Dallas Cowboys Blue & White Practice | Training Camp 2025 | Dallas Cowboys 2025

Dallas Cowboys Blue & White Practice | Training Camp 2025 | Dallas Cowboys 2025

It is yet another beautiful day for football here in Southern California. Yes, in the shadows of River Ridge Golf Club for the 19th time in history, the Dallas Cowboys make their training camp home here in Oxnard, California. And welcome to the annual Blue White practice. Bill Jones along with Patrick Nosi Walker, Tommy Yarish, and Kyle Yman’s to my far left down there. And for the next couple of hours, we are bringing you Dallas Cowboys training camp 2025. We are a week into this thing. The team arrived last uh Sunday and it’s a very exciting time for this team with all the uh changes that were made in the offseason. A great first week. Kyleman’s kicking it off with you. Uh, this is a pretty special time for this team, don’t you? No doubt about it. You have the sultry tones of Bill Jones welcoming us in with the palm trees flowing in the background. You have all the fans that are lined up for miles to get into the parking lot just to get a glimpse of their favorite players. It’s the first opportunity to see this team in pads today, too, which I I think is a unique opportunity for the Blue White practice. Not only are we getting the first look, but everybody at home gets a first look of this team in the pads for the first time. And of course, under Brian Shottenheimer as well. It is It’s always a special time, but today it’s got a little extra buzz to it on a Sunday morning. Yeah, I think we’re having a great morning here so far, but nobody’s having as good of a morning as Jake Ferguson because he’s he’s $52 million richer. The Cowboys signed him to a 4-year $52 million deal. 30 million of that money is guaranteed. You got a $12 million signing bonus. And in an off season where the Cowboys came into training camp and came into Ouxnard with a lot of guys that are coming up on the end of their rookie deals and are eligible for extensions, Ferguson is the first domino to fall. And you know, it couldn’t it very well may not be the last. They’ve still got big names. Obviously, Michael Parson’s still out there, Tyler Smith’s still out there, Don Bland still out there, but nonetheless, Jake Ferguson, a safety blanket for Dak Prescott. We’ve already seen the two of them continuing to rebuild that connection after Prescott and Ferguson just didn’t see the field a lot at the same time last year. And now the Cowboys lock him in for the long term. And I’m sure Dak Prescott is probably the second happiest person this morning behind Jake Ferguson. It has to be along with Titans coach Luna Wells who himself returned to the Cowboys on a new deal. So this is going to keep Luna Wells and Jake Ferguson locked in together for some time to come. Um but you mentioned it quite eloquently. You did Tommy. I’m gonna go ahead and expand upon that and say that locking in Jake Ferguson, one of Dak Prescott’s biggest targets, also is going to help free up guys like CD Lammond. Oh, by the way, Bill, you talked about additions. How about that George Pickins guy? Okay, you got George Pickkins here. He’s already making a lot of buzz. He’s making headlines in camp because of some of the plays in unpatted practice. And I’m here to tell you, wait until these pads come on and you’re really going to start to see the human highlight reel opposite another human highlight reel in CD Lamb. Dak Prescott’s looking good, but the defense, they’re not here to play around. They’re taking the ball away on several occasions, multiple times today. So, what happens when the pads come on? When you have Cottenheimimer’s offense trying to get itself going, Matt Iloo’s defense already finding its groove with the takeaways. It’s time to really have some fun. You know, uh, we’ll dive into the receiving core here more deeply here in a moment, but Kyle, you alluded to it off the top, the excitement of the fans here. And we’ve had four uh, unpack. Well, they they had helmets and shorts on. They shells by the time we got to the third practice, they put even put shells on, whatever. Uh, but yesterday when I arrived here, okay, I came 8:00 in the morning, whatever, and the gates to the parking lot were not opened yet. And I count I because I shot a video I was able to go back and look. We are how far from the 101? The about a mile and a half mile and a half from the 101. I counted 101 cars lined up from the 101 to the entrance to the parking lot here. Uh and and we’ll have a similar crowd I think uh today. But one of the highlights of the day yesterday was the Kaire Elim interception. and he goes over to the stands and he picks up I went and talked to his to him and well he Kenneth Chambers four years old from Monrovia California unsuspected he gets picked up by Ky Elum and they all celebrated it was like the Lion King the circle of life talking to his dad Justin Chambers uh it was a surreal moment and a very exciting moment but that was kind of the highlight of the day yesterday and by the way Ca Elim’s having a pretty good camp so far he was one of the guys that I tabbed as uh the early stars of camp, the early risers of camp so far because a lot of Cowboys fans still don’t necessarily know a lot about Ka Elum. They traded for him this offseason from the Buffalo Bills. Former high draft pick, a top draft pick that just never really panned out in Buffalo. He’s looking for a fresh start, looking for a restart and he started that in in the offseason otaas mini camp. He was fantastic. You found a way to the ball almost every single practice. It seemed like number 20 was making some sort of play. How would that continue into training camp? Four practices in, looks pretty good, and he has the celebration to boot. If he plays at a high level and he continues to show what exactly he can do at the cornerback spot, then all of a sudden Ka Elim’s going to be one of the household names on this roster because they need somebody at the quarterback spot. But with the injuries to Trayvon Digs, the the rotating cast of injuries last year, of course, Savone Revel, the the rookie from East Carolina coming off of a major injury last year. We’ll see how quickly he can get into the fold. If Kier Elim is solid and healthy and available, all of that fixes a lot of problems for this Cowboys defense and it’s something that they can piece together. He’ll be a Cowboys fan favorite if he plays well early in the year. And he’s already got two interceptions in this. He already is a fan favorite here. That helps. He was that was right in front of you, Pat. That was right in front of me. And I tell you, I’ve I’ve never seen um a guy get two takeaways on one play. Kyrie with two takeaways on one play. But honestly, you talk about guys having fun. Um you know, as Shanheimer installs his culture, you’re seeing intensity that it spilled over a couple of times. So, the intensity is there. So, they’re not having fun at the expense of competitiveness, at the expense of the intensity. The fun is there. And when the fans are here, it just ratchets it up that much more. Yeah. And as we we watch the players come on the field here at the start of this practice and it’s very interesting as you watch the beginning of practice here and the team stretch and the energy that Brian Shottenheimr and his entire coaching staff manifest on the field and the players are eating it up too. I don’t think in my all all these years that I’ve been covering Cowboys training camp, I cannot remember an energy level like this. And by the way, my years covering Cowboys training camp go back to the early 80s in in Thousand Oaks. In fact, I’ll just throw this out here. A week ago, it was my 40th wedding anniversary when I that was that was when the team when the team arrived here and uh 41 years ago uh my my wife Stacy came out here with me uh to Thousand Oaks. But I’ve never seen an energy level like this. And that’s kind of the message, and you guys can speak to this too, from being in the building and being around this team throughout the offseason that we’ve tried to portray to Cowboys fans. It it does it feels different. And yes, it’s a new head coach. It’s going to feel different in some aspects, but it it it feels like a a college atmosphere. Perfectly stable. It feels like a brotherhood, a fellowship, a fraternity, whatever you want to call it, within those locker room walls. And it spills out of course onto the field for a couple hours a day where you get to see it as fans and as media. But it’s different than what was ever the case under Jason Garrett. Of course I can’t speak to before Jason Garrett, but during Jason Garrett’s era, during Mike McCarthy’s era, Brian Shottenheimimer is off to a phenomenal start when it terms in terms of building culture and building a group of guys that want to fight for each other. Like you said, the competitive nature is there, but it’s not at the expense of the the fellowship and the brotherhood around it. It’s really special to watch and it could turn in to something special, especially if it wins some football games at the later part of the year. That’s the bottom line. That’s the biggest thing. You got to win games. That is the only thing that that matters at the end of the day, right? Nobody’s played them yet, but so far so good. And it it feels like training camp has ratcheted that up. Yeah. I mean, you know, you don’t go to many training camps where I don’t I don’t even Do we have a name for the little drill that they do at the start of camp after team stretch when they go run through the pads there and everybody’s running a name? I’m just going to call it the chaos drill because it’s about 2 minutes of chaos. Everybody’s running around. Dak Prescott was like riding a horse the other day. They threw a secondary coach on a backboard and tried to make him serve yesterday. very it almost ended very poorly. But nonetheless, it you just if if that’s how you set the tone in your practice, you know, you talk about setting the tone on the field, right, with big hits and maybe it spilled over a couple of times like you said, but when you set that tone at the start of practice, hey, we’re going to have fun. We’re going to play with high energy today. That’s going to translate onto the field. And obviously, more often than not, you’re hoping that that happens in a good way for the Cowboys. And so far, we’ve seen good and bad on both sides of the ball. So that’s about what you would expect from training camp, right? You’re going to see some great plays from the offense, some great plays from the defense. Everybody’s going to have their days and whatnot, but the the one thing that has remained constant is the energy level is high, and you can tell that these guys want to be here. They’re playing hard and and Patrick, it’s it’s not only at the beginning of practice. I mean, it’s it’s after plays during during the team drills and stuff where it’s the the coaches and it’s and it’s contagious to the players. There is an energy level after every single play out here. Absolutely. permeates every single person whether it be on the roster bill, whether it be in the coaching staff and and even the front office is walking with a little bit of a bounce in their step. Okay. Looks like owner and general manager Jerry Jones is operating a little closer to spring chicken nowadays because of the excitement that’s coming along with Shanheimer. And I love what you said, Kyle. It’s perfectly stated. This is a collegiate atmosphere. And I don’t I think that’s by design. Okay. When you talk about Shanheimimer, his ability to relate to players and then the uh decision to bring in a guy like Junior Adams from Oregon, to bring in a guy like Connor Riley from Kansas State, these are collegiate coaches, heralded collegiate coaches that are bringing that energy into the locker room. Talk to Dak Prescott, talk to Sam Williams, talk to Donovan Rocku, and a lot of these guys are saying the same thing with the same consistent message. It’s brotherhood in the locker room. It’s it’s the fraternity in the locker room. You don’t often hear that permeate the entirety of the 32 NFL teams, especially to the to the degree that we’re seeing with the Dallas Cowboys where it really feels like they’re playing on scholarship and they’re just having fun out there. You know what it reminds me of? The early 90s and when Jimmy Johnson and his coaching staff came in here and and of course they came from the college ranks, okay? And I actually did the research on it last night. I looked at I looked up the age of Jimmy’s coaching staff when they won the Super Bowl in 1992. And I’m talking it was a 40-year-old. Nor Turner was the offensive coordinator. A 40-year-old David Dave Wanstep was the defensive coordinator. Butch Davis, the defensive line coach, was right at 40 years old. Then the average age of that coaching staff in 1992 was 44 years old. Wow. You’re saying there’s a chance. What is remember it took them a year though took them one year. That was in ’92. That was in ’92 when they were winning the Super Bowl. Well, they were actually hired earlier than that in the in their late 30s and Jimmy was 49 in 1992. All right, Brian Shaimer is 51. What’s the average age of this coaching staff? 44. 44. Same average. You like numbers. There you go. Like numbers. But that’s the thing though is it it took a little bit of time. It did. That’s that’s the biggest thing here is but when it happened when it happened it was great and it all clicked and it’s fantastic. It may not take that long because you have veterans on the roster, you have coaches on the field, guys like Dak and and even I’ll throw CD in the mix. He’s one of the more tenured guys on this roster now too. You’ve got guys that you can rely on and you can lean on. I don’t know if Jimmy had a ton of that in 1991. Right. They most all of them came from the college ranks. Exactly. and uh and but they had coached together. Yes. All going most of them all the way back to Oklahoma State. We had them at Oklahoma State. Juan Stat, Butch Davis, uh and then Tony Wise, the offensive line coach, and then at Miami, and then now the difference with this staff, they do have coaches on this staff who have NFL coaching experience, but they haven’t been coaching together. And that’s been a big thing, I think, for Brian Shottenheimr, not only building that culture on the team, but it all starts first. And it started back when he got the job in January going to the combine with his entire coaching staff, the whole draft process, building that culture with his own with his own coaching staff. Well, Tommy, you saw it throughout the draft process and throughout your conversations in the building, too. I mean, a lot of this offseason while trying to create a culture with your players has been more so trying to connect the coaches, too. Yeah. And and you me, Bill, you mentioned bringing the entire coaching staff to the NFL combine in Indianapolis. And that’s a that’s a big opportunity for this coaching staff not just to merge with one another, not just to meet with one another. You know, these guys had meetings every day on the offensive side of the ball, the defensive side of the ball, but they’re merging with the scouting department, too, so that they can have those communications and say, “Look, these are the players that I’m looking for. What can you get?” And I think Will Mcclelay, the vice president of player personnel for the Cowboys, put it really well that, you know, they kind of put together the ingredients for these coaches, right? Kind of like a kitchen reference. Will Mlean and the scouting department get the ingredient so that they can provide what they hope is a five-star meal to this coaching staff with these players? And you look at the draft process they just went through. Brian Shawheimer wants to invest in the offensive line. They go and get Tyler Booker in the first round. You look at the defensive side of the ball emphasizing getting after the quarterback and forcing takeaways. You get Donovan Ezrau who’s already looked really good in camp so far and Savone Revel who might have been one of, if not the best corner in this class had he not gotten hurt going into his last year at East Carolina. So, so far you can see those that meshing between the coaching staff and the scouting department. And that is exactly what Brian Shanheimer wanted. You don’t see that from every coaching staff. Some of them, sure you do, but Brian Shimer wants everybody to be on the same page. And as much as there is Kumbaya and singing with one another right now, Brian Shanheimer is not afraid to rip into these guys and he is not afraid to make sure to set the tone and make sure that everybody’s on the same page. Coaches, players alike, coaches and players alike. some coaches this week. Exactly. And and and you know it that is so important because if you’re if you’re going to instill discipline, if you’re going to instill culture, it applies to everyone. You can’t single anybody out. Nobody can be above the law. And uh our final three minutes before we take a break here as the team out here on the field, number 11 is out on the field now. Michael Parsons uh takes part in and he’s in the ear of Donovan Ezaraku and and other young players. He’s not fully participating in practice and he has talked about having tightness in his back, but obviously he’s got the contract situation going on. He is engaging as best as he can considering his situation. Agreed. And I I tell you, um, when it comes to contracts of that size, it makes my back a little tight as well. Um, so completely understood, Micah. Um, but the bottom line is Micah Parsons is showing the type of leadership that the Cowboys have wanted to see from him as early as his rookie season. this is going to be his defense has been his defense for a while now. Especially now with Demarcus Lawrence having departed to go to the Seattle Seahawks. There is no discussion about who’s look who’s going to be looked upon to lead that unit. It’s going to be Michael Parsons. He’s out here despite having his ongoing contract talks. He’s active. He’s engaged with both the coaching staff as well as the players. You see him, like you said, Bill, he’s talking to Donovan Esraku. He’s uh having fun with Dante Fowler. He’s coaching up Sam Williams, so forth and so on. still doing some one-on-one talks with Mazy Smith to get that young man where he needs to be going into an allimportant season for him. Michael Parsons is doing all the right things, saying all the right things. Yes, he would like the contract to be done sooner than later. But that notwithstanding, he’s out here and he’s being the consmate teammate. Can we go into a time machine real quick? Go all the way back all the way back to the time machine of 2021. I want to take you guys out here on this very same field where this team is getting ready to practice. And I remember standing on the sidelines with Patrick, with Bill, watching these practices happen. Tommy, you weren’t here yet. Thanks for rubbing it in. I just wanted to rub it in. But I remember early in practice or even before practice started, who was out here working one-on-one with Dan Quinn, getting some pass rush moves in, getting some extra reps in. It was Michael Parsons. Yes, it was. He loves training camp. He loves being out here with his teammates and his coaching staff because he does like putting in the work and he likes getting better and knowing that there’s an opportunity to get better. You’re seeing that even in the midst of a controversial contract talk and the back and forth that we’ve seen early in camp between the media and the front office and kind of that whole scenario, you’re still seeing the competitive nature of Micah show. And I love that. I love seeing that because one, it helps your coaching staff. You’ve got Brian Shottimer saying as long as he’s in the team meetings, which he is. As long as he’s present, which he is, we’re going to get better as a football team. He doesn’t need all of these practices. He needs a couple, I’m sure, to get ramped up and get into full game shape, but he’s Micah Parsons. He’s one of the most freak athletes you’ll ever see at the edge rusher spot. He’s going to be okay when it comes to week one, September 4th, against Philadelphia. But what he does show right now is what you’re saying is above the shoulders is how he’s had a mindset with a new coaching staff and a new situation. He wants to prove everybody wrong in the fact that he wants to be a leader and you’re seeing that out here because he loves training camp and I think he loves this coaching staff. All right, we’re going to continue here blue white practice. The team on the practice field on a beautiful 70°ree afternoon in Oxnard, California. We’re back with more. Let’s talk these wide receivers after a picture perfect first week of camp. Cowboys football is back and so is your game day style. From tailgates to touchdowns, rep the star in fresh new fits. Find your season ready gear today at a pro shop near you or shop online at shop.dallcowboys.com. DallasCowboys.com a fanatics experience and welcome back to the blue white practice here in Oxnard, California. Cowboys on the practice field, Bill Jones, Patrick Walker, Tommy Yarish, Kyle Yman’s. We’re taking you all the way to 3:30 Dallas time as the Cowboys, this is the practice number five of training camp, and this is the first time we’re seeing the Cowboys in pads. So, yes, this is the official start of training camp. We had the opening ceremonies yesterday, but that stuff’s not real. This is real football out here starting today. And as we told you in the uh first moments of this uh telecast, the big news this morning is that Jake Ferguson has a brand new contract extension, a 4-year deal, and he’s going into the final year of his rookie contract. That is a big signing for this team. Let’s uh let’s uh talk receiving core, and we’ll start with the tight ends here uh in this segment. And Jake Ferguson, that’s a that’s big news this morning, Kyle. Yeah, that’s big news. The fact that you get a a deal done before the season starts and before you really even get into a contract year. I know there’s a lot of Cowboys fans out there that want to see more of this, these early extensions, these early signings for players that deserve it. And it’s not a reset signing. He’s not resetting the market at the tight end position. He’s the seventh highest paid tight end in the NFL. Uh 52 million over four years, 30 of that guaranteed. This is a deal that solidifies Jake Ferguson as your safety blanket with Dak Prescott for the remainder of Dak’s contract and now for the remainder of Jake Ferguson’s contract. Hopefully, both of them get another resigning because they’ve been playing so well in a Cowboys uniform. But I love this for Jake Ferguson because it’s another shot of confidence after what was a down year in 2024. Of course, he had the breakout year in 2023 where he was effective in the red zone. He had a nearly uh 80 receptions in 2023. He was working on the offensive side better than anybody has at the tight end position in quite some time, probably since the prime of Jason Whitten at the tight end position. So, if you’re able to lock that up, get him paid the money that he is due, it’s going to solidify the guys beneath him. Luke Schummaker, Brevin Span, Ford, now it’s very clear where they sit going into a competition for that tight end to spot on the field behind us in Oxnard. I think it just solidifies the tight end position as a whole and it keeps a young star around. People like Jake Ferguson on the field. Dak Prescott likes Jake Ferguson on the field. Why not sign him and get him extended? Yeah, you you we talk about Jake Ferguson and Dak Prescott’s connection. So much of that came in the seam, which is one of the most important parts of the field and one of the most important parts of Dak Prescott’s game. He’s very comfortable throwing that seam ball and Jake Ferguson has gone up and got it several times and now they get to do it for four more years together. That’s a lot of fun. It’s a dangerous throw. It’s a high level three. You’ve got to fit it in perfectly into traffic, but Dak Prescott has found a way to do it, and now he’s got his tight end there to do it. And you it really is not just a boost of confidence for Jake Ferguson, but it’s a telling of how confident this coaching staff and this team is in Jake Ferguson after what you mentioned was a down year. He had a knee injury, had a concussion, a couple things that kind of held him back. But if you say, “Hey, you did all that and we’re still going to make you the highest paid tight end in this franchise’s entire history.” We believe in you. I tell you and and it goes to your point just locking in locking down Jake Ferguson. It seems like a good thing to do. Um and not simply for the tight end room but also like you said Bill look at how it impacts the wide receiver core. You cannot cover everyone. Okay. You have George Pickins on one side, you have CD Lamb on the other side, sometimes on the same side depending on the pre- snap and at snap motion. I see you shimer. But then you also have Jake Ferguson. his ability to attack the seam, his ability to run routes, and his ability to get yards after the catch. If the Cowboys can get that as a whole from those three guys alone, everything else from the receiving core becomes a plus, becomes a luxury. We’re seeing guys like Jonathan Mingo, he’s really stepping up over these first four unpaded practices. What does it look like when the pads come on and you start to hear that pop? We’ll see. But thus far, Mingo is showing that he might be worthy of that fourth round pick they gave up for him. Jaylen Tobert is not going down without a fight. We’re seeing Cavonte Turpin not only get uh snaps at at running back, but also still getting snaps, effective snaps at wide receiver. In one of the drills yesterday, he elevates going on a backend crosser across the back of the end zone. And it looked like he was 6 feet tall, but let me tell you, he’s so not 6 feet tall. So, this wide receiver core, it has the depth, it has the bodies, especially now with George Pickkins in the mix. Now, it’s just a matter of sorting out wide receiver three downward. And that’s what I love about what they’ve done this off season in terms of the the passcatching talent on this roster because you went into it questioning, okay, where is Jake Ferguson going into a year following a down year in 2024? Where is the wide receiver wide receiver two spot? Is he going to be Jaylen Tolbert or Mingo? Or where are they ready to take that big of a responsibility and that big of a role? Well, they trade for George Pickkins. You you solidify what you could classify as a 1A 1B scenario. It’s like the Miami Dolphins and what they’ve done with their wide receiving core with Tyreek Hill and Jay Jaylen Waddle. Not comparing them in terms of players, but two number one caliber wide receivers opposite of each other or on the same side as of each other. Also, I see you Brian Shot. There’s there’s a way for you to slot everybody else in. Jaylen Tolbert, who had seven touchdown grabs last year, don’t forget what Jaylen Tolbert did to help you win football games, most notably week five against Pittsburgh. You don’t win that game without Jaylen Tolbert doing what he did. He doesn’t have to take on more responsibility. Like you said, now he fits into the wide receiver three spot. He’s probably the fourth favorite passing option. That’s not a bad thing. He’s going to have an opportunity to put up some legitimate numbers, especially in the red zone. Some short yardage situations, contested ball situations as well. But it’s George Pickins, it’s CD Lamb, it’s Jake Ferguson at the top of that list. And it’s all solidified by the contract and by the trade of George Pickkins this off seasonason. I think this passcatching group around Dak Prescott is as good as it has been at any point in his career. As you watch the wide receivers out here, Pickkins wearing the number three. And uh you know, when I look back at this off season, all right, you you felt a little buzz being created as we went along. But when the trade was made from Pickkins, that’s when it went over the top and that’s where where fans really began to think, okay, now we’ve got our team. I saw a very respected uh NFL media, former GM rate the wide receiver groups in the league and he had the Cowboys wide receiver group with the addition of George Pickkins right up there at the very top. CD Lamb in his press conference the other day. Where does he rank them? And he just smiled and said, “You’ll see. You’ll see. You’ll see. Wait, wait till September.” Uh but and by the way, CD Yes. to watch his maturity level grow over the last five years in this league. Go to dallascowboys.com, go to all the YouTube channel, watch the CD Lamb press conference. He was great and you can really see the confidence just exudes out of him. Don’t you think? Better still is the fact that he is embracing fully what George Pickkins’s addition to this roster means. You’re not seeing any type of, you know, even supposed contention between the definitive wide receiver one and CD Lamb and then him thinking, well, hey, why are you bringing in another guy? The moment George Pickkins is playing hit the tarmac in Dallas, George Pickkins and CD Lamb have been absolutely inseparable both on the field, whether it be between reps, individual drills drills, or off the field. They’re hanging out. They’re spending a lot of time together, as is George Pickkins and Dak Prescott. But I’ve dubbed them the Terror Twins, CD Lamb and George Pickkins. I feel like when you talk about a Tyreek Hill and a Jaylen Wadd, when you look at this division, this is a division that houses Devonte Smith and and AJ Brown, this is this is what it takes to be impactful on the offensive side of the ball. The Cowboys have that and George Pickkins and CD Lamb. And to Bill’s point, CD Lamb’s maturity and evolution over these past several seasons has been a sight to behold. I sat there to your point, Bill, and I watched CD during that press conference in real time and continually I had the same thought over and over, which was this young man gets it. I can’t honestly say that prior to, let’s say, last season, I think it clicked for him last season playing through that shoulder injury, showing his toughness, showing his leadership, but he gets it now. And he is along with Michael Parsons, along with Dak Prescott, he’s the the triumphirate leader of this locker. And an example of his maturity level is he was candid in the press conference the other day talking about the fact in hindsight looking back at him missing training camp last year. He does think that him not being on task with Dak Prescott in the multiple weeks leading up to when he finally did sign. It did affect their chemistry during the season. Yeah. And that’s never what you want, right? especially with your best wide receiver and one of the best wide receivers in this league in CD Lamb and Dak Prescott, especially considering what they did together in 2023. So, if there is any rust that needs to be knocked off, that’s never a good thing in this league. If four weeks can decide your season, right? So, what you do in those four weeks is going to show up 13 weeks later, 14 weeks later when you’re trying to make a playoff push. And so, would that have been different for the Cowboys? Maybe. Maybe if they win that Saints game, if they come back and win that Ravens game, do they are we talking about a different season there? But uh nonetheless, having the time together at training camp in Oxnard is important for everyone. And that’s why you look at the Michael Parson situation and you wonder, is their rust going to need to be knocked off there with a player of his caliber sometimes you think, nah, he’ll be fine. But at the same time, it’s certainly beneficial to have him on the field, right? So, when you look at these two already, CDI Lamb and and Dak Prescott h have been on the same page and have connected several times. We’ve seen Lamb make some big plays already, especially after the catch. He’s so good after the catch and just making guys miss an open space. Uh, but he had a pass the other day where, you know, Prescott, it was a it was an ontime throw. It was an anticipated throw and Lamb came back and beat his guy to it. And so those kinds of throws where you’re on the same page, you know where the ball’s going, you know what’s coming your way, and you’re ready for it. That’s what’s going to help the Cowboys most in those first four weeks and really throughout the first 18. Well, not the first 18, but all 18. Ally and hopefully some more after that, right? And and that’s what’s going to really make or break your season. Yeah, CD Lamb has always been a star out here. I mean, even of course 2020, they were in Fris during the co era of NFL football. And once they got out here in 2021, that was really when you first had a chance to see CD Lamb take a step forward. And you had the conversation of of back and forth of where do you want to go uh from a a leadership standpoint? Where do you want to see him elevate? I think now he’s there. I think now we’ve seen that because at least the the stats through the first two, three seasons of his career were comparable to guys like DeAndre Hopkins in his prime and how he started his career and people would kind of knock that down and say, you know what, don’t compare him to Dehop because he doesn’t have the same maturity level, doesn’t have the same teammate level. Well, now he has both of those and his numbers have been better. So, you take all of that together, he’s become one of the elite wide receivers, not only in the NFL now, but in Cowboys history. the way that he’s able to take care of the football, the way he’s able to make plays on this field and then make plays on Sundays as well. And about the ones throwing the ball, as you uh look out here, you see uh um Joe Milton wearing the number 10 out here. And I know as we go into the preeason, there’s going to be a lot of eyes on Joe Milton through through the first week. Patrick, what are you seeing out of Joe Milton out there? Well, we already know that Joe Milton has a cannon attached to his shoulder. Okay, that much we know. What we’re looking for from Joe Milton is can he identify that touch. Okay. It’s something that particularly you and I and some of our other colleagues, Tommy, we talked about a lot when it came to Trey Lance. Okay. Tre Lance had a strong arm, but he he missed the touch and he was unable to get that consistently. I’m starting to see Joe Milton able to kind of get that and identify that over the first four unpatted practices. You’re seeing him make some of the passes that you would have liked to see him make during the cottage level and then when he was out uh there with the New England Patriots. So, I see Joe Milton taking the strides. He’s establishing connections with guys like Joe M. Yeah, Jonathan Mango and some of these other guys, Cavante Turpin and some of the second team and his mobility cannot be denied when that young man gets out in space. Good luck catching him. But I also love that the presence of John of uh Joe Milton is actually pushing Dak Prescott because now we’re seeing Dak Prescott read option take off and run. Looks good. Take Well, not take off cuz Dak said take off. Okay, granted Dak’s not the fastest guy, but the fact that he’s allowing himself to be pushed by Milton behind him, it bolds well for this quarterback role. Yeah. Well, it’s always a good thing when you have a quarterback that if you look at the trees over there, if he was standing right there, he could throw the ball and probably take out our camera with a very very simple flick of the wrist. It would hit you before it hits the camera. Yeah, that’s all right. I I’ll take the one for the team. I’ll take one for the team. But no, and look, Patrick put it really well, right? Touch is one thing. And then the other thing that I think really all of us want to see, and this goes back to his time at Tennessee, too, is being more decisive and getting through his reads and making decisions quicker because there are reps that we’ve seen out here where Joe Milton just holds on to the ball too long and he gets through his reads, he doesn’t think anything’s there and he’s forced to tuck it in and run or he’s sacked what would be a sack before that. But when Joe Milton’s making throws and if he’s if he needs to throw a fast ball, good luck catching it because he throws at 60 m hour. So those kinds of plays, they stand out and he’s had a couple of reps like Patrick mentioned where he’s shown the touch. He threw one to Brad and Span Ford the other day, a couple to couple to Jonathan Mingo, but there have been one too many reps where Milton holds the ball too long. He’s looking, he’s looking, he just doesn’t see the field just yet. But that’s why you learn at training camp and you learn this new offensive scheme. A lot of people forget it’s only his second year in the league. This isn’t a guy who’s been around for five, six years. This is a guy who was drafted last year and he was drafted behind Drake May who was the third overall pick and not a lot of starts in college. Exactly. Not not a lot of experience in college. So this is this is something that the Cowboys are going to have to mold. They’re going to have to mold Joe Milton. But Brian Shanheimer has molded a lot of quarterbacks in his career. He’s molded a lot of solid offenses in his career. And so the Cowboys obviously hope they can do the same. It fits into the culture here too. Absolutely. Well, one of the things that makes me laugh when training camp happens or all these these websites and reporters that try to stir up random stuff doesn’t necessarily mean it’s true. One of the things was when Joe Milton talked about the leadership of Dak Prescott and the leadership of being behind QB1 here in Dallas, they tried to pin it on Drake May. It’s like, oh, are they throwing shots at Drake May? It’s like, no, you just don’t know who Dak Prescott is. You don’t understand that. Just like you were talking about with George Pickkins, George Pickkins being adjoined at the hip with CD Lamb could make George Pickins a lot of money in this league just because of the leadership and the lessons he could learn there from a receiver that’s a couple years ahead of him. Same thing with Joe Milton. Sticking at the hip pocket of Dak Prescott, knowing that he’s not going to be the starter unless, god forbid, something happens to QB1 here, Joe Milton is going to learn a lot. He’s going to get better. That touch is going to find its way into happening. And if you can pair that with just an absolutely unbelievable arm like what Joe Milton does possess, the sky is the limit for a young quarterback in a system where there’s not a ton of pressure around him. It allows him to grow and he’s got two years under his contract here as well. Hey, I think what I told you all you needed to know about how the Cowboys feel about Joe Milton came on the third day of the draft when a decision was made not to draft a quarterback on that third day. They have their young quarterback in Joe Milton. They like it. Yeah, they do most certainly. And it there’s so much to work with when it comes to Joe Milton. You talk about the physical stature alone. If you’ve not stood next to Joe Milton, okay, just know that he is not a small independent. I’m 6’3 and 230 and change. And standing next to him in the locker room makes me feel like a child. I like for real. It makes me feel very very small. He’s a very large human being, but he has that size and yet the ability to have the quickness that he has in the open spa in open space. And I and I totally agree with Tom. You’re saying he does need to get through his reads more quickly, especially I talked about or touched on it from an offensive standpoint. From a defensive standpoint, this is the NFC East. Look at the defensive fronts that you’re going against from the Eagles, the Commanders, and the New York Giants. You’re going to have to read through your progressions quickly and get the ball out and then, you know, let the let the rest handle itself. And and let’s get into that when we continue here on the blue white practice. And let’s get to the big uglies up front on the offensive line and how they match up against that defensive line as well. There’s some depth at the defensive end position on this team. Some photos from the first week of training camp and we’re back with more of the blue white practice in a moment. Cowboys Nation, the 2025 Dallas Cowboys schedule is officially here and limited tickets are available now. Get ready to bring the noise as you watch your Cowboys live at AT&T Stadium when they host the NFC East rivals, the Eagles, the Giants, and Commanders, plus the Packers, Chiefs, Chargers, Vikings, and Cardinals. Visit dallascowboys.com/tick or seatgeeek.com the official primary ticketing partner of the Dallas Cowboys. Welcome back to Oxnard, California. Great afternoon for football as it’s the blue white scrimmage 2025. Bill Jones, Patrick Walker, Tommy Yarish, Kyle Yman’s. And by the way, take a look at that schedule. Wow. Oh yeah. You know, it’s an attractive schedule and yet at the same time it’s a very tough schedule. It is brutal. And and we talk about the the culture of Brian Shottenheimimer. It’s fun. It’s fun right now because adversity has not arrived. Not yet. Okay. But when you start to meet some of that adversity by way of this schedule, we’ll see, you know, the culture get tested. And we tal we talked about the culture of it being a collegiate atmosphere that feels like an SEC schedule. It does. And if you can get through it, you might make the playoffs and you’re going to be battle tested and ready to go. So maybe it all works out. Have fun. Have fun playing both of the teams that played in the Super Bowl last year. Four days apart. And and by the way, you better have some depth on this team. And and you need depth in the SEC, you need depth in the NFC East as well. And especially this year with the teams that all the NFC East teams are playing. All right, let’s get down into the trenches. And you know, you speak of the Jaylen Carters of the world with the Eagles. And we’re we’re talking both offensive line, we’re talking defensive line here. And for you two gentlemen, this is the last segment we’re going to have you here because you got to get out in the trenches here in just a second to watch the second half of practice. Starting with you, Patrick. What are you seeing in the trenches so far? So far, and this is from unpatted practices. I have to preface with that because when you’re assessing offensive linemen and even defensive linemen, there’s only so much you can do with the assessment before the pads go on. Thank you for doing this, by the way, because Twitter doesn’t always know. It doesn’t understand. But I will say, just so you know, yeah, it’s it’s key information. Okay. But what I will say is what I’m seeing so far from a young rebuilt offensive line in the Dallas Cowboys. I like the gel that the jelling that’s happening. Okay, I keep eyes on Tyler Booker. He’s handling himself like a consmate professional off the field. Looks ready to go on the uh as far as on the field. Still has some refinement he needs, but he doesn’t need it when it comes to being a road grader. So many times in run plays, I’m seeing him already at the second level looking for another meal, right? Right. And then when you look at Tyler Gayton, a very important year two for Tyler Gayton, protecting the blind side of Dak Prescott. Tyler Gayton’s footwork was never really in question being the former basketball player. It was hand work. It was hand placement. It was technique. It was setting his anchor. I’m seeing all of those things have developed. Shouts out to Tyron Smith working with Tyler Gay. Shouts out to Tyler Gayton for changing his diet, slimming up, but then adding some muscle mass. And it looks like he’s playing with a demeanor, a bully demeanor that we didn’t see last year. Marshawn Neland lost that rep that I I posted on Twitter in a horrible way even though Marshawn Nelan is having a great camp. So when you talk about Marshon Neland, Dante Fowler, I’ve seen Tyler Gayton stonewall Dant Dante Fowler a couple times and Dante is having a great camp as well so far before the pads go on. I like what I’m seeing from Tyler Gayton. Cooper BB is taking strides. It looks more than ever like his strikes hurt more than they did last year. His anchor was already there. Now he’s upped his strength. We’ll see what Terrence Steel can be. He missed a couple of practices with that ankle injury. nothing major, no boot, no brace or anything like that dayto-day. But we’re going to need him, Tyler got and Terrence Steel secure the book ends, allow Tyler Smith to do what he does, and then allow Tyler Booker and Cooper BB to take strides. Right. And Bill, you mentioned in this division, you’ve got guys like Jaylen Carter on the interior, Jordan Davis on the same team, and then, you know, you think about even the New York Giants, you know, they haven’t had the record necessarily, but you think about the pass rushers they’ve got now. Ryan Burns, Kavon Tibido, that Kavon guy is pretty good. And Dexter Lawrence in the middle. Dexter Lawrence in the middle. Pretty good. Abdul Carter was the third overall pick out of Penn State. So these this this this division is a division that is one in the trenches. And Philadelphia showed last year that you can win this whole thing in the trenches, right? Offensive line and defensive line. Arguably the two most important position groups on a football team. And on the offensive side of the ball, Patrick hit the nail on the head. This Cowboys team, I think, has made all the right investments there. They’ve made depth investments there. We saw Rob Jones taking a majority of the first team reps in place of Tyler Booker yesterday. We’ll see if that is just Booker needing just maybe a day off or just wanted to get Jones uh you know, meshed in with the the rest of the starters there. But regardless, they’ve got options and they’ve got NFL guys who have played a lot before. Rob Jones played all 16 17 games last year for the Miami Dolphins at right guard. So, they’ve got depth at that position. Now, on the defensive side of the ball, you guys hit the nail on the head, too. Pass rushers, defensive ends, that’s one of the deepest positions, if not the deepest position on this roster. Now, can the defensive tackle room step up? Because on paper, you’re not necessarily blown away, right? Obviously, Oso Diggizu is the big name there. They sign him to a big deal this off season. They go out and add a veteran guy and Solomon Thomas who’s getting some high praise from guys like Tyler Smith and Mazy Smith, of course, being the biggest question mark there. Can he finally take that step that we’ve been waiting for for what three years now? So, you know, and then a bunch of young guys behind that. Jaytoya, Tommy and King Motay, the two seventh round picks from this past year’s draft. So, can the interior of that defensive line shape up and finally be something that can push forward and most importantly stop the run? Guys, I’m not going to lie to you. I love everything that you’re saying. I love hearing about this offensive line and everything part of it. I’m a little concerned about the offensive line. That’s fair. I’m a little concerned. And here’s why. There’s there’s a couple reasons. One, this is an NFL. This is a league that in this day and age, the modern-day 2025 NFL, there is a surplus of defensive linemen. And there is a very big need for offensive linemen across the league, not just in Dallas. That is across the league. And I think like you said about Philadelphia, because they had the surplus as good as they did in the front seven, they were able to dominate everybody in route to a Super Bowl championship last year. We saw that even more so down in New Orleans when they took down the Chiefs the way that they did. Dallas has tried to combat that by using these first round picks on offensive linemen, the three Tylers, the great wall of Tyler. Tyler Gayton, Tyler Booker, and then of course Tyler Smith who has already worked out. I want to see more from Gayton. I saw a couple holds. No pads on. Fine. That’s fine. Once the pads come on, you got to you got to lock in. You got to be a little bit more technical, a little bit cleaner with your hands and not be able to hold cuz there was a couple of snaps that we saw where those edge rushers, which I think Dallas does compare to Philadelphia, does compare to Washington. Even New York, of course, with their talent there with their edge rushers. They have depth at that spot. I don’t feel the same way about the offensive line. I think we need to see more from Terrence Steel, of course, he’s been in and out of practice with the injury. If he’s healthy and he’s out there, I want to see him solidify because we thought going into this camp, this coaching staff would benefit Terrence Steel more than maybe anybody else on that offensive line. I haven’t seen that yet. Of course, it’s been in small sample sizes, but I am I’m a little concerned just because there is so much investment up front and it’s so early that I expect there to be a little bit of a a back and forth, but I just don’t want to say it’s all sunshine and roses cuz we spent a couple first round picks there. I want to see it from these guys whenever they get pads on and they get into the trenches. And when you uh look at the linebacking core on this team, uh Kenneth Murray’s been out for the birth of a child here the last couple of days and uh but Jack Sandborn has been man in the middle. Murray was there playing the will linebacker early in camp and then you’ve got Maris Leafoul as well. And you’ve got some others in the mix at linebacker. You know, with uh with Kenneth Murray out for the birth of his child and De Marvian Overshon on the pup list and likely not to return until at at earliest, maybe midpoint of the season, uh the onus is going to be on guys like Murray once he gets back to practice. Jack Sanborn and Demone Clark. I I continuously say this, let’s not rule Deone Clark out of this rotation. Deone Clark does look rejuvenated with Matt Iber as defensive coordinator, right? And also a linebacker’s guru. And Deone Clark knows what’s at stake going into year four for himself. So he’s out here and he’s doing some some good things. Maris Leaf file, you just have to draw a golden circle around Maris Leaf. Number 35. Yeah, number 35 just he just gets it. So last year as a rookie, he was able to come in and become the green dot for Mike Zimmer in the absence of Eric Hendricks due to injury. That’s not a small feat for a rookie. That goes to the level of his football IQ and acumen. And then you look at his physical ability. He’s quick, he’s fast, and he hits hard. And he loves hitting guys. He has the dog mentality. going into year two, you just needed to see him process more quickly. And you’re seeing that from Maris Le a foul. There are a couple times where it felt to me as if he knew the play the offense was calling before the offense knew what play they were calling. He seems to be always Johnny on the spot and that’s something to watch when you’re talking about the absence of Demarian Overshon. What other linebacker can step up and be potentially that star guy for the Cowboys in 25? Yeah, those Notre Dame guys are pretty smart, aren’t they? But no, I I I think Patrick, the Georgia guy agrees. Well, here we go. Here we go. That was That was That was That was a Nazi. Okay, fair enough. Oh, don’t do that, Tex. Still in pain. And we’re still in pain. Um I I really want to dig more deep on Deone Clark, though. I think, you know, Kyle brought up a great point. Terrence Steel is one of the guys that could benefit from this coaching staff and all this. I think Deone Clark might be runner up to that spot because if there’s one thing that Matt Fluss has shown that he can do over the course of his career, it is develop linebackers. He did it in Dallas. He did it in Indianapolis. He did it in Chicago. And now he’s back to do it in Dallas again. And Deone Clark is a guy who has shown flashes of really good things. And now it’s just piecing it all together. I don’t think he was a great fit in Mike Zimmer’s scheme. I don’t think that worked ever. And I think it led to some frustration, but now you got a clean slate for everyone. And he’s already made plays. He punched a ball free over the middle on Lucas Goonmaker to force a fumble. He’s had some good run fits. So, if you’re looking for a linebacker to step up in Kenneth Murray’s absence, obviously for right now, he’s made every rep count and in Demarian Overshung’s absence, you know, you’re you’re not going to be able to just play with Kenneth Murray and Jack Sandborn. Those guys are going to need breathers. So, Deone Clark, Maris Leaf are going to be guys that have to step up in their absence and make plays. And so far, I like what Deon Clark’s shown us. And from a contract standpoint, it’s big for Deone Clark. This is the biggest year for him going forward. And not even that, it’s the fact that he could save the team money by him not being on the team after training camp is over. He may save if they cut Deone Clark, they save about 3 million in terms of the contract scenario and what that ends up happening. So this preseason is big. It’s make or break. It’s not even just a contract year. It’s a contract month for Dean Clark. I like that. He’s got the the the mindset, though. And I had a conversation with him right after OTA. I said, “What do you think of the new coaching staff?” He said, “I’m renewed.” That was the first thing that’s stuck out to me. And he does. He certainly looks like it. And like Tommy alluded to, this is the right guy. And Matt Eberfloose to bring the good that we’ve seen from Deone Clark. A lot of Cowboys fans are saying Deone Clark’s still on the team. Where has he been the last couple of years? And that’s a valid question. But with what he’s shown in the preseason in the past, what he showed when injuries hit guys like Leighton Vanderes late in his career, Deon Clark stepped up. He filled a role in kind of a a spot situation. Now he has a chance to settle in, learn a system, and be good at that system. Deone Clark can not only make this team, but be an impact player, and that’s ultimately what he’s going to try and do. All right, we got three minutes left with these guys, Patrick and Tommy. Uh, and let’s look at the secondary here. Uh, because you you look to the side field for the secondary. Trayvon Diggs, Savone Rebel. They’re making progress. They need them. Okay. But what are you seeing from the corners right now? Um, toddler lifting aside. Um, I do love what I’m seeing from Kyrie Elim. Kyle, you put it very, very eloquently. You know, Ky Elim from mini camp, well, OTA to mini camp and now through the first four unpadded practices of practice or unpadded practices of training camp, I should say. Kyrie Elim is is really jumping out and the Cowboys needed someone to do so. Especially with Don Bland, much like Kenneth Murray, he’s absent as he’s welcoming the birth of a child. But even with Don Bland on the field, Trayvon Diggs is on pup. Savone Revel rookie third round pick. He’s on the NFI non- football injury list. Those are guys working their way back. Jordan Lewis departed in free agency. Kaylin Carson working his way back. Not only is it year two for him, but it’s year two coming off of a season ending shoulder injury. Okay, there’s a lot to be worked out there. What does this mean for a guy like Andrew Booth, for example, who need to step up and show the Cowboys that there is in fact depth at this position? Because as it stands, it looks as if it’s Trayvon Diggs injury list. Serrone Revel injury list. Don Bland, yes. Kyler Elim, thumbs up, needle pointing up. And then from there, it’s who? And that’s the question that that Cowboys face at the quarterback position. Yeah, I’m with you, Patrick. It is uh there is a clear drop off. And I don’t mean that in any sort of offensive way, right? I think it’s just, you know, we look at the quality of there’s a difference between depth and starters, right? And I think everybody knows that and and even these players know that, right? And so, you know, Andrew Booth, Kaylin Carson, they’ve shown flashes. They’ve had a couple of good reps here and there, but it hasn’t been consistent. And the Cowboys need consistency in the quarterback room. Who’s been consistent? Kaire right now. That’s your best answer. And the fact that that is your most consistent piece shows just how banged up the quarterback room is. you want to see Don Blaine back with a healthy baby, his family taken care of, all of those things. Hopefully everything going well there. And then Trayvon Diggs, I mean, that’s been the biggest story is seeing him on the side, too, and not having that same conversation that we’ve had in the past where it’s Trayvon Diggs and Don Bland fighting it out for who’s the best corner on the team. You want to get him back in the fold, and he wants to be back in the fold. And I’ll tell you who might help stabilize this for the Cowboys a little bit. It’s going to be Israel Muquamu. For me, he’s back on a one-year deal, but we’ve seen that uh from the slot position, nickel corner. Israel Muamu, although he’s more of a big nickel, he’s effective at that at times and spot duty. I would also keep an eye on one Thomas, the veteran safety. One, excuse me, Wany Thomas. He’s showing them versatility. He’s showing them as a free safety. He got an interception just yesterday as a free safety, right? Show some closing speed, ability to hawk the ball. Also taking reps at nickel corner as well to see what he can do there. So, but then again, the flip side of that is the fact that you’re asking a safety to help you out at nickel corner tells you that you’re in dire straits of their but they both brought both of those guys back in a year where they could have let them walk and that shows that this staff wants those guys to be Thomas wearing number two this year. All right, Tommy Yarish and Patrick Walker, you got to head out to the field and do watch their work on dallascowboys.com. Kyle and I will return in a moment. will be joined by Mickey Spagnola and Nikki when the blue white practice continues in just a momentar California the site once again for Dallas Cowboys training camp and welcome back to the blue white practice on just a Beautiful Sunday afternoon here in Southern California. Yes, in the shadows of River Ridge Golf Club. Nice crowd here. Not as large as the Saturday crowd for the opening ceremonies. But the team on the practice field behind us here, Bill Jones and Kyleman’s over there now joined by two guys with 68 years experience between them covering Cowboys training camp. Mickey Spagnola and Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com. Welcome. Hi, Bill. How are you? You enjoyed the first hour of this practice. Now things we put the pads on. Now things are really gonna heat up here in the second hour, right, Nick Eatman? I don’t know about heating up cuz that’s why they’re here at Oxarn, but I get what you’re saying. I get what you’re saying. If it was too hot, they wouldn’t be here. No. Uh yeah, this is this is certainly the time to to kind of uh crank up the intensity a little bit. Okay. Has the intensity been cranked up, Mickey, this first week? What do you think? Yeah, I think it has. as much as you know you could imagine when you’re just in helmets, jerseys, and shorts. Uh but uh the energy has been as high as we’ve seen it in mini camp and OTAAS. Um the intensity is high and that’s just sort of I think what we’re used to seeing in a Brian Shottenheimimer practice, especially with these uh assistant coaches. But I guarantee you these players are chomping on the bit to get away from mini camp practices and actually play football, you know. And Kyle, we’re about to get to the part of practice that Brian Shottenheimer really loves. He talked about it in his press conference just over an hour ago. You play football 11 on 11 and it’s about team drill time coming up here shortly. And we’ve seen it before with coaches like Mike McCarthy in the past where nine on seven and seven on seven are a big chunk of practice. Brian Shanheimer’s quickly said, “I’m not in that mode. I’m not in that mindset.” You play with 11 people on both sides of the line of scrimmage. And so, even in these special teams uh drills and some of these early looks, it’s 11 on 111. You’re going to see a little bit more offense v defense. And then we’re going to get some different scenarios, too. Lots of uh down and distance today. Not a lot of red zone. And I think they want to spread it out, see what they’ve got from a playbook perspective, and then uh really get into the heat of this practice quickly. You know, and we talk a lot, of course, about Brian Shottenheimimer, offensive coordinator Clayton Adams. And on defense, of course, you’ve got the coordinator and Matt Ebloo, but the special teams coordinator is a new face, too, Nick Sorenson. Nick? Yeah, I mean, he’s obviously been around uh the league a lot. He was a great special teams player and I’ve talked to uh a former uh special teams coordinator Joe Damellis about him. He was with them before a couple of the different stops and so yeah, you know, somebody that understands exactly what he’s asking from them because he’s played it. Uh that goes a long way. That doesn’t mean that he’s going to be great, but it does mean that he understands the the concepts to the point where he knows what the the message he’s trying to to get across. Well, and how different is it from him and his personnel’s perspective because he’s coming from being a defensive coordinator most recently. Now, he was a special teams coordinator in Jacksonville, has spent a couple years in that role, but going back and forth like that can’t be easy to switch, but he seems like the right guy for them. Well, you know what? One thing that’ll help is having an allp pro kicker and a pro bowl punter and an allp pro return specialist and a really I think a good deep snapper that’s probably ready to be a pro bowler himself. So, he does have You’re right about that. But at least he’s got some pieces of the core parts of it. Maybe not, you know, we’ll see how the actual core special teamers pan out. He’s an if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it sort of situation, right? Because of all the talent that he has around him. So what you’re saying is let the kicker kick. That’s what I’m saying. I don’t know if that’s what Nick Sorenson is saying. Well, he better. And by the way, as you watch the first week here of workouts, not only have we seen Cavonte Turpin back, Jaylen Tolbert has been a guy returned punts, too. Yeah, they Well, they got to have somebody else to do it. And uh I would imagine at some point they’ll look at Jaden Blue as a returner. I don’t know if it’ll be punts, but maybe kickoffs uh to kind of utilize his speed. You know, one of the things, Kyle, that you that you mentioned about Saenson and the special teams and all that. Yes, it’s one thing to talk about the kicker specialist and all that, but it’s also how much are you going to fight for players in when it comes down to trimming down the roster. Guys that maybe aren’t the maybe it’s he’s the sixth best linebacker, but he’s the third best on special teams. And that’s where we’ve seen that over the years that when you really get into those battles, it’s like, hey, I need this guy for special teams. And maybe that’s where Nick Sorenson has an advantage because he has had the defensive coordinator background along with the background of being a current special teams coordinator and a past one as well. So you piece that together, maybe his eyes as to who’s going to be on the fringe of the 53man roster are more trusted than maybe other people around the league that were up for that job when it became available by John Fossil leaving and going to Tennessee. So there’s a lot of intrigue around special teams, but it’s kind of an under the radar storyline, new role changes that of course from 24 to 25 that’s going to play a factor. And then of course the the personnel that that Nick Nick Sordensson is going to work with, you know, is there a guy is there a guy, excuse me, Mickey, we just saw Brian Shottenheimimer slapping high fives with whoever he is there a person that he passes in practice that he doesn’t touch? No. or or talks to him, right? Yeah. If he’s not touching you or he’s not talking to you, you know what? You’re in bad shape. It It was almost like uh Jimmy uh in his training camp and somebody had ask about the guy and Jimmy would go, “Yeah, he’s doing doing some good things.” That that was the kiss of death cuz he didn’t say anything. Some coaches, if they’re not yelling at you, you’re in you you got a problem. You’re not making this. If Shottenheimimer, if he’s not touching you, you may be a problem. fist bumper high five here. So, so for you two, you haven’t been here for the first hour. What What’s your impressions of this of Shottenheimimer and and and what you’ve seen so far. I think it’s great uh as far as the energy and and and what he’s bringing. Uh we saw a little different side of him when you know they miked him up last week and yeah, I mean he he can get after him as well. So, I think he’s so far he’s got that perfect balance of that players coach but also not afraid to to make them and hold them accountable. So, I like the balance. We we all know he’s he’s 0 and0 right now. Like he hasn’t lost a game. He hasn’t won a game. We get that. No, wait, wait. He’s won every press conference. Well, I was getting ready to say that. That’s the point. He’s done that. He’s he’s absolutely crushed it. Uh we know where where he’s going to be measured the most. But he couldn’t have done in my opinion couldn’t he couldn’t have done a better job to this point. And if uh people aren’t paying attention, you need to listen to these press conferences because I don’t think and and Brad Sham pointed this out to me. I don’t think he’s got a question that he couldn’t answer or that he sidestepped. He gives great answers no matter what the question is. And he doesn’t belittle anybody for a question. He actually gives them a good answer when you’re thinking to yourself, “Well, that’s stupid. Why would why would you ask that?” And he jumps right in there. I do that in my head. I do that when I ask my question. Yeah. And generally what he’ll say and generally what he’ll say is that’s a good question. Right. He He’s good about that. The other thing I liked about him, Bill, is the fact that when things got a little rough out there and maybe a little overzealous, he calls practice, he tries calls it off. I mean, stops it, pauses it, and talks to him about, “Hey, this is not what we want to do.” But I guarantee you in the back of his mind, he’s going, “Oh, this is great. I love the the physicality and the energy.” It’s fun here also watching him as the play caller here. Now we’ve got the offense on the field and uh working against the defense here as we get into the team portion of this uh practice. Uh and it’s it’s just interesting to see the mechanics as it plays out. Well, one of the things that you’ll see is him talking into that walkie-talkie. That’s the communication straight to the quarterback. For those that don’t know, they do have that available out here on the field. But then he’ll have his assistants that are holding these pieces of paper and these different play charts go up and double check that the quarterback is giving the right read. Whether it’s Dak or Joe Milton or Will Greer because it’s a new scheme and it’s a new playbook. They want to double check and kind of vet things from one point to the end point which is ultimately running the play. So it starts with Shotti. He’s able to put it into the walkie-talkie straight into the headpiece and the helmet of Dak Prescott and then they double check it along the way if need be. It is really cool, like you said, the mechanics and the logistics of it all that piece together to ultimately put a play together. As as you watch practice here, let’s go down to the sideline. Nicole Hutcherson is on the sideline with Stephen Jones. I am joined by Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones. And Stephen, I’d be remiss to not even ask you about Jake Ferguson and that extension. What does that deal say about how central he is to this offense? Well, first of all, Jake represents everything we want in a football player. He has all the football character you could ever ask for in terms of uh you know the way he plays the game, the way his energy levels, the way he leads. Uh you know he checks all the boxes and then on top of that he’s a talented guy and uh uh it was great uh to be able to work with uh him and his representatives and get the get get the deal done. and uh you know we going to have him now here for the next 5 years and uh look forward to having him out there and all he brings to the table. He’s a talented guy. You have a lot of talent on this roster so far. How much has this first week lived up to your expectations in in terms of camp? Well, probably even uh uh you know, even more so than uh we were expecting. I mean, we’ve had some uh new guys step up uh you know, in a big big way. Now, you know, granted, we’re only in uh we’re only in uh uh our our shorts and TE’s. So, uh you know, it’s hard to get a real feel when you play the real game of football, but uh you know, guys like Kyrie Elim, uh our draft picks, uh you know, have really stepped up and uh you know, really made us feel good about we did a Solomon Thomas, uh all those guys are just uh doing a great job out here. But let’s uh translate it now to the pads today. He had a heck of a moment Kyrie Elong on Saturday picking up a baby after an interception. So, pretty cool moment there. But now, he’s become the most popular guy on the team now. He knows how to do it all. And uh loving on those young future Cowboy fans and uh I’m sure that kid will have that in his scrapbook forever right after he made a a big pick on Dak and uh best in the business. And so, uh anyway, a big deal. Absolutely. The fans are excited, right? The pads are now popping today. What position groups are you looking forward to the most seeing? Well, really where the pads start to show up are the fronts. Uh the offensive and defensive line obviously in a big way. Uh you know, the running backs have really looked good. Uh we’ve been real thrilled uh with with what they’ve done, but uh we’ll really see what it’s all about today when uh you know, they start getting pad on pad, helmet on helmet, and uh you know, get after it a little bit. But those fronts are always the the best thing to watch in terms of uh once the pads come on. and also the running backs as well. What have you seen so far in these early days from that group? Well, I I just think it’s a a really solid group and uh I know uh Shotti said that uh you know they they’re better than advertised in our mind. Uh you know, between Sanders and Damonte Williams uh you know obviously two really good backs and then of course Jaden Blue uh you you really feel his speed in terms of what he brings to the table. So, you know, we we’re really pleased with our running back situation and what they can do for us this year. I know it is still early, but when you look at this roster, where do you feel like the biggest strides have been made so far early through camp? Well, I think the biggest thing is just uh you know, looking at the defensive front, you know, having guys like a a Sam Williams back who we didn’t have last year, getting Fowler back on the roster. I mean, just a really good player. I know uh coach White Cotton, our defensive line coach, coached him when he was a rookie at Jacksonville, and he just can’t believe the player that he’s become, the maturity he displays now, but uh you know, really that uh that that edge roo rushing group after what we went through last year with all the injuries is uh certainly something that makes us smile. Yeah, when you asked head coach Brian Shottenheimimer about Sam Williams, he said that he was barking today to finally get the uh day in pads. But thank you so much, Stephen, for your time. I appreciate it, Kyle. I’m going to send it back to you. Great being on. Thank you. All right. Thanks, Nicole and Steven Jones. And as you saw during the course of that interview, we saw number 89, Brevin Span Ford, come off the field. He’s in the medical tent. Uh right now, uh you look at that tight end room and with the Jake Ferguson signing today, it it’s looking pretty good. Yeah, as long as you know, he’s he’s fine. But he’s a guy I think that’s pushing schoonmaker and maker is a guy that I you know I think will be pushing uh Ferguson as well. He played really well when Ferguson went down. So last year so I I do think it’s a very good room and of course Linda Wells does a great job of getting the the rookies up to speed as well. They’ve done it like four years in a row. All right, 33 there is Javvante Williams. Let’s talk about these running backs a little bit because that is the it’s one of the big mysteries of this team uh and the running back by committee. You got Javvante Williams who was signed in the offseason, Miles Sanders, the two veteran guys, and you got the fifth rounder Jaden Blue. Those are the newcomers to the mix along with the seventh rounder Phil Mafa out of Clemson. Of course, Jaden Blue out of Texas. And then, of course, you got Duce Bond, and you’ve got Hunter Lipkkey, who is a jack of all trades back there. Well, we’re going to find out more about these running backs with the pads coming on and understand what they’re doing out here. Now, uh they’re not tackling to the ground. They call it thumping up. Uh so they want the DBs to kind of face up the running whoever has the ball, hit them straight on and then release him. You’re not taking them to the ground. But at least you can see here what the running backs can if they hit a hole what they can run through uh a potential tackle. So we’ll get a better idea. But if you’re following the money, the guy that got paid the most to come here was Javvante Williams. Uh Miles Sanders got basically a veteran minimum. You mentioned Jordan Jaden Blue. Uh you know, he’s a fifthround draft choice, so he’s not making that much. Deuce Vaughn got here as a rookie free agent, so he’s not making much. And Hunter Lipkkey is in his third year. But they saw something in Javvante Williams that they like. And I like what I’ve seen him getting into a hole, planting his foot, and accelerating one way or the other. I I think he’s been impressive for not having a, you know, a tackling drill. And you could say the same thing about my Sanders and his ability to receive out of the back field. He’s been used in a multiple different ways in this new Brian Shotttimer scheme. I think that’s going to play a big factor is who can do the most for that position. Who can get out of the backfield? Who can block in passing downs and all these different elements? If the rookies can step up and find some rhythm there, like a Jaden Blue or a Phil Mafa, then they have just as much of an opportunity to earn reps and and touches and and different uh snaps at the running back position. But I think right now it’s the two veterans that are leading the way. It’s guys like Williams and Sanders who, like Mickey said, the money trail is certainly there, the experience and the resume is there, but also the the versatility is what you’ve got to look for with Brian Shottenheimimer system. And we should point out Reverend Span Ford is now headed back to the locker room. So, uh, undergo test, I’m sure, and we’ll see what’s going on with him, but he had to leave practice early. You’ll notice also at right tackle when the first team is out there. Hakee Adeny has been playing right tackle and he earned praise from Brian Shottimer today at the press conference. He’s number 75 as number 78. Terrence Steel is nursing an ankle injury right now. You know, talking about what Kyle said about being able to catch the ball, Nick, uh I think if Jaden Blue makes one more down the field one-handed uh catch, uh we know that maybe he’s got pretty good hands catching the ball, he’s got to hold on to the ball, right? He caught two touchdowns obviously in in the uh playoff game against Ohio State. The other two running backs, the the the veterans, they’ve each had 50 catch seasons in their career. So, everybody can catch the the football coming, you know, as well. Now, now, Bill, I was going to uh point out about Terrence Steel nursing the uh the ankle injury. I saw him walking around here yesterday and he he basically was like, I could practice tomorrow if I needed to. There was no boot. There was no sleeve. Just being cautious. It tells me it tells me the reports of a high ankle sprain. Uh usually a high ankle sprain will put you out for a lengthy period of time. Usually like what four to six or three to six? Depends on who it is honestly. And depend, you know, obviously different injuries. We’ve seen the high ankle sprain, you know, four to six, even longer than that. We’ve also seen a guy I I saw Jason Whitten get hurt with a high ankle sprain and and on a Sunday and played the Thanksgiving Day game. So, well, I think I saw Jason Whitten get his spleen removed at halftime of a game and he played the second half. Well, when he got that 12th he got that 12th opinion, you know, for that that told him he could play, he was searching around for it. He he finally got it to say he could play and keep a streak alive. No, but you bring up a good point is certain injuries affect certain position groups different and usually offensive linemen with the masks that they’re moving around and the way that they have to be solidified in their footwork, that’s not an easy thing to deal with for certain players. So the cautious element is always the the better thing especially when you aren’t actually playing a game tomorrow as you as you pointed out and it gives Adeny or whoever else they want to put in there you know I mean Nate Thomas is getting some he’s in at left tackle right now number 71 as Joe Milton the uh his crew is in there right now you know to emphasize what Nick said about the ankle injury uh the the early prognosis was it was an ankle injury and that’s all. So, we’ll see where it goes. The other guy that uh left practice, was it yesterday, uh Paris Campbell, wide receiver, uh it looked really bad, but I was told the the early prognosis was it was his MCL, not his ACL. So, we’ll see where that one goes. In that last rep there, Bill, did you see who went in motion from left to right? It was Awesome. Richards when he started outside of the left tackle at tight end and then went to the opposite side and then they ran the opposite direction literally. Awesome. You want to go there, right? I didn’t see it. Are we sure he was in motion or was he just lined up in the wrong spot? Like get over there. He went to to the It looked like he went to the outside of the right tackle cuz I thought the same thing. You They were using him earlier in camp as a third tight end. They were they were going two tight two uh as a tight end and two tackles on that left side and he was the outside guy. Uh but I hadn’t seen them go in motion. Yeah, there he is. That’s right. The replay. I’m sure really loves that we loves that we’re we’re throwing this out there. Well, it’s been fun bringing you camp from Osnar. We’ll see you after. You know what? There’s so much there’s so much stuff he’s throwing into this offense. I bet he doesn’t even care. You know, he said that one day by the way Fangio. Yeah. We’re going to run uh who was it from out of out of who is he going to put in the wild? Wildat. That’s right. Yeah, that’s right. I want to see just like the Lions would do. I want to I want to hear the ref a lot talking about who’s eligible and and and reporting and stuff like that because I think I think that that’s your best blocking tight end you can have is is stuff like that. And maybe he’s in there that maybe that was a span forward role that now Austin doing some of that. Making a little adjustment there. We need to put Austin Richards in there as as the second tight end, not the third tight end, right? Cuz chances are right now he’s going to be active on game day as this backup tackle uh and um so we give him bigger bigger role. All right. How about the guys in the blue the defense right here? What what are you seeing out of the especially the guys up front on defense? They they are definitely active. there. They fly to the ball. They they get up the field. And I think you can tell with Eber Fluts’s scheme that that that’s what he’s trying to do. There’s different types of of 43 threes. There’s different types of man fronts where, you know, your job is to sit there and make sure you don’t get pushed off the ball and clog the holes. I think Eberloose is looking for the more penetration up the field, make something happen. uh that can get you in trouble if you’re in the wrong gap. But but I do think that they they are very active getting up the field and that’s why it’s important for even the defensive ends to do their job. If they’re supposed to loop inside and fill a gap, the linebackers are expecting him to do that. Uh, and I think the one guy that everybody’s been excited to see back out there is Sam Williams after missing off last year uh with the torn ACL and he’s just been chomping at the bit to get out there right this morning apparently when they said we’re in pads. He was barking. he’s been ready to go and uh you know last year before he got hurt Nick um Mike Zimmer was saying I think this guy’s going to play 70% of the snaps and you know they had him they were going to use him as a starting uh like right defensive end and then he suffered the torn ACL. Uh but he told me in November, you know, I’m going to be ready. I’m going to be better. And I was listening to him and he goes, “No, write it down.” And I said, “Okay, I’m writing it down now. Let’s see. How about 37 there? Phil Mafa, the seventh round pick out of Clemson. Yeah, I u I’ve I have a little running argument with some people on our team about who is going to lead the NFL in rushing. And I think Phil Mafa has a good chance of preseason. Who’s on which side of Stay with me here. Stay with me here. Read my mind, please. No. Barry, delete. Yeah. I think it was Chris Beam, our producer, that says no. He thinks it’s Joe Milton because he’s just going to take off and run. No, he’s not Trey Lance. That was a Tre Lance. Look what happens. He has taken off and run more than he needs to. And that’s one things that he’s got to fix. He’s got to be able to read the field quicker and not pull the ball down and run. Maybe he doesn’t have a strong enough arm. Yeah, right. No, that ain’t the problem. That’s not the problem. Uh I Phil Maf, you asked the question. And I I you know I like guys that have that have been productive at the high highest level. He’s played a lot at Clemson. He’s played in big games. He’s a big strong back. Does he have the the the speed? We’ll see. But I definitely think that that he’s going to get a lot of carries. He’ll be a fun player to watch in the preseason. There’s going to be some technical stuff for Phil Mafa. Just going back to that that scouting report. Footwork, pass protection, all the little things that you have to do right as a pro. But when you talk about the frame, I mean, six foot one, 230. Yeah. He’s got the big body. He’s got the the pedigree coming from Clemson and the production to match. It’s a very one-two punch sort of thought process with him and Jaden Blue, the two. And you saw that’s 34 is Jaden Blue. Uh for those of you who don’t have a roster, we’ll try to point out the numbers as well on some of these new players. And then Mafa’s 37. And uh so and one thing they don’t need to fix on MafA is his size. Nope. I I was sort of taken back by how big he is and then he put the pads on and I go that’s a big guy running the way he runs and he runs high. He runs high which I’m not saying that that’s a bad thing. Eric Dickerson seemed to do a good job with it for years but uh recovered ball on the ground there is the one that covered it up. I’m not sure whose fault that was. Yeah, the ball’s been on the ground a lot here at training camp. Probably more definitely more than than Shottenheimimer would want. Sometimes it’s it’s plays like that. Sometimes it’s IFloo’s defense poking the ball out. They do a really good job with that. Yeah. Yeah. We saw that a lot especially the first couple of days. Uh and uh you know another guy to keep an eye on here is a first team defense out there 57 Jack Sandborn at middle linebacker as well. You guys were talking about Matt Eberloose and the system at hand and how much they’re going to put on gap discipline with whether it’s a a 4-3 front or a 34 front. It’s going to be multiple. There’s going to be a lot of changes. The reason why Ebloo has been known to develop linebackers is because he demands so much out of his interior defensive line because they have to be gap discipline because they need that penetration that that that movement up front to allow those linebackers to work free. I think a guy like Jack Samborn is a great instance of how it has worked in the past. that it it worked for him coming off of an undrafted contract out of Wisconsin, signed with the Bears, was there for three years under Eva Floo, ultimately followed him here because not only did he work as a a special teamer, but he replaced Rocoan Smith there when Smith went down with an injury. Samborn played quite well, had a 100 tackle season once during uh his time in Chicago. He’s going to work in with Kenneth Murray. Those two are the back and forth middle linebackers. But watch guys like Deone Clark have a bigger role. Guys like Maris Leafoul have a bigger role because they are allowed to play free if those defensive tackles and those defensive linemen up front are able to hold their blocks and hold their gaps in in the interior of that. I’ll tell you what, one thing we’ve seen in Ken Kenneth Murray, I don’t think he’s rotating with anybody. Uh especially he doesn’t come off the field much, does he? Well, uh Shottenheimimer said the other day when he asked about him, he’s a grown ass man and and that’s the truth. And he mentioned Green Dot with him as well. Yes. and so they’re sending the plays into him. Hey, the guy had 95 tackles with the Titans last year. So, uh, you know, that he was available to to get, uh, however you get him. Uh, I I think that’s a plus. And Bill, you know, we were high on him when he came out of Oklahoma. Well, and he was well, the Chargers were too. He’s a first round pick. In fact, Shottenheimer two years ago when the Cowboys played uh the Chargers, he was, you know, they’ve got Khalil Mack, they had Joey Bosa on that team and uh he was concerned about number nine K-9 Kenneth Murray. And by the way, Murray has been away the last several days uh for the birth of a child as has Jiron Bland. And then they put Deone Clark to take his place when they went three uh linebackers in the 4-3. And there’s Javvante Williams, number 33. who is once upon a time second round draft pick out of North Carolina with the Broncos and signed as a free agent in the offseason. We were talking about those linebackers and how much they can play downhill. How about Samborn a couple snaps ago breaking up a pass over the middle. It was a crosser to Jaylen Tolbert and he may have been a step behind in coverage but he still got a hand in there and was close enough to break it up. You know, I was told about Sandborn. They liked his smarts that he really knows how to play the position and the fact that he’s really instinctive. Uh he may not be the biggest middle linebacker, but you know, Kendricks wasn’t that big and he was just smart and experienced and uh crafty and I think Sandborn might be the same way for less money than I think what Kendricks was going to demand. And I I don’t know, is he still out there? Did he didn’t announce his retirement or anything? No, he has not announced it. He’s still unsigned. And there is the play that you speak of, Kyle. A sandborn making the play. Pass coverage. Yeah, made a nice play on Tolbert there. Got a hand in it. Defense, of course, with a lot of energy. That’s You talk about the energy that this coaching staff brings. The defense is one that helps set the tone. They are flying around not only to the football, but around the sidelines whenever there’s a play made by one of their uh their very own in the blue jerseys. And you you just feel it throughout the entire coaching staff and it bleeds over to the players too as now Joe Milton’s second group is out there. That’s where you want to see a little bit more from Milton on the run rolling out. He has so much athleticism. Does he have the touch to go with the arm talent? Because the arm talent’s there. What can you find? Now, he didn’t have anybody open downfield at that point. He did the smart thing, throw it away. But when you’re rolling out and you get him in motion, if he’s able to piece together accuracy, ball placement and find receivers in open space while moving on a bootleg or or while rolling out of the pocket, he’s going to be dangerous at what he does. And he’s so young that there’s still some hope that they can find that in him. Milton spent three years at Michigan before transferring to Tennessee. He actually won the starting job his first year at Tennessee and he was there for three years. He won the starting job then got hurt and Henden Hooker became the starter. And by the way, he says he’s best friends with Henden Hooker. out. Hooker was so successful while Milton was out for a couple of years and then finally he got an opportunity when Hooker got hurt, won a bowl game and then became the full-time starter his last year there and became a sixthround draft pick of the Patriots. It was very curious when the Patriots um traded him away after just one year and what was a nice start for him uh against backups for Buffalo, granted in the last game of the regular season last year, but I think it was a big confidence boost for Milton. Well, the thing we have to remember is he’s played one NFL game and that was it, right? And your backup quarterback once you leave training camp, once you’re done with preeason and you get into regular season preparation, they don’t get any snaps in practice. So, he’s got to do all his learning right now. And then you got to ask yourself, do I want a guy that’s played one NFL game to be my backup quarterback or do I need to look out there to see if there’s a veteran? And some of these veterans that are still out there, they’re going to get to August and say, “Oh, I don’t have a job. The price will go down.” So, uh, it’s going to be interesting to see how they evaluate uh, Milton as we go forward. And the quarterback depth chart, there’s only three quarterbacks on this roster, of course, Dak Milton and the veteran Will Greer as well. And Greer’s played two games. And those both came back in what, 2019? Yes. Yeah. Carolina. It hasn’t been a a recent addition. I I like what we’ve seen from Joe Milton. It’s kind of the Joe Milton experience. You’re going to get a great play and then you’re going to get a not so great play and goes back and forth. If he can build consistency at the age that he’s coming in at, it there’s the sky’s is the limit for a guy like him. Although with Greer, I think you get okay plays, but they’re consistently okay. And and you know what your backup quarterback, you don’t want him to go out there and get you beat. You know, he doesn’t have to be the hero and win games. Just don’t get me beat. I think this is a franchise that’s tired of using a backup quarterback. If you have to ask me, this is a team that they they’re tired of having that guy wearing the red jersey off to the right, not playing when Sunday’s come around. I mean, the plan here is that Dak is the guy and that he will continue to be the guy. And hopefully, if he’s able to, he’ll play all eight or 17 games plus. And in the opening press conference at training camp, Jerry Jones was very candid. It was subpar quarterback play after the starter went down last year is one of the reasons they moved on from Cooper Rush. Well, their average per game passing went from 253 into to 205 for the last nine games and that ballooned at the end of the season too. Yeah, toward the end of the the campaign. There’s George Piggins getting involved a little bit. Love seeing that number three out here. Boy, when you look back at uh the off season and uh that’s when the an the expectations for this team went way up once that trade was made for George Pickicket. He’s been targeted twice already, Nick, just off of your experience. when a new target like this, somebody that has as much pedigree and as much expectation as Pickkins does with a new scheme and a new team, how much is it on the quarterback to establish that connection early in camp and early in pads? Well, that that’s what’s great is that that we’re seeing that all of offseason, the OTAAS, it’s rare to have that much uh continuity between your quarterback and your two receivers like that. You know, Dak um obviously with CD not being here last year of camp. So the fact that they’re there and Pickkins is going to understand, you know, where how defenses are going to play CD, what that leaves for him, I think it’s great that they’re building this out here right now. I love the the remark Shottenheinder made about Pickkins. He said if they’re playing him in man, he’s open. And and I think that connection with Dak and CD has already been established. I don’t know that you got to sit there and I got a number one receiver and number two receiver because from a ability on the field they got two number one receivers they can put out there and you put a third guy out there maybe say it it’s Cavante Turpin who you going to double you know think about it who you going to double with that speed on the field and what if blue works his way in as a Nickelback that’s a lot of speed out there uh and Dak Prescott is all about George Pickkins right now. All right, we’ve got a water break here. Time for us to take a timeout. We’ll have more of the blue white practice from here in Oxnard, California in just a moment. The official 2025 Dallas Cowboys Star Magazine training camp preview now available. This year’s edition features scouting reports, position analysis, a pull out schedule poster, and articles from your favorite Cowboys riders like Nick Eatman and Mickey Spagnola. Kyle Yman, she got something in there. Probably got a couple. Get your training camp preview today at your local pro shop or DallasCowboys.com/star. See, that was my that was my article right there at the end. Oh, there you go. saved the best for last. Speaking of the best, Michael Parsons on the field, not engaged in the team activities, however, but he is here and uh in that uh contract extension impass right now. So, is it I’m here so I don’t get fined. That’s what a hold is, Mickey. Uhhuh. That’s exactly what that’s the new terminology in the league. It’s a hold in, not a hold out. And uh he is uh he is engaged with his teammates. Totally fine with this. I’m totally fine with this situation. All right. How about this? How about compare it with CD last year because CD was uh at his press conference the other day. I thought it was very interesting. He said in hindsight he feels like he lost something in his chemistry with Dak by not being in training camp. Does that apply to an edge rusher? I think so. with a new with a new defense and new scheme. And remember this, Micah’s going to play all over the field. And if Micah is going to move from the right side to the left side to the middle, that means the other guys have to move from the right side to the left side to the middle. They all have to understand how this is going to work and what happens with him out there. So, I think it’s very important for him to be out there and practice when it’s time, when it’s a little closer. Uh, I think right now is is okay. I think there’ll be this is like a roller coaster ride. Right now, the leverage might be a little over here, but it’ll shift as we get closer to the season. And the fact that playing defensive end is not all about rushing the quarterback. You got to play the run. And if this defense is going to get better, they’ve got to be better playing the run. And they’ve got to have discipline from him on the outside. When he’s looping inside, he’s got to loop into the right hole. Uh so there’s some coordination there that you’re you’re missing out on. But the talent is there obviously and at some point the contract will get extended. You also got to remember we’re not even a month away from the opener against Philadelphia. We’re still over a month. It’s still July. It’s still July. There’s a long way to go. But you said it, the opener is Philly. If there’s one team that has kind of neutralized him in in certain ways, I’m not saying he’s never made plays against them, but some of the RPO stuff that Jaylen Herz has done and and they they’ve kind of figured out a way to kind of keep him from wrecking the game. Uh, this team needs Michael to wreck the game and so I hope it’s not a Emit Smith situation and these signs on a Monday, Tuesday before the the Thursday game. The Thursday game. See you at the airport. No, I don’t think we’re getting that deep into either. But you look at you look at Micah, how how much of a reset of a a ramp up does he need to have to be there? Because I look at the CD situation a little bit differently just because wide receiver and quarterback have to be on the same page. Timing is an element of it all. There’s a part of that that of course you guys are talking about with edge rushers, but it’s a little bit different. A lot of times it’s still C ball, get ball. How much of a ramp up do you need if you like it? I think that’s a great question because if you remember he said he was a little rusty when he missed some time last year after what four or five games. Four games. Yeah. So and maybe five weeks because the buy was in there but but still like he he felt rusty. This is after training camp and middle of the season. So if that’s the case then and he knows that and CD he said CD has talked to him about that that kind of uh rush coming back from training camp. So, I I think I think he’ll he’ll kind of after about maybe 2 weeks or so, 3 weeks, if this keeps going on like this, I bet he’ll start getting a little itchy to get back in it. And and you’re hoping And you’re hoping that he’s getting his conditioning in, too. That he’s not out there just watching and that Ferguson didn’t take all the money and he’s not, you know, I mean, you think that made an impression on him? The guy took his money a year before he actually needed to get paid and he’s putting tomorrow $12 million in the bank and and don’t don’t be surprised if there’s not another one. You know what I mean? Could be Don Bland. Those guys Brandon Aubrey. Yeah. Aubrey guys going into their last year of their contract. Let’s go to the sideline now. A six-time Pro Bowler is here every day of training camp. He drove all the way here from Texas. Nate Newton and Nicole Hutcherson has him now. Cole, it’s the first padded practice. Getting to see a lot of these guys in pads, right? It’s the real deal. The world real work begins. Now, Nate, you’ve gotten a chance to get an up close and personal look at the offensive line. What’s impressed you the most? Uh, just the the quickness with their movement, the technique that Coach Raleigh is trying to put into Connor Riley trying to put in. It’s a little bit different from the last head coach. Uh, a lot of movement, a lot of the sleds, a lot of getting into uh guys, he’s teaching his technique right now. So, they’re not going 100 miles an hour like they was a few days ago in practice, but they are moving at a brisk pace, learning the new techniques and trying to, you know, transforming into hitting another person. Yeah, I got a chance to actually hear from Tyler Giden. He said that, you know, Connor Riley’s a little bit more detail oriented in his practices. What have you seen specifically with Tyler Giden in his in his improvement? Just his willingness to listen. you know, he’s heard he’s heard a lot of criticism from me and a lot of other people, but he’s he’s taken it with a grain of salt and he’s getting better. I mean, for what they’ve asked him to do early, he is he’s out there doing it. That is the key for Connor, you know, being available. That’s the best way to to get through certain situations like now he’s had every day that they practice he’s been here and that’s one thing I I hope that he can continue to do is stay healthy, stay out on the field. The kid got the talent. Now we have to build rebuild his confidence and get him going. And you have a cool story from Tyler Guy and I want to get a chance to let the fans hear about that story. Go ahead and tell us. Yeah, it just uh the other day I was coming off I was doing practice and uh I was uh the young guy Tyler Smith spoke to me and you know me and him got a little bond going so I’m powering up with him and all of a sudden I was trying to walk away from him and I go this boom this shadow hit me and it was it was Tyler G and he grabbed my hand. I’m like okay what’s up big brother fell? He said man I hear everything you say about me. I’m like, “Uh oh, okay. I’m 63 years old. What this young brother?” He’s like, “No, I just heard what you said.” He said, “About my lack of confidence, what I have now. I’m very talented that I got the ability. All I got to do is regain my confidence, start working on my technique, and I’ll be all right.” And I said, “I believe that, man.” He said, “Well, I want you to come out on the field and work with me.” I said, “You don’t need that. All you need is like let me tell you what’s going on and you just work on it.” And so we went over a little a few sets, a few things and uh and I just told him believe in what this new coach is telling you and continue to you know because if you have success in practice at a high level which they are practicing and which they out here in the pad do everything like it’s in the game and then when you get into the game you can see things a little bit better. So being is his second year speed of the game should slow down. He should build some confidence if he plays in the preeason you know. Yeah. and just hey let him let him get some work and long as he stay healthy I believe he can get better and Tyler Gen’s never had an issue with putting in work this off seasonason I mean ser obviously giving some extra work with you but he also spent some time with Tyron Smith as well this offseason getting some one-on-one action with him but Cooper BB last question Connor Riley his Kansas State offensive line coach but just talk about the improvement you’ve seen from Cooper Cooper just getting he’s going to get better he was a bulldog last year but a bulldog was lacking some of that technique he’s going to get the technique Now he’s going to be uh comfortable with the new coach. Like you say, he’s a little more detailed about how he do things and uh he coaches every guy from the from the 20th guy to the first guy. He coaches every guy. So I like that his and his coaches are enthusiastic around him. Now we just got to let these pads marinate on them. Let the pads marinate. We’re going to let you guys keep marinating and cooking up on the set. Kyle, I’m going to send it back to you. All right. Thanks, Nicole. And Nate Newton is here at Cowboys Blue White practice. You’ve been able to watch it and I love hearing Nate the story about how Tyler Gayton came over to him and uh what you’ve been listening to his podcast. He’s heard what he said about him and he agrees with him and he wants tips. He wants pointers. It was your podcast. What? It was on, we talked about it during the week on Mick Shots that uh Nate said that Gayton approached him and said, “I I I heard what you said about me.” Okay. And and but the original conversation was on hanging with the boys. Right. Right. Mick, don’t try to steal it. Trying to You’re trying to take some some I think we were on before you guys, by the way. That was in this training camp. By the way, Kyle Kyle, can you refereeing? Kyle, can you run down the litany of podcasts that viewers who may not be familiar with DallasCowboys.com can listen to not only in training camp but throughout the season which the first one’s going to be mentioned? Well, of course it’s talking cowboys. The that’s the first Kyle is featured on Talking Cowboys. Uh that’s with me, Isaiah Stanach, Patrick Walker, Josh Rodriguez, Tommy Yarish kind of fills in across the board. Uh the break is on there too. Uh, I really I’m not even I’m not floating this up there just because he’s sitting right next to me. I think Storyline is a great podcast, which is Nick Eatman’s podcast. He’s solo on that, but it’s very fan driven. Uh, they’ve have a community that’s even coming from Oxnard and having a group meeting in Oxnard. That’s really Look here. Look at here. Look CD. Uhoh. Getting into it now. That’s right. More you can do right it up. Whose podcast’s first on Monday by the way? Uh the first one on Mondays in the middle of the season. It’ll be the first one on Monday tomorrow. girls talkboys.com. You missed one shot is before we go to break. We’re not even halfway done with listing them. As we go to break here, we’ll let you know that you can listen to Mickey Spagnola on Mix Shots along with Nate Newton and myself Monday, Wednesday, and Friday this week at 11:00 a.m. Dallas time. We’re back with more of the blue white practice from here in Oxnard, California to wrap things up. The first day in pads and we come back. How about that Jake Ferguson Cowboys Nation 2025 Dallas Cowboys training camp presented by American Airlines is right here in sunny Oxnard, California goes through August 13th. You can watch the team practice as they get ready for the season. Admission is free. For more information, visit dallascowboys.com/training camp. There you see the schedule ahead and the big date to circle is Tuesday, August 5th, when the Rams come to town for a joint practice. Everybody’s looking forward to that beautiful sunny Sunday afternoon where it’s 71 degrees right now here in Oxnard, California. I hate to bring that up to folks back in Texas where it’s probably closer to 101° uh right now, but it’s a great setting for training camp. We appreciate you joining us here this afternoon on TXA21 and CBS News Texas Live stream. And we will also be on DallasCowboys.com within the next 24 hours or so. Bill Jones, Mickey Spagnola, Nick Eatman, and Kyleman’s as we wrap up. Got about 12 minutes left here and uh so far first day in patch things are going well. We did see Brevin span forward go off the field with an injury. We’re checking on him to see what the extent of that. He was able to walk under his own power. However, I think that one of the things that maybe got overlooked and you brought it up earlier uh with u with maker, you know, he kind of started coming on last year and I think we’ve seen even more progress now. So, if you get him going and and then we saw the impression uh Span Ford was making and finally John Stevens is out there after, you know, the two ACL’s that he had. Uh he’s got something and the head coach talked about uh Fant, right? Princeton F. Princeton Fant. So, they got a pretty nice tight end room uh going uh right now. It seems like every year, and John Stevens is a big part of this, is somebody on the fields out here in Oxnard at the tight end position, whether it’s a young undrafted free agent or a recent draft pick, just end up having a great camp, but never see it come to the end because tight end is such a physical position. There’s so much that goes into it. I’ I’d hate to see that that list that has John Stevens where he’s left and been out for the season or at least a long period of time grow to include Brevin Span forward. I hope he’s able to get back out there quickly cuz he was having a nice camp and there were a lot of people excited about him and possibly to to challenge Luke Skoomaker for that tight end two spot was on the table for sure. So what they’re doing now is just kind of practicing the kicking operation. Uh the other day by the way uh Brandon Aubrey actually did kick. I think he made five of six. They’ve taken down the trees here. So the wind that’s coming in off the ocean is really strong. And I remember when he lined up for that 49 y, he knocked the daylights out of that ball and it just made it over the crossbar. And I asked him, I said, “Is the wind uh going to affect you?” He goes, “Absolutely.” Uh don’t evaluate kickers. I punters. It’s been the It’s been the der of kickers though before. Right. I’m I’m just now realizing that they did take these trees down and it used to be a small There was something different. What is going on? You’re right. There’s took our shade away. There were no trees and I think it was over there, too. It’s all turf right here. And I think it’s a product of the wildfires, tragically, that they have here in Southern California. Uh, and so they took any danger zone away. Uh they’ve got smaller trees lined up on Vintage Road on the where the hotel is uh entrance is. But um you know this first day in pads, we looked at the schedule a moment ago and you’ve got a practice again tomorrow, then go again on Wednesday and Thursday and then next weekend. But it’s really telling when and and all the players and coaches talk about it. They get the best work of the preeason these days uh for the first team units um when they go against another team in practice. And so when the Rams come here, it’s going to be fun to watch. Well, you get more work in cuz you’re not hitting your own team to practice first team offense against first team defense. You’re practice against somebody else. So, uh fewer snaps, but more quality when you practice. And that’s a big test for the left tackle Tyler Gayton when Jared Verse comes in here as we saw last year. and he he did really well against him as a rookie. I was kind of excited about about Gayton’s, you know, potential just watching him go up against him. But, um, one of them had a little bit better of a rookie year than the other. That was the thing, too, is we thought it was exciting at that time and then verse put together the year that he did where he was defensive rookie of the year in the NFC. All of a sudden, you look at it as, okay, Tyler Gayton does have that ceiling. He’s just got to get there. You you just have to wear earplugs when you when you play against verse because you don’t need to hear all the talking he does. There’s 54 Sam Williams. He’s speaking of talking. Yeah. You know this for for all the the the excitement with the coaching staff and the the kumbaya it looks like and and you see you see everyone getting getting really, you know, emotional before practice and everything. There’s been a lot more fights and chippiness than you would think. uh this early into camp without tackling going on. Yeah, usually that’s that’s later hot but fan not as many fans out here and it’s just kind of a you’ve been in the the building for a month. No, it’s you’re right. It’s intense. When they were uh in Austin and it was really hot, we used to call them heat fights because they just get overheated. Overheated. And the patients were left, you know, they get quiet. Yeah. And got quite I was trying to see you trying to watch who the pass went to. Kean Hall 43 out of the University of North Texas through some praise from the coach today having a great camp. Kean Hall and by the way replacing Jordan Lewis at the slot corner is a big competition going on here. He’s kind of been in that role since the start of OTAAS though. He’s been rotating in and now it’s different with pads on and when a lot of guys get back in healthy like Revel and Diggs that’ll have to slot in somewhere. Well, it’ll be interesting when Don Bland comes back because he’s been outside and when they went to Nickel, he would gone inside uh and you got Curry Il Elum on the outside, but then on the without Diggs, it’s who’s playing outside on the other uh side of the defense. I wouldn’t be shocked if we look up though and Kean Hall’s on this 53 man when we get done with it all. He’s one of the fringe guys and it’s going to come down to special teams, but if he continues to play and the injuries stack up at corner, he’s shown that he can at least rotate in and be versatile. Well, and let’s not forget uh Savon Revel, you know, once he gets back too, he’s in the pecking order. I guarantee you. You just see him walking around here. He looks the part, doesn’t he? Wow. Very tall. He’s got a lot of length to him, long arms as well. He told me yesterday that he he hasn’t just played outside, that he’s had some uh uh snaps inside when he was in college. That would be dangerous for him for for offenses, opposing offenses would not want to see that. Speaking of barking out there, 18 Demone Clark. Yeah, I like that little confidence level. He sort of got lost in the shuffle last year. By the way, you got 41 Donovan Esaraku lining up at left defensive end right here. So, I’m really impressed with him. Boy, that first step’s amazing. Not just on the field, but also you talk with him. And this guy, this guy, he he has it together. He is uh he’s got a lot of Demarcus Wear qualities about him as a person as well as uh on the field. There he comes. And it’s easy when they don’t touch him either. Yeah, you may want to block him. I know that’s a free release and that’s the that’s a play design, but Well, it ball better come out, right? Better be out quick. Okay, our final minute here. Uh final impression. How about from you Kyle Yman’s? What do you What are you thinking after seeing the first day in pads here? Yeah, I think it they’re still going about 70% for the most part. There’s not a ton of of extra physicality than we would have seen previously. Of course, the trenches are getting some really good work in. Uh it seems like there’s there’s some some slap or sloppiness back and forth from a uh from a passing game standpoint. We haven’t seen a bunch of completed balls. I think the defense is making these reads tough on these quarterbacks, Dak and Joe Milton alike, and anything 10 to 15 yards downfield has been really tough on these guys uh throughout the practice today. That’s the first thing I thought is the ball’s been on the ground a lot. uh not from fumbles specifically, but from incomplete passes and uh really good defensive day so far, the first one in pads. Yep. And about to wrap it up here. We’re going to wrap up our coverage here on TXA 21 for Kyloman’s, Nick Eatman, and Mickey Spagnola. I’m Bill Jones. We appreciate Patrick Walker as well as Tommy Yaris joining us the first hour of our coverage here and catch all the coverage on dallascowboys.com as well. But we appreciate you joining us here for the blue white practice from Oxnard, California. And now we continue our coverage here on dallascowboys.com. The final few minutes of uh training camp. You can say what how you really feel about this team now that we got rid of the people over on TXA21. Bill Jones, Mickey Spagnola, Nick Eatman, and Kyle Yman’s. Final few minutes here of practice in pads. I want to give an opportunity for Nick Eatman and Mickey Spagnola to spout out whatever you want. Go ahead. Whatever I want. Um, let’s take a look here. No, I we just want to call the play. They got these playbyplay guys that are that are doing it. I That’s one thing I was going to talk about was just how physical the the running uh backs have been in this and and they they show speed. of course practice everyone takes it to the house but but you know if that’s if that’s Miles Sanders like it looks like to be uh he’s been the guy if I had to pick who would be he may not start but I think he’s going to have the most production of any running back on the team this year I would say my Sanders yeah over see I think when the signings were made to allude to what Mickey talked about earlier if you follow the money it was probably a pecking order of Javvante Williams and then Miles Sanders /Jaden Blue. We’ll see how it uh pans out, but that’s what this camp is all about. It’s competition. Well, who’s doing well in from Carolina? Like, who who does well when they go to Carolina and they play well? I’m sorry, but I mean, who really who’s who shines there? I mean, it’s just not a place to to do that. And so, I understand where, you know, he needs what this is a third chance for him. But I think give him the offensive line he had in Philadelphia and see the production that he had there. And you have to have opportunities. They have Chuba Hubard there at Carolina and they drafted the young kid out of Texas who got hurt as well and so it’s just making the most of your opportunities. Well, think about what he said when you when someone asked him earlier about Carolina and he go, I’d rather not talk about it. So, you knew he thought he got short changed uh there. One of the things that took place today, so they switched yesterday uh on the offensive line. Uh uh Tyler Booker uh moved to the second team. They were looking at Rob Jones the whole day at first team and now Booker’s back uh with the first team at uh right guard. He look at Pickets. Was he the one that talked about it the other day about his back flip and he said, “Oh yeah, I can teach anybody to do that after practice.” Or him or Joe Milton. It’s Joe Milton does back flips every time he turns around. It seems like as the team has now gathered uh in contrast to the other day when it was a very spirited Brian Shottenheimimer who talked to the team, this uh seems to be more subdued tones probably. He was pretty quick after uh Thursday’s practice as well. He’s he said that was a great practice. Let’s get out of here. Let’s go. Yeah. The one I’m referring to was after the the Tuesday practice, right? Yeah, the scuffle on the sideline Wednesday. Yeah. And he he let him have it different. The next The next guy throws a punch in practice is headed to the locker room just like he’d be kicked out of a game and the punch landed on the wrong person. That’s right. On his defensive teammate. I think it Troy Pride. Uh but I I just love the feel. I love the energy of this. And as we wrap up things here, uh round the horn real quick, just something from each of you. uh what you’re anticipating going now into the second week of camp? Well, I I’m going to go with what you just said. The energy, the intensity uh that they have worked with, I I think is is supreme. Uh and I think you got to kind of keep that up. I know it starts early in camp. Uh but you got to make sure it’s day to day to day and uh I think that helps. Now, we’ll see where the talent takes you after that. Just lining up the dominoes for me. One gets knocked down and knocks another one. Let’s see who signs this week coming up. Ferguson will start. We’ll see. Maybe it’s Micah, maybe it’s not, though. I think this offense and defense back and forth is going to be really fun to watch. You saw the defense probably have the better day today. Tomorrow might be completely different on the offensive side. All right, that does it from the blue white practice 2025 Dallas Cowboys training camp. And check out Mix Shots tomorrow morning. Thank you, Bill. Monday, Wednesday, and Friday at 9:00 Pacific time, 11:00 Central time. I think he appreciates that. We’ll shout at you next time here.

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