DALLAS — Versión en Español: ‘Sigue tus sueños’: Un aspirante de los Cowboys espera ser el primer jugador nacido en México enlistado en la NFL
Less than one month until the loyal throng of Dallas Cowboys fans engulf the practice fields at training camp.
Kids cling to the fences like primer with Sharpies secure in their clenched fists.
Hoping to see Dak. Hoping for an autograph. Hoping to one day wear “The Star” themselves.
For 44 years, the Cowboys have held training camp in southern California -- 17 of them in the city of Oxnard.
Every summer, the Pacific breeze waves in faithful supporters from around Golden State and south of the border for a chance to see their favorite team up close.
Once again bound for Cowboys camp this year is the Alarcón family, who will travel more than four hours from Monterrey, Mexico, to see their beloved Cowboys -- and their beloved son, Isaac.
Isaac Alarcón joined the Cowboys in 2020, thanks to the NFL's International Player Pathway (IPP) program.
The IPP is a league initiative to grow the game globally, by providing NFL opportunities for non U.S. and Canadian Citizens.
Teams are permitted an exemption spot on the practice squad for IPP players, if they're not picked for the 53-man roster.
Since coming to America's Team, Alarcón has played in a few preseason games before spending the duration of the regular seasons on the practice squad.
To this point, the most national exposure he's received in the NFL came in 2021 when the Cowboys were featured in HBO's hit TV series "Hard Knocks."
The IPP program is temporary, though. Alarcón is no longer eligible for the practice squad exemption spot.
"I was getting ready to go back to Mexico, man. Finish my college degree and everything,” Alarcón admitted. "It was like praying for the impossible, you know?"
On January 25, Alarcón received a call from Cowboys Vice President of Player Personnel Will McClay, one of the men in charge of the roster construction.
“He was like, ‘Isaac, man, we don’t want to let you go. We want to sign you back,’” Alarcón recounted.
There was just one condition: Alarcón would have to convert from offensive lineman -- to defensive lineman.
"By the way, we want you to play defense now," McClay told Alarcón.
"I had never played this position before,” Alarcón noted.
That's (mostly) true.
Last season, multiple Cowboys defensive linemen would not practice due to injuries or rest.
Coaches asked Alarcón to fill in on the defensive line as a member of the scout team defense.
(Scout team defense is a common method teams use in practice to mimic their upcoming opponent's defense, which better prepares the starting offense.)
Alarcón's ability caught the eye of former Cowboys offensive lineman Jason Peters, who told the coaches they should move him to defense.
When a future Hall of Famer suggests something, people listen.
For the last 5 months, the 24-year-old Alarcón has put in work with Dallas-based defensive line trainer Brandon Tucker.
“I’m fortunate to work with multiple Cowboys," said Tucker, who trains Cowboys defensive linemen Sam Williams, Chauncey Golston and Osa Odighizuwa.
The group has welcomed Alarcón with open arms.
"My teammates with the defense and my coaches, they're making me fall in love with this new position," said Alarcón.
Tucker's group of defensive linemen assembled for training one day in the offseason and they brought Alarcón along.
"We were doing our normal workout and I was like, ‘That’s big isaac. What’s he doing here?’ ‘Oh, tuck, they flipped him. He needs some work,'" Tucker recalled. "Let’s go. Let's get to work.”
To casual football fans or spectators, it may seem like a simple change to hop across the line of scrimmage.
It is not. It is far from easy and far from ordinary, especially for a player multiple years into the NFL.
"It’s starting from scratch," Tucker asserted.
Diet and fitness for a defensive lineman is different from an offensive lineman.
"I no longer have that, 'Eat whatever you want, you're ok.' I gotta take care of my weight," Alarcón explained.
His new position requires playing low and playing fast. Two skills he's working on this offseason with Tucker.
Then there's the mental side of learning schemes, picking up opponent tells, tendencies and probabilities related to down and distance.
Alarcón is gradually understanding the various mental components to supplement his physical development.
“I’m not trying to learn everything in a chunk," Alarcón said. "Step by step.”
For a man 6 feet, 8 inches tall and 300 pounds, every step is gargantuan.
"He looks good," smirked Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy on the final day of minicamp. "He looks good inside. It almost seems a little more natural for him. I’m excited to see him in padded work."
The pads come on at training camp where Alarcón will put his quick-change routine to the test.
"I can't tell ya how much love we have for Isaac," McCarthy continued. "He’s put the work in and he’s built an outstanding foundation.”
Not only is Alarcón making the rare position flip, he's trying to make history in the process.
The NFL has never had a position player (non-kicker) born and raised in Mexico make a 53-man roster.
Alarcón is striving to become the first.
“For me, being from a different country and being able to still be here, it just humbles me," Alarcón said.
The Mexican community makes up a substantial segment of the fan base.
According to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones, more than half of NFL fans in Mexico root for the Cowboys.
Alarcón was one of them as a kid.
"As to how we look to the future of 'Vaqueros de Dallas' and our Mexican fans, they're our point of emphasis," Jones told DallasCowboys.com in a 2021 video about the Cowboys relationship with their Mexican supporters.
Part of that emphasis is representation. Not just in the offices but in the locker room.
There’s no doubt: Alarcón is a source of inspiration and pride for football fans in his home country.
“Keep chasing your dreams, pray about it," Alarcón explained. "Don’t be afraid of trying something new. You never know what is going to happen."