The Cowboys’ first padded practice on Monday shifted the conversation in Oxnard, and it didn’t just stay with the cornerbacks.
Yes, the defensive backs on the outside drew plenty of attention. Cobie Durant picked off a pass, Shavon Revel kept stacking coverage wins, and DaRon Bland joined the fun too. But buried underneath that headline-grabbing work was something just as important for Dallas: the safety group is starting to look like a real strength.
That matters because the Cowboys are building a secondary that can do a lot more than simply line up and react. Malik Hooker, Markquese Bell, Julius Wood, Alijah Clark and 11th overall pick Caleb Downs have all drawn positive early reports, and P.J.
Locke and Jalen Thompson are expected to play plenty once the regular season arrives. That’s a deep, flexible group, and it’s giving Christian Parker’s defense a different kind of edge.
Wood, in particular, made a point of standing out on the first day in pads. Nick Eatman of the team’s official website described it this way:
Bringin’ the Wood - On the first day of pads, you wouldn’t expect anything other than someone named “Julius Wood” to have a physical practice. Just an hour before, his head coach Brian Schottenheimer mentioned Wood as being active and making the safety position rather deep.
And then in practice, he had several big pops, jarring the ball loose on a pass during the team drills and he also wasn’t afraid to come up in run support. Also, Caleb Downs had a few run stops as well.
But Wood is a guy trying to get noticed - and he did that Monday. - (Nick Eatman)
Downs showed that same willingness to help against the run, which only adds to the sense that Dallas has multiple safeties who are comfortable coming downhill and making plays in the box. When you combine that with the cornerbacks’ work in coverage and the way the linebackers are being used to disguise things, the Cowboys are clearly trying to make life as difficult as possible for opposing offenses.
That kind of versatility is exactly why the safety spot can change a defense. It gives Dallas options, and the Cowboys appear to have plenty of them.
The bigger picture is pretty clear from camp so far: the offense can win with its passing game, and the defense has the tools to answer back. Dallas has what the source describes as likely the best duo of wide receivers in the league, with Ryan Flournoy rising as a third option. If that group keeps producing while the cornerbacks keep building on Monday’s momentum, the Cowboys could create a major gap in big pass plays generated on offense versus what they allow on defense.
Dak Prescott is working with an offense that brings back all of its starters from 2025, along with the play-calling head coach and offensive coordinator. With Prescott in control, Dallas can already lean on its quarterback play. If the defense keeps throwing everything it has at opponents and forcing opposing passers into tough spots, that only raises the ceiling.
Even if Downs eventually settles into more of a true nickel role and the moving around calms down during his rookie season, the Cowboys still look loaded at safety. For a team that has been one of the more competitive stories of camp, that’s a big reason the back end is starting to feel like a unit that can keep growing into something more dangerous.
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The bigger issue is whether the pass rush can become consistent enough without the team having to look outside the building for help. Donovan Ezeiruaku has been in the middle of the action, and the Cowboys' interest in veteran edge rusher Maxx Crosby lingers as the kind of possibility that tells you the front office may not be fully satisfied yet. For now, camp has created more questions than answers in those two battles, and the next stretch of practice should reveal whether the current in-house options are enough. [Read more 🡒]