DALLAS — Training camp for the Dallas Cowboys is off and running as the team prepares for the 2024 season, and it kicked off with the usual state of the franchise address from team owner Jerry Jones.
The annual press conference featuring Jerry and Stephen Jones highlighted Dallas’ anemic offseason and was, as expected, a farce that didn’t explain the reasons for why the Cowboys did next to nothing to improve the team after another disappointing playoff exist last January, but did allow for the Joneses to have their moment in front of the camera to talk for minutes at a time, often leading nowhere.
None of what was said gave credence to why the Dallas brass has failed at extending any of their big three players, including wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, who continues to holdout, or to why they weren’t active in free agency.
However, the Joneses did celebrate the fact that season tickets for the Cowboys sold out faster than for any other team in the league, just in case you were worried about the cash flow in Dallas after the checkbook was locked up this offseason.
The first few days of camp in Oxnard, Calif., were complete with pseudo-practices, with the first padded workout upcoming. Here’s a look at what transpired on the field after the Jones circus left town:
Significant injury
Starting on a sour note, the team had its first tough injury news when edge rusher Sam Williams tore his ACL – and MCL – during Sunday’s practice. It’s a big blow to a team short on pressure players to lose their best situational pass rusher.
The defense lost their previous best options, Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler, in free agency this offseason and Williams was expected to take the next step towards becoming a significant part of the pass rush. Williams had totaled 8.5 sacks in a limited role in his first two seasons, and his playing time was set to be boosted this year.
A breakout campaign for Williams will now be put on hold and the Cowboys will need a young pass rusher to step up or they could look to sign a veteran to fill the void. Rookie Marshawn Kneeland and second-year man Viliami Fehoko are the next men up, and neither have played an NFL snap.
Smith showing improvement
Last year was a rough one for the defensive tackle first-rounder out of Michigan, but Mazi Smith’s sophomore season appears to be heading in a better direction. Smith has been looking more like a top selection that the team expected to become a stalwart in the trenches in camp thus far.
The quickness off the ball and the power that made Smith a high draft pick has been evident during the first days of camp.
It’s early and the pads haven’t been donned yet, but Smith appears to have taken well to new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s plans for him and a solid year from Smith would be a boon for Dallas as they try to fix their issues with stopping the run that plagued them during Dan Quinn’s tenure as DC.
Guyton working with the starters
When the Cowboys drafted Tyler Guyton with their top pick in April, the worry was that he needed time to develop. The tools were there to be a Pro Bowl offensive lineman, but the young left tackle was a raw prospect who might not be ready to start immediately. That claim was backed up during the offseason and early in camp when veteran LT Chuma Edoga was lining up with the first team offensive line.
However, Guyton has made enough of an impression to work his way into first team reps as well. The rookie saw snaps with the starting OL group, a sign that he could be progressing faster than expected, or that the team wants a better look at Guyton. It’s hard to tell just a few days in, but Guyton doesn’t appear to be overwhelmed and is showing the signs of being a fast learner.
Young wideout stepping up
This offseason, there was a feeling that third-year receiver Jalen Tolbert was ready to step up and take the WR3 role. Right now, the play from Tolbert is matching the hype. With Lamb still not with the team, Tolbert has taken advantage of the extra work with quarterback Dak Prescott and is finally living up to his draft status.
Even when Lamb returns, and with Brandin Cooks entrenched on the other side, the offense will need a third WR to become a threat and Tolbert is starting to earn that role. He’s looked good in camp before, so the hope for Dallas is that Tolbert can continue his upward trend when the pads come on, and in meaningful games. The improvement right now is encouraging, however.
Lance struggling
The Cowboys were hoping that a full year to absorb the offensive system while learning behind one of the best quarterbacks in the league would unlock the 2021 No. 3 overall draft selection. A few days into camp and that doesn’t seem to be the case as Trey Lance has struggled and still doesn’t look to be ready to take Cooper Rush’s job as the backup QB.
There has never been a sense that Lance could unseat Prescott, but the hope was that the young QB would win the backup spot convincingly and play well enough to give the team two options. One, to give the Cowboys the ability to trade him away for higher capital than they paid, or two, give the team an option for 2025 if they can’t work out a deal with Prescott. Both seem extremely unlikely now and if Lance can’t improve, the team may have flushed a fourth-round pick down the toilet.
There’s still time for Lance to get better, of course, but if he can’t beat out Rush for the backup spot, it’s a massive failure for the Cowboys. Early on, that looks like the case.
Do you think the Cowboys will make additions to the roster this summer? Share your thoughts with Ben on X (formerly Twitter) @BenGrimaldi.
More Cowboys coverage: