The Cowboys got a little bit of everything on Tuesday during their fifth practice of training camp: a fight, a handful of injury updates, a stronger showing from the offense and another standout day from one of the defense’s most reliable playmakers.
It was the second padded practice of camp, and after back-to-back sessions in pads, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said the team will take Wednesday off from them before putting the pads back on for Thursday.
The first real flashpoint of camp came when edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku threw a punch at right tackle Terence Steele, which got Ezeiruaku kicked out of practice. That was the day’s loudest moment, but it wasn’t the only notable one.
There was movement on the injury front, too. Locke returned to practice Tuesday after missing the previous three sessions with a hyperextended knee, according to The Dallas Morning News’ Joseph Hoyt. Thompson, who is recovering from a hip flexor, worked off to the side with the rehab group, Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram reported, which points to progress for the veteran safety.
Jonathan Bullard was added to the injury list with a hamstring issue, Schottenheimer said, per Calvin Watkins of The Dallas Morning News, though the fact that he was also with the rehab group suggested the injury may not be serious. Schottenheimer also said DeMarvion Overshown and Tyler Guyton were dealing with soreness that limited them in practice. Guyton has a sore elbow and Overshown has sore legs, but there’s no concern for either player.
Later in practice, safety Alijah Clark went down with an ankle injury and had to be helped off the field. His status wasn’t known after practice, and that’s a concern given how well he’s been performing so far in camp.
Before practice even started, there was also tough news on tight end Princeton Fant. Schottenheimer said Fant is out for the season with a torn ACL and partially torn MCL, ESPN’s Todd Archer reported. Fant suffered the injury after a collision in Monday’s practice.
On the field, the tight ends drew praise from Joseph Hoyt, who singled out rookie Michael Trigg and Jake Ferguson.
"Thought the tight ends impressed today - specifically Jake Ferguson and Baylor undrafted TE Michael Trigg," Hoyt said.
Trigg has had plenty of buzz since signing as an undrafted free agent because of his physical tools, but for much of camp he’d been quieter than expected. Tuesday looked more like the kind of day that fueled that early hype.
There was also a rough moment for fourth-round pick Shelton, who had a tough rep against Sam Williams. Shelton has been working at both right and left tackle as he tries to position himself as the first lineman off the bench if Guyton or Steele gets hurt, but for now Nate Thomas appears to be ahead of him there.
Meanwhile, Blue and Mafah kept building on strong offseasons. Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com said both backs stood out again Tuesday, with Blue showing well on a screen pass and Mafah flashing vision and cut on another play.
"Jaydon Blue has been having a very strong start to Cowboys training camp, and Phil Mafah is really standing out today in the second padded practice," Walker wrote.
Blue is making a push to be the RB2 ahead of Malik Davis, and Mafah is continuing to work toward a roster spot.
The offense also bounced back after the defense controlled Monday’s first padded practice. Tuesday tilted the other way, with Dak Prescott and the offense winning more of the day’s battles overall, according to Patrik Walker.
"It wasn’t lopsided in either direction - as it was with the defense winning big yesterday - but Dak Prescott and the offense got more wins today," Patrik Walker said. "Schotty’s and Adams’ offense takes it on Tuesday."
That said, the defense didn’t get run off the field. And Cobie Durant kept making sure of that. The cornerback added another highlight to what has been one of camp’s most consistent stretches, breaking up a deep ball and continuing to separate himself in the battle for the CB2 job opposite DaRon Bland.
Shavon Revel had his best practice of camp on Monday, but Durant has been steadier throughout camp and should be viewed as the favorite for that spot.
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