Texas’s Frisco Following head coach Mike McCarthy’s news conference, which ended at 10:45 a.m. on Wednesday, the Dallas Cowboys’ media entourage began to move toward the outdoor practice grounds. There was considerable confusion on Tuesday, the first day of the required minicamp, regarding whether the two-hour practice would continue indoors or go outside, as it did for the OTA practice on May 22. McCarthy was keeping an eye on the wind, more so than the prospect of severe rain that has previously passed across the Metroplex. Because of the layout of the outdoor practice fields, which are surrounded by large buildings on three sides, the wind can occasionally swirl and produce unfavorable conditions.
On Wednesday, there was no such deliberation. There were blue skies to be seen. The wind was not out of control. In June, the temperature was not too bad, at least not by Texas standards. Even yet, quarterback Dak Prescott expressed his excitement for the next time the squad would exercise together—at training camp in Oxnard, California, in late July—despite the temperature nearly reaching ninety degrees.
The Cowboys will have a private team activity on Thursday, the last day of required minicamp. The last opportunity to see team activities before training was on Wednesday. This is a summary of the day’s events, with an emphasis on Prescott and snippets woven in from all throughout the day.
10:45 a.m. The Cowboys had already moved to the main field and were stretching before practice. Prescott was on the 50-yard line with teammates stationed five yards apart, along with quarterbacks Cooper Rush and Trey Lance. Zack Martin and Ezekiel Elliott were using resistance bands under the end zone baseline with Cowboys athletic trainer Britt Brown.
10:54 a.m. John Fassel, the special teams coordinator for the Cowboys, spoke over the PA system, telling the squad to start practice that day with some 11-on-11 situational football. Every play had a different down and distance, which had nothing to do with the play that came before it. Chuma Edoga at left tackle, Tyler Smith at left guard, Brock Hoffman at center, T.J. Bass at right guard, and Terence Steele at right tackle made up the starting offensive line, as they have all spring. This practice assisted both units in translating their conceptual teaching into physical reps, but it did not involve a fierce rivalry between the offense and defense (that would come later).
Prescott left the game after the first five minutes, and Lance played a few plays in his place. Lance and Rush alternated every few plays while the second-team offense got work. Tight end John Stephens Jr. and wide receiver David Durden were working out with Brown off to the side. Brown worked with Trevon Diggs, DeMarvion Overshown, defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa, and tight end Luke Schoonmaker later in practice. McCarthy discussed the rehabilitation process earlier in the morning, focusing on Diggs, Overshown, and Stephens in particular because they all had left ACL tears early in the previous season.
“I don’t recall ever having a personnel meeting where we talked so glowingly about guys coming back from rehab,” McCarthy said. “It’s been impressive to watch those three young men. They’ve been in there every day together. The irony of three left knee ACLs so the rehab has been pretty much the same but I think it’s helped each and every one of them. They look great. … You could really write a book on the way they went through it. Whatever ahead of schedule exactly means in detail, those three guys definitely accomplished that all the way through.”
McCarthy stated that the Cowboys will adhere to the schedule regarding the players’ return to full-team practices.
“Let’s be honest, we’re going to be very cautious with those guys,” McCarthy said. “We’re not going to put them out there too soon. Better later than too fast.”
The first day in full pads will come next, and the commencement of training camp will be the next marker. Following that, preseason games and combined workouts will take place before the season officially begins.
11:00 a.m. Punter Bryan Anger and kicker Brandon Aubrey left the weight room to go to the empty secondary field while the squad practiced on the main field. On the main field, the remaining players were divided into two groups: the first team offensive played on the far side of the field, while the second team offense was on the near side. Lance took care of every second unit rep while Prescott and Rush divided the first team reps. There were a few movable pieces, such as youngster Cooper Beebe, who saw action with the second team at center and right guard.
11:32 a.m. The first unit had already left while the second unit finished up with a few more plays. The following exercise involved separating into individual positions. Prescott and the Cowboys were practicing dropbacks with the centers on the far side of the second field at first.
The quarterbacks moved to the near side of the second field to do accuracy exercises after a short while. Quarterbacks would retreat and move sideways within the pocket. A net with three pockets—red to the right, yellow in the center, and blue on their right—was in front of them. A coach would call out a color as they progressed into the pocket, and the quarterback’s job was to promptly fire the ball to the matching color.
Then, in a more challenging variation of an accuracy drill, a net was set up in the end zone’s back left corner. In an attempt to get the ball into the net, quarterbacks would retreat. Snaps from the 5-yard line were used to start the distance, then it was shifted back to the 10 and 20 yards. Prescott hit a field goal from the 10 and the 20, but Rush scored from the 5. A little while later, Lance returned and added another 20 points to his total.
Dak Prescott put the ball in the net twice on this drill, once from the 10 and once from the 20. Here was a frame-by-frame of the one from the 20: pic.twitter.com/QRtbNf5xRG
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) June 5, 2024
11:58 a.m. The offensive and defense resumed their individual exercises. While the skill players ran air routes, offensive linemen practiced on the opposite side.
12:23 p.m. It was a seven-on-seven session that kicked off the most rigorous half-hour of practice. Before Jalen Tolbert received a mild completion in the apartment, Prescott’s tenure started out quietly with deep incompletions meant for Brandin Cooks and KaVontae Turpin. The next time Prescott was up, the action picked up a bit. After hitting Elliott for a little gain across the middle and completing a 10-yard curl to Cooks, he finished with a ball to Jake Ferguson at the 2-yard line.
Lance was next in line. Lance passed to wide receiver Cam Johnson on his last rep. Eric Scott, the cornerback who was defending on the play, tipped the throw and gave the defensive sideline a boost right away. But as the ball bounced up, Johnson was able to go back under it and make a completion, which restarted the offensive. Prescott got in Israel Mukuamu’s face as he sprinted toward the defense to inform them of the incident.
“We all know, I love to compete, talk trash,” Prescott said. “So, that’s the base of it. You have to have fun doing this. And we know each and every day we’re gonna come in, we’re gonna compete against each other but we’re trying to get each other better. No better way than to compete and talking. Having energy high, celebrating after big plays. Just makes it fun.”
The festivities did not last long. Prescott was in control of the next play, and safety Donovan Wilson intercepted a pass that was meant for Jalen Brooks after linebacker Eric Kendricks tipped it. Prescott gathered the offense, and the defense fell apart. Prescott found Tolbert in the center of the field for a score on the following play. The offense was set up inside the 10 on the last play. Fassel declared that they were down to four. “for the world championship.” Cooks ran a crossing route and got away going right from Juanyeh Thomas, and Prescott hit him in the end zone for the touchdown.
“It makes that whole iron sharpens iron fun,” Prescott said. “Understand you’re dealing with heat, dealing with all this other stuff. But at the end of the day we’re just trying to get better and let’s have fun doing it.”
12:31 p.m. The last section included seven-on-seven play for two minutes, maintaining the intensity of the preceding session. With one timeout remaining and 1:28 remaining, the offense started with the ball close to midfield and an eight-point deficit. Prescott attempted to pass to Cooks on the first play, but Cooks was unable to get open. Prescott turned to look to his right. Prescott was forced to roll to his right and drag the ball down as a result. The defense, watching the play from the sidelines, began yelling with delight when they got the sack, especially after Prescott had rolled out for a few seconds.
After ten plays, including a fourth-down convert by Turpin and a Jalen Cropper pass that moved the team to the 1-yard line, Prescott found a wide-open Tolbert for a touchdown. The play set up the Cowboys for a two-point conversion that would have tied the score, but Prescott’s pass to Brooks was incomplete in the end zone.
There is a strong likelihood CeeDee Lamb would be involved in some way in a regular-season game. Prescott started working with the other receivers while Lamb awaited a new contract extension.
“Obviously, CeeDee’s handling business,” Prescott said. “Nobody’s more in his corner than I am. … I know him, I know he’s been working. As I said, I’ve thrown with him. He’s just fine. But the fact of him not being there, as I said, the Crops, the Brooks, some of these guys being able to get in there and take those reps, Tolbert playing all three positions and getting valuable reps with me and, honestly, growing my confidence of them. Those guys are going to have to make plays and catches in games and they’re getting more confident in each rep they’re getting.”
At 12:48 p.m., the team assembled for its final practice before the actual training camp work started.
Cowboys’ minicamp coming to an end. Team won’t practice together again until training camp in late July pic.twitter.com/YeaqzsUpV8
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) June 5, 2024
Prescott addressed the quarterbacks following the formation of the sizable group. Encouraged by the familiarity that comes with experience gained during the previous season, he voiced optimism in the offensive situation heading into the second season in McCarthy’s offense. McCarthy said earlier in the day that Prescott has had his greatest offseason to date.
“I’d agree, first and foremost,” Prescott said. “It’s what I put into this game. It’s what this game means to me. I talk about it every offseason. Any chance we talk, my focus is always getting better; getting better overall in every way that I can, every aspect of my game, making sure I push the other people around me. Mike’s comments are the results of us doing that from the time the offseason began, from before the offseason began with the team activities, us guys getting together.
“Really, the growth in my play and the jump I’m making in the second year in his offense as well, being more comfortable with the footwork. The receivers around me, their second year in it, they’re more comfortable, they’re more confident. Things are just faster off the line from the huddle through the play to the scramble drill when it doesn’t work, we are truly understanding, everybody understands, I guess. It just makes the communication, my approach and allowing me to play with more confidence.”
This is it, the last break for the Cowboys. Prescott stated that he had a packed agenda coming ahead. As he has in the past, he intends to gather his receivers for an off-season getaway. Prescott intends to include family time in that this year as a new father. Although a month and a half may seem like a long time, the Cowboys’ preparation for the 2024 season will really pick up speed once the trip to Oxnard takes off.
(Top photo of Prescott: Chris Jones / USA Today)
