a win for Tyler Gton. And the same goes for him versus Marshawn Nean, who’s having a strong camp as well. Tyler Gayton’s hands are now starting to be as high quality as his footwork is. Now, real fast, pads come on in two days. What will you be looking for? Physicality. Okay. Pops. Okay. Um, aggression. I want to see all of the things. I want to see that fine line being walked that Dak Prescott was talking about. I want to see the competitiveness, not the combiveness. Take care of your teammate, but make sure you’re leaving it all out there on the field. Leave it all out there on the field. The pads come on on Sunday. We have an opening ceremony on Saturday. Make sure to keep us followed on dallascowboys.com as well. [Applause] Inside Cowboys Training Camp presented by Ford, was brought to you by AT&T, official sponsor of the Dallas Cowboys. Sleep Number, the official sleep and wellness partner of the Dallas Cowboys, and by your North Texas Ford dealers. Ford is the best in Texas. [Music]

Nicole Hutchison and Patrik Walker discuss the Training Camp defensive standouts, Eberflus’ guys executing his vision through camp so far, Tyler Guyton’s improvement showing up, and more.

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