Two weeks into Cowboys training camp, the picture in Oxnard is starting to sharpen. The pads are on, the reps are getting more serious, and a few names are separating themselves while others are slipping into a tougher spot.
That matters now more than ever, with Week 3 set to bring another layer of clarity. Dallas has a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams on Tuesday before opening the preseason against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, so the next few days should tell a lot more about where this roster is headed.
At the top of the list of players making noise is George Pickens. After putting together 93 catches for 1,429 yards and nine touchdowns in his first season as a Cowboy, he’s showing signs that he may be ready to take another step.
Pickens has been consistently creating separation for Dak Prescott in team drills, and his best moment came in 1-on-1 work when Prescott dropped a perfect go ball over tight coverage from Shavon Revel Jr. Pickens reached out with his left hand and plucked it cleanly from the air.
On the defensive side, Cobie Durant has been the standout in the secondary. He’s been sticky in coverage, active around the ball, and he picked off Prescott in the red zone after showing excellent awareness while playing off coverage.
Durant has also added several pass breakups, and right now he looks like the front-runner in the CB2 battle. He’s comfortable in both man and zone looks, and his style has given the defense a little extra bite.
Another defender turning heads is Jaishawn Barham, who looked like he was on a path toward a starting job in Christian Parker’s defense before a groin injury on Thursday. The injury isn’t believed to be serious, so his absence should be temporary.
Still, the third-round pick out of Michigan has already shown enough to make a real impression. He’s been active against the run, sharp in coverage, and even beat Tyler Smith as a stand-up blitzer.
Whether he starts right away or not, Barham looks like a player who’s going to matter.
Otito Ogbonnia has also forced his way into the conversation. With Quinnen Williams and Kenny Clark already established, Ogbonnia is the less familiar name, which makes his camp even more notable.
He briefly went into the medical tent on Thursday, but he came back quickly and immediately made his presence felt by blowing up a run play against the starting offense. Reporters around camp have praised his speed and motor, and he’s been disruptive enough to shut down pitches and screens from the defensive tackle spot.
Not everyone is moving in the right direction, though. Nate Thomas has taken a hit after Brian Schottenheimer called for more from him in the left tackle competition.
Schottenheimer said the battle isn’t over, but for now the first-team reps are going to Guyton. Thomas needed to make a stronger case against him, and the fact that the coach felt compelled to challenge him is not a great sign.
If fourth-round pick Drew Shelton weren’t looking like a rookie, Thomas might be even further down the depth chart. It also wouldn’t be a surprise if Dallas adds another tackle before August ends.
Reddy Steward is another cornerback who still hasn’t found his moment. He played in all 17 games last season, including five starts, and his slot flexibility gives him value.
But he’s now working under a completely new defensive staff, and that means he has to earn everything again. Meanwhile, Ameer Speed has flashed more often since joining the Cowboys in June after a successful minicamp tryout.
Speed already has an interception in 1-on-1s and forced a fumble in team drills, which only adds pressure on Steward to start making plays.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling rounds out the group sliding backward. Whatever momentum he built during OTAs hasn’t carried into Oxnard, where Jonathan Mingo has clearly outplayed him.
Mingo has made the most of a camp that could define his standing, while Valdes-Scantling has dealt with too many drops in important moments. The roughest came when Sam Howell put one right between the numbers in the end zone and Valdes-Scantling couldn’t hold on.
With Mingo standing out and Traeshon Holden getting work with the starters, Valdes-Scantling is staring at a difficult path to a roster spot.
In Other News...
Cowboys Defense Turned Heads While One Big Camp Concern Lingers
A joint scrimmage with the Rams offered a different kind of August snapshot for the Cowboys, with limited video access and only a sliver of the usual camp visibility. Even so, the early read from observers was encouraging on one side of the ball, as Dallas defense drew praise for the way it handled the work at the Rams facility while a few familiar camp absences kept the look from being fully complete.
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Stephen Jones only added to that message when he praised Williams as a defensive leader, a notable choice of words given how Dallas moved on from Parsons and sent him to the Green Bay Packers. Even without saying anything directly about the old edge rusher, the Cowboys' latest praise has been read as a pointed contrast, the kind of subtle post-split framing teams often lean on when they want the next chapter to feel very different from the last. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Preseason Opener Puts Several Roster Battles Under Real Pressure
With the Cowboys planning to keep most of their starters on a short leash in the preseason opener against the Seahawks, the real spotlight shifts to the players fighting for roster security. This is the kind of August game that can matter more for Traeshon Holden, Caelen Carson, Nate Thomas, Marist Liufau, Joe Milton and Sam Howell than anything the first-string group does, because the staff is looking less for polish than for proof that these depth pieces can handle real snaps.
For some of those players, the pressure is already a little sharper than it was a week ago, and the Seahawks game offers a chance to change that trajectory in a hurry. Preseason is usually about sorting through the margins, and Dallas has several competitions that could swing on how a player looks against live opponent reps, from quarterback to the line to the back end of the defense. [Read more 🡒]