The Cowboys are heading toward a training camp that should tell us plenty about a handful of younger names, and a few of them are positioned to push for bigger jobs in 2026.
Phil Mafah is one of the clearest examples. Dallas already has Javonte Williams at running back, but Mafah’s size and power give the Cowboys something different.
He missed time last season because of a shoulder injury and didn’t get on the field until the season finale, when he scored a goal-line touchdown. That kind of finish is exactly the sort of role he can build on.
At 6-foot-1 and 232 pounds, Mafah has the frame to handle short-yardage work and help take some punishment off Williams over the course of the season. The idea is simple: keep Williams fresher, and let Mafah be the hammer near the goal line.
Brevyn Spann-Ford is in a similar spot, only his path runs through the tight end room. He’s behind Jake Ferguson, but he already established himself last year as Dallas’ primary blocking tight end.
Now he has a chance to do more. Luke Schoonmaker’s roster standing is not exactly locked in, and if Spann-Ford shows he can be a steadier receiving option, he could move up the depth chart.
His size jumps off the page at 6-foot-7, and that alone creates problems for defenders near the end zone. Dallas could get more out of him as a pass catcher, especially inside the 20, but first he has to pass Schoonmaker and make the case that he belongs as the clear TE2.
Traeshon Holden is another name worth tracking once camp opens. The receiver depth chart has CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin at the top, which leaves the fifth spot up for grabs.
Holden has a shot to claim it if he puts together another strong summer. Last year, he kept showing up on the practice field with plays, including a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone from Joe Milton.
He also had long catches in preseason games against the Rams and Ravens, which led Dallas to sign him to the practice squad. He didn’t get into a regular-season game, but he comes into camp as one of the young receivers with a real chance to stick.
The competition around Holden is real. Dallas added veterans Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Denzel Mims and Tyler Johnson, and Jonathan Mingo is running out of time as well. Even so, Holden has already shown enough to stay in the conversation, and if he keeps hauling in everything thrown his way, he should at least have a place on the practice squad again.
There’s also a full training camp calendar to keep in mind as Dallas gets rolling in Oxnard. The team charter arrives on July 27, followed by the opening press conference on July 28 at 11:00 a.m.
PDT. The first practice is set for July 29 at 11:45 a.m.
PDT, with an open practice on July 30 at the same time. The opening ceremony comes on August 1 at 11:15 a.m.
PDT, and the first padded practice is scheduled for August 3 at 11:45 a.m. PDT.
More open practices follow on August 4, 6, 8, 9, 13 and 17, all at 11:45 a.m. PDT.
Dallas also has a joint practice at the LA Rams on August 11, a game at Seattle on August 15 at 5:00 p.m. PDT, a joint practice with New Orleans on August 18 at 2:00 p.m.
PDT, and a game at Arizona on August 22 at 7:00 p.m. MST.
The team returns to Dallas on August 22, with Saints 08/28 @ 7:00 p.m. CDT noted on the schedule.
Looking even further ahead, Christian Parker is a name to file away for 2027. The idea of an unexpected reunion depends on a long chain of events, including Washington falling apart, Dan Quinn getting fired and Parker eventually landing a head coaching job.
Parker still has to prove himself first, and the point is not that he’s on the way out. He hasn’t earned anything yet.
The bigger question is whether his defense grows over time and whether the young players develop under him. Quinn and Schottenheimer already have a connection, too, having coached together with the New York Jets in 2007 and 2008 before reuniting in Dallas in 2022 and 2023.
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