OXNARD, California — The Dallas Cowboys have been in Oxnard for exactly two weeks, and they have been in pads for one week. The Los Angeles Rams will be the opponent in a joint practice on Thursday before the SoFi Stadium preseason opener on Sunday. Before we get into a major week, let us look at where things are trending. Those talks with the Rams will bring us a lot more insight on where things are headed.
Stock up
Wide receiver depth
The departure of CeeDee Lamb has resulted in improvements at wide receiver. Passes to No. 88 flow easily with Lamb on the field, which the Cowboys believe is inevitable. Without Lamb, the ball is being dispersed more widely in addition to each receiver moving up a spot on the depth chart.
The Jalen Tolbert buzz is real as of right now. Tolbert has been the No. 2 receiver and caught the eye of some of the best players in the Cowboys’ excellent secondary, but it needs to translate to regular-season games. In response, Tolbert has been resolutely honest, and Dak Prescott has made a lot of concessions. Tolbert has made many excellent plays along the sidelines and has not often dropped catchable throws, even though they have not always connected.
Jalen Brooks pic.twitter.com/Tk37H9jkyX
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) August 5, 2024
When it comes to practices, Brandin Cooks appears to be in good shape. Moving down the depth chart even further, KaVontae Turpin has found himself in positions that utilize his shifty, quick skill set—passes into the flat, for example—or the occasional jet sweep. In terms of their rapport, Jalen Brooks has been heavily involved and was a player Prescott went out of his way to single out. And Tyron Billy-Johnson has been one of the biggest camp standouts, as everyone keeping track of camp developments knows.
Brock Hoffman
The Cowboys’ 2024 class generated a lot of buzz after the draft, mostly because of first-round selection Tyler Guyton and third-round selection Cooper Beebe. Respect to Chuma Edoga aside, Beebe anchoring the middle of the line felt just as natural as Guyton taking over the left edge. Guyton, who is replacing future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith, has bigger shoes to fill than Beebe, who is taking over for Tyler Biadasz.
Hoffman, who was consistently mentioned as Beebe’s center rival but was not always held in high regard, maybe deserved more recognition. Hoffman has performed admirably at center, and he appears to be the early favorite to start at center in Week 1.
To be clear, Hoffman still has a great player profile for the Cowboys and might even be the team’s center of future success, so this is more a testament to him than a criticism of Beebe. However, Beebe is currently a collegiate guard who is switching positions. He is developing mentally as he learns the subtleties of snapping the ball and plays the position, which calls for recognizing defensive fronts and placing protections. Beebe is a reliable inside offensive lineman and has performed well in camp.
Hoffman is starting his second season in Mike McCarthy’s offense and his third with the Cowboys. Having played center more recently, he is more fluid physically and has the mental aspect of the position down. The Cowboys declared shortly after the draft that Hoffman would be fierce competition for Beebe, so he would have to earn his spot. Even though it is difficult to make broad generalizations from practice, Hoffman is demonstrating that this is his place to lose.
Caelen Carson
The Cowboys’ secondary, particularly at cornerback, is tremendously talented. Trevon Diggs practiced in full pads on Monday for the first time since Week 2 of the previous season, while DaRon Bland continued his stellar start to camp after his breakout season. In the slot, Jourdan Lewis is a dependable presence.
Caelen Carson, a rookie selected in the fifth round, has added to the wealth.
“He’s very natural in there, so it’s not too big for him,” McCarthy said. “I think he’s going to be a really, really good player for us. How much he contributes will depend on how his reps go and how much time he gets inside and outside. I think he’s having a very, very good camp. He’s had flash plays almost every single day.”
For the most part, Carson has been playing outside. With Bland, who can play both inside and outside, the Cowboys have flexibility if injuries occur and they want to keep Carson outside. As his NFL career begins, Carson can continue to hone that flexibility at this level as well. The majority of Carson’s impressive camp has been against backups, so it will be fascinating to see whether he can continue to succeed and receive reps with the starting squad.
Stock down
Luke Schoonmaker
The narrative of Schoonmaker’s early NFL career has been one of injuries. It is happening again, costing him a significant portion of his rookie offseason and the beginning of training camp. The second-year tight end has been out of practice for the past two days due to a groin injury he sustained on Friday.
His position on the club could become less important given the depth the Cowboys have at tight end.
At the top of the list, Jake Ferguson is a clear lock. Something may really get interesting behind him. Despite being the backup, Peyton Hendershot has not exactly been having a great training camp. On Monday, he dropped a nice seam pass from Prescott. John Stephens Jr. is recovering from an ACL tear, but before the injury occurred, he was expected to make the final roster. Stephens might land a part because of his unusual size and skill. Brevyn Spann-Ford appears to be a factor and was a highly sought-after rookie free agency.
Dak down the seam, absolute money ball. Hendershot has to catch it pic.twitter.com/MkDhBysEXg
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) August 5, 2024
Schoonmaker was a good camp participant prior to his most recent injury, and the Cowboys selected him with a second-round pick in 2023, so his status on the roster is not in grave danger. However, Spann-Ford, Stephens, and Hendershot are all up-and-coming athletes with varying degrees of intrigue. It might be a bigger mountain for Schoonmaker to climb if they manage to take a position next to Ferguson.
Pass-rush depth
Until we see some real-life situations, preferably from regular-season games but even from preseason games or a combined practice, we will not raise the alarm. Evaluating the trench systems’ practicality on either side is a challenging task. Still, a formidable pass rusher can be seen. Although Micah Parsons is a remarkable athlete, it is normal to see him in the backfield and his presence should be acknowledged.
Micah Parsons coming all the way around on a blitz pic.twitter.com/qMEiCgIUtY
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) August 5, 2024
It’s been pretty sparse in the offensive backfield beyond Parsons.
After Sam Williams’ injury proved difficult to accept, the Cowboys signed Shaka Toney and Al-Quadin Muhammad as a response. Marshawn Kneeland, a second-round selection, will be expected to advance his growth quickly. However, people like Chauncey Golston and Viliami Fehoko ought to start making an appearance; thus far, they haven’t. One name that should not be overlooked is Durrell Johnson. He has shown glimpses of promise and moments.
Running back committee
Join the club if you are still curious about the details of the Cowboys’ running back strategy. The Cowboys do not appear to be aware yet. Though there have been occasional outbursts, Ezekiel Elliott is not the same person he was, nor should we expect that. The club has Royce Freeman on their roster, but on Monday he left with an undisclosed ailment. Due to injury, Deuce Vaughn has also missed time.
Rico Dowdle has served as the committee’s public face and may take the lead during the campaign. He has demonstrated strong pass protection throughout practices, shown off his receiving prowess, and been called upon to run in high-pressure scenarios. Another area that is difficult to evaluate during team sessions is the running game; nonetheless, a standout player would, well, stand out, and that has not happened yet.
Another 4th and 1, another pitch to Rico Dowdle pic.twitter.com/S3L9Yroi6l
— Saad Yousuf (@SaadYousuf126) August 5, 2024
(Photo of Brandin Cooks: Jason Parkhurst / USA Today)
