OXNARD, Calif. – One day left of 31 here in training camp. Surely another lovely Chamber of Commerce beaut just like today. And yesterday. And the day before that.
One last practice. A light one on Thursday after Wednesday's spirited finish to training camp before packing up to head home.
One last preseason game, 3 p.m. Saturday at AT&T Stadium. This one against the Chargers.
And from the looks of things heading toward the Aug. 27 roster reduction to 53, this Cowboys team needing an infusion of youth appears to have struck gold with the 2024 NFL Draft class.
At this point, there is a good chance at least six of the Cowboys' eight draft choices should make the 53-man roster. The first six, offensive tackle Tyler Guyton, defensive end Marshawn Kneeland, center Cooper Beebe, linebacker Marist Liufau, cornerback Caelen Carson and wide receiver Ryan Flournoy. Would think at least offensive lineman Nate Thomas and defensive tackle Justin Rogers would be re-signed to the practice squad if they clear waivers.
Not bad, huh? But look at it this way. Two of the picks, Guyton and Beebe, are likely starters. Depending on what defensive alignment the Cowboys are in, Kneeland could be a starter as well. The second-round pick was working with the first team on Tuesday with Micah Parsons taking a rest day, according to him, saying he felt a little something different when he woke up. Parsons fully practiced on Wednesday, ruining a whole bunch of offensive snaps.
With Damone Clark and DeMarvion Overshown not taking reps in team, there was Liufau lining up next to Eric Kendricks at linebacker with the first unit. Guy seems to be all over the place, Micah saying, "He's going to be the guy who surprises a lot of people."
Then there is Carson, back from having a wisdom tooth removed, earning some reps with the first team, rotating in at times. And Flournoy made a couple of tough catches in the 11-on-11 periods these past two days.
"Very mature rookie class, can see that right away," is head coach Mike McCarthy's initial assessment. "I've been so impressed with this group.
"So I think it's definitely apparent that these guys will contribute early and often."
And when Cowboys owner the other day was asked what's jumped out to impress him so far, he went to the offensive line, despite having to replace future Hall of Fame left tackle Tyron Smith and starting center Tyler Biadasz, and knowing the Cowboys need to find a backup swing tackle.
"Pointedly, I'm excited about our offensive line, individual players," that also would include Pro Bowl guards Zack Martin and Tyler Smith, along with fifth-year right tackle Terence Steele. "I'm excited about the depth there. I'm excited about the youth there, all of that. That's critical. That's vital to us to have that running game."
Draft and develop, right? How often have we heard that?
Well, in the Class of 2023, all eight draft choices made the team last year, and all eight are still on the Cowboys' 91-man roster. And there is a good chance five of those guys will make this year's initial roster. Then going back to the 2022 draft class, where once again all eight of the drafted players made the initial roster, six of those still are here in camp. Furthermore, of that draft class, had Sam Williams not suffered an ACL injury early in camp, we could have made a good case for five of those guys starting this year, including three Pro Bowlers – Tyler Smith, DaRon Bland and Jake Ferguson – along with Jalen Tolbert and Williams.
That sure is catching a draft.
- Thou Shall Receive: Chances are the Cowboys will keep at least five receivers for sure and possibly six. The top four right now would be CeeDee Lamb (once he signs), Brandin Cooks (left camp for personal reasons), Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin. As for the fifth, if Tuesday's performance in practice means anything, Jalen Brooks will make this team. Last year's seventh-round draft choice who appeared in seven games (six catches, 64 yards) made two spectacular catches, one an over the shoulder touchdown grab in the corner of the end zone while falling to the ground and another one in a tight crowd. If there is a sixth, Flournoy is leading the pack, having another good practice on Wednesday.
- The Maz: While last year's first-round pick Mazi Smith missed the preseason game against the Raiders, suffering an allergic reaction to a protein shake laced with a peanut product, he was back working hard this week and resuming his spot at defensive tackle with the first team during Tuesday's practice. The kid is working hard and on his conditioning too. There he was on Monday after the team's walk-through practice, doing a running exercise with Parsons and Osa Odighizuwa. The threesome would sprint five yards and back, another five yards and back, all the way down the field for 100 yards. And on the last five, Mazi burst into the lead. "For me, I felt like I can really step up and be a leader," Micah said of his role in the post-practice running exercise. "I need to build up the people around me." Sounds as if someone is maturing.
- Bulking Up: If you thought Johnathan Hankins was big, well, wait to you see newly acquired defensive tackle Jordan Phillips, 6-6, 341, in his 10th NFL season. This guy is a load, and like what he said the other day about playing defensive tackle, saying he's not big on stats, just wants to do his job up front so the linebackers can make plays. The Cowboys in Tuesday's practice had him playing both defensive tackle positions, at times on the field with Mazi, other times on the field with Osa. Should be an upgrade to this Cowboys run defense that must improve over last season when opponents ran for more than 100 yards in 11 of 18 games, including Buffalo going for 266, Arizona 222, San Francisco 170 and Green Bay 143 and three touchdowns in the playoffs. Uh, no surprise, all four losses.
- Nicked Up: Guyton didn't do much in the team portions of practice Wednesday, nursing a sore knee. Taking the reps with the first team offense was Asim Richards, the leading candidate to fulfill the vacant swing tackle position as of now. This might be one of those TBD things decided after the NFL cuts are made on the 27th. Also missing from practice was defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, resting from a case of tendonitis in the kneecap area. The 11th year veteran should have a nice break, not practicing on Wednesday, travelling on Thursday, a walk-through practice on Friday, not scheduled to play on Saturday and likely another off day Sunday.
- Fire Alarm: For the record, the fire out at the Residence Inn Tuesday at Cowboys training camp took place right across the parking lot from my room in fourplex Building 13 on the players' side of campus. No player at the time was in the building. The fire alarm went off at 4:55 p.m. and was mostly contained by 5:10 p.m., with five fire trucks arriving almost immediately, along with other smaller units, according to Oxnard Battalion Chief Steve McNaughten. The chief said 35 firefighters were on the scene, classifying the fire as a "content fire." Smoke was clearly visible from the parking lot, but no flames. Cowboys personnel were the first to respond with fire extinguishers. All calm today.
- Camping Out: While the Cowboys were keeping an eye out for veteran cornerback Stephon Gilmore, he became too rich for the Cowboys' blood, er cap, signing a one-year deal with the Vikings for a $7 million base and the ability to make $3 million more in incentives … Williams (ACL) and offensive lineman Earl Bostic (ankle fracture/ligament tear) underwent surgeries on Tuesday back in Dallas, both being placed on season-ending injured reserve. Bostic's procedure, known as a rope repair, tied the separated fibula and tibia back together above the ankle … Man, aren't the Cowboys glad Randy Gregory did an okie-doke on them, agreeing to a contract and then reneging to basically sign an identical deal with Denver. The Broncos cut ties with him after four games in 2023, then he spent 12 games with San Francisco, signing a free-agent deal with Tampa Bay in the offseason. But Gregory failed to report to training camp and was fined $1.37 million before the Bucs just outright released him … And while the Cowboys continue to bring in some experienced defensive linemen, like Phillips, Carl Lawson, Albert Huggins and Al-Quadin Muhammad, Jerry Jones said they're probably still not settled there.
And for today's last word, we turn to Jones, responding to Los Angeles Times veteran writer Sam Farmer when asked his thoughts assessing how this has all turned out while helping bring the Rams back to Los Angeles and then establishing the Raiders in Las Vegas.
"I'm so rewarded, the Southern California fans out here," Jones began. "And the dominoes that took place. The Rams and the Chargers being in that fabulous stadium, and if you will, some of this circuitous way the Raiders ended up in Las Vegas, all of that. I had all of that thought out (tongue in cheek), but still it happened. And to have gotten to be a part of it in any way, helped the NFL, helped fans, it made us be a better sport, a better league.
"When I look at the job Stan Kroenke and what he has done to put that venue together there in Los Angeles, and then Mark Davis stepping out there and doing what he did in Las Vegas and working with the great state of Nevada. They really did work with the Raiders to get that stadium built, they maximized it, got that town alive. I think it's one of the top two season-ticket sellers in the whole league. That's good stuff, that's exciting stuff.
"I look at it more holistically than I do because for me, where I am in Dallas, Los Angeles and Las Vegas are just a suburb there to me, so it's all one picture being out here. And I think, arguably, and maybe since the days of "Crazy Legs" Hirsch since I wasn't around for that, but this is a real heyday for what the NFL is and football is. And I got to say this, I'm talking to the man here, Sam, who had as much to do with it as any individual.
"This is a big day for LA in Los Angeles."
And the very last, last word is mine, having spent this past month here in Oxnard, and let's specify that this is the Cowboys' longest training camp held here five miles from the Pacific Ocean, not their longest ever. Back in the day, training camps up the 101 in Thousand Oaks lasted a good six weeks, and some longer when the Cowboys would stage a rookie camp before the veterans even reported.
But Oxnard might be the best kept secret around. The weather, the location, the people, the utmost friendly folks here at The Residence Inn and the dedicated volunteers who have been giving their time for so many years here, making it feel like family.
Almost hard to say goodbye.
