(Editor's Note: At the end of each day here at training camp in Oxnard, the staff writers will each provide their own personal observation, ranging anywhere from a particular player who is standing out, a position that needs an upgrade, or even their own personal experiences regarding the daily rigors of camp.)
Rob Phillips: Each training camp there seems to be an undrafted rookie receiver who makes noise – last year it was Lucky Whitehead – and each practice Andy Jones seems to make a play or two that gets the crowd fired up. In Sunday's scrimmage there were at least two: a back-shoulder touchdown catch from Dak Prescott, and in the tackle period, a catch-and-run from Jameill Showers on a slant route that brought the offense inside the 5-yard line. Jones is trying to crack one of the deepest Cowboys receiving groups I can remember in several years, but with a strong preseason, he might just have a chance.
David Helman: Every practice at this training camp features at least a small special teams portion. Sunday was no different, as the coverage units worked out the kinks and Chris Jones boomed seven or eight different punts. Typically, it's hard to judge too much from these sessions, because they're non-contact and half-speed. But in this particular instance, Lucky Whitehead fielded a kick and was off like a gun shot. He darted past the first two tacklers right away, and then he dusted two more when he beat them to the corner and turned upfield. It's hard to do justice to how fast Whitehead was moving, and I have next-to-no doubt that he would have scored – even in a real game. Whitehead hasn't always been impressive as a receiver, but that ability is what's going to help him make this roster. He's absolutely lethal as a special teams weapon.
Nick Eatman:Most players don't admit to having much flaws in their game. But when Alfred Morris said he's still trying to become a "complete" back, it showed a sense of humility and self-awareness that is rather uncommon from a two-time Pro Bowler. But Morris also said he expects to work on other aspects of his game and he's getting the chance to do just that. Running with the first-team offense for the last week, Morris has been rather effective out of the backfield catching the ball. He's also been more than a willing blocker. In the scrimmage, Morris had a couple of red-zone catches to extend the drive. The veteran back is looking quick and alert, more than taking advantage of his opportunity.
Bryan Broaddus: In this game, you can be light on numbers and missing players but no one cares. Each day is a different set of challenges and how you handle those challenges as a team defines who you are. This defensive line has not been at full strength at all during this camp but they've not allowed that to affect how they have played. By no means has this group been perfect but the effort especially in the Blue-White Scrimmage was outstanding. There are no backups here because the backups to the backups are the starters. I was impressed with what I saw today from David Irving, Zach Wood and Mike McAdoo. These guys never took a break during the practice and when they were called on to make plays – they were able to do just that. Hopefully this group will get some numbers this week but the way things have been going for them lately, don't count on it.
