The first week of Cowboys training camp in Oxnard delivered plenty more than just helmets and three practices. Jerry Jones stirred the pot with trade chatter, said he never lost interest in Maxx Crosby, and the Jordyn Brooks buzz popped back up again. But once the team actually got on the field, there were real storylines worth tracking heading into Week 2, when the pads finally come on.
Some players made the kind of early statement that jumps off the page. Others left a little more to prove.
George Pickens wasted no time looking every bit like a difference-maker. A second-team All-Pro receiver was always going to be part of the conversation, but the bigger question was how he would look in camp after getting no long-term deal.
That answer has been loud and clear: Pickens has been fully engaged, and his work with Dak Prescott has been sharp, maybe even better than what they showed last season. Just as noticeable has been his personality, with that childlike love for the game showing up in a way that has been hard to miss.
Whatever doubts existed about how he’d practice, they’ve been put to bed.
DeMarvion Overshown also turned in a strong opening week, and the most important part of it is simple: he looks healthy. That alone would matter for this defense.
Christian Parker handed him the green dot, and Overshown handled the responsibility in a Wednesday rep where Parker pretended his comms had gone out to test him. Agent 0 got the defense into the exact right call.
His health will stay under the microscope until it doesn’t, but the Cowboys’ reported interest in Jordyn Brooks looks more like a depth conversation than a knock on Overshown. So far, he’s looked the part.
On the other side of the ledger, Marquez Valdes-Scantling has seen his early momentum stall. He came into camp with some juice after working as a starting receiver in Pickens’ absence during OTAs, though that came with the caveat that he had only been with the team for a few days at that point.
Now the picture is less rosy, with Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com reporting that Valdes-Scantling has dropped a couple of passes. He did answer with a big-gainer on Thursday, but in a crowded receiver room, the occasional splash play won’t erase routine drops.
Jaydon Blue has been one of the brighter surprises. Cowboys fans have been waiting to see if he can really pop, and the early signs point in that direction.
He took his first carry 45 yards to the house, and reporters in Oxnard said the run would have counted even in pads. Blue followed that with another long run in Thursday’s session, showing good vision and patience before he hit the hole.
It’s still hard to fully judge running backs without pads, and the test gets tougher now that Quinnen Williams and the rest are allowed to be physical. Still, Blue could hardly have asked for a better start.
Tyler Guyton, meanwhile, has had a more uneven week. The Cowboys believe he can grow into their long-term answer at left tackle as long as he stays healthy, but injuries have kept interrupting the reps he needs.
Working as the starter, he’s already been beaten a few times. Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported that Donovan Ezeiruaku “ got the better of Guyton on a couple of pass protection reps.”
That’s not exactly shocking, since Ezeiruaku is the most gifted pass rusher on the roster, and offensive linemen are working at a disadvantage before the pads come on. Even so, Guyton would have liked a cleaner opening week with that spotlight on him.
The other name that stood out was Donovan Ezeiruaku, who kept making life uncomfortable for the offense. On a one-year, $2.5 million contract, Williams flashed as both a pass rusher and in run defense, and the move to a 3-4 defense may suit him well after he played outside linebacker in college.
He was seen chasing down running backs in coverage and creating problems off the edge. Nick Eatman said Williams “lived in the backfield” on Thursday, “creating all kinds of pressure from the left side.
More of that, please.” Like Blue, he’ll need to keep it going once the pads are on, but the first week was enough to get attention.
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