OXNARD, Calif. – The future is now.
Right there on the offensive line when the Cowboys began Wednesday's practice here with the Los Angeles Rams for the second time in a week, first-round draft choice Tyler Guyton was working at left tackle with the first-team offensive line. And for the first time in pads, just as head coach Mike McCarthy had promised during Tuesday's media conference, QB Dak Prescott went under center with Cowboys third round draft choice Cooper Beebe, speeding up his transition from college guard to NFL center.
The Cowboys all along wanted Guyton to win the starting left tackle spot, and whey they drafted him with the 29th pick if the NFL Draft, there intention for him was to eventually replace the departed future Hall of Famer Tyron Smith. Just wanted to make sure he was ready.
Well, the timetable sped up in Sunday's preseason game against the Rams when veteran starter Chuma Edoga, expected to eventually become the backup swing tackle, went down with an injury. Turns out an ensuing MRI on Monday reveals Edoga dislocated his left big toe, a very painful injury, and am told the soonest he'd back would be around Thanksgiving.
That means the Cowboys for now must make one of two decisions: Either place him on the eventual 53-man roster for one day then transfer him to injured reserve/return or immediately place him on IR, which would mean he's out for the season, leaving the Cowboys searching for a backup swing tackle once again. And that search hit a speed bump out here in practice Wednesday when one candidate, first-year offensive lineman Earl Bostick was helped off the field with what appeared to be a serious ankle injury.
That leaves last year's fifth-round draft choice Asim Richards the leader in the house for that backup job and likely leaving the Cowboys scouring the waiver wire or for sure when the rosters are cut to 53 on Aug. 27.
But if Wednesday's first indications mean anything, Guyton, short a couple of false starts, held his own against the Rams first-team defensive line, and again, short one bad snap, Beebe did the same working with the Cowboys starters in place of Brock Hoffman.
Guyton fought hard and well against the Rams first-round draft choice Jared Verse, who lines up as an outside linebacker in the Rams 3-4 alignment. Verse proved to be a handful in last week's scrimmage, but Guyton proved up to the challenge on Wednesday. He stoned Verse in a couple of one-one-one pass rush reps. And then during an early team session, the highly emotional and mouthy Verse got pancaked by Guyton twice on back-to-back plays. Gotta like the rookie's fight.
As for Beebe, saw him execute a block just like on his Kansas State tape at guard when he takes on a defensive lineman and then moves to the second level to neutralize a linebacker.
But as Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy points out, these guys just need reps, but then again can't afford to overly expose Guyton to injury with little backup now.
Welcome to the NFL. Always something.
- Digging In: CB Trevon Diggs has been inching closer to participating in some 11-on-11 drills as he continues to comeback from his torn ACL, and that finally took place here Wednesday during the scrimmage with the Rams. And seemed to pick up where he left off in 2022, using his length and ability to break on a sideline pass for an interception, though officials deemed he didn't get both feet down inbounds. No matter. Made a nice play on the ball. "Kinda felt like my first games as a rookie," Diggs said of returning into a team period for the first time since tearing his ACL last year. Doubtful he plays in Saturday's preseason Game No. 2, but showing daily he will be ready for the start of the season
- History Lesson: Think about this and the impact it eventually made on this this franchise when 38 years ago Tuesday, Aug. 13, 1986, the Cowboys signed running back Herschel Walker to a franchise-high five-year, $5 million contract, having drafted the former Heisman Trophy winner out of Georgia with a 1985 fifth round pick. The Cowboys owned his rights following the USFL going out of business and gained permission from his NJ/NY Generals owner Donald Trump, who had signed Walker early out of college to a personal service contract worth a guaranteed $6 million over four years to jump to the NFL. This took place up the road from here at the Cowboys training camp site in Thousand Oaks, causing a huge stir since the Cowboys already had former Heisman Trophy winning RB Tony Dorsett as their lead back since 1977. Walker was going to make more money than Dorsett, who immediately asked to be traded, though calming down as the day wore on. Add to the fray our Mick Shots partner Everson Walls, never one to mince words with his opinions. The two-time NFL interception leader, up for a contract renegotiation, came out to practice that day with a $ painted on his taped-up ankles to say, "If they were going to do something like this, as slick as the Cowboys try to be sometimes, they should have signed everyone else first. They are going to hear from a lot of people about this. They know there is going to be a backlash." But if not for this unprecedented move and contract, the Cowboys never would of had that haul of draft choices from trading Walker to Minnesota midseason in 1989.
- New Kitchen: Guess what happened the day before that signing of Walker, a mere one sentence note in most newspaper accounts since the Cowboys held a press conference that day upon Walker's arrival to start contract negotiations? The Cowboys signed another USFL castoff, some guy named Nathaniel "The Kitchen" Newton, the 6-2½, 329-pound offensive lineman. Then offensive line coach Jim Myers remarked, "He was in terrible condition, about 40 pounds overweight but he still did five pullups, and he did them the right way, too. Right now, I'll take all the talent I can get." In the future six-time Pro Bowl guard's first practice, Big Nate put defensive tackles Randy White and John Dutton on the ground with one block, and then politely helped both up to their feet. As for head coach Tom Landry, never a fan of 300-pound offensive linemen, he said Nate needed to lose 20 pounds. Nate now says, probably closer to 40.
- Upgraded Challenges: The NFL officials working this scrimmage gave a briefing before practice on some of the 2024 rule changes. One being a long time coming, that if a team wins just one of the first two challenges a third will automatically be granted, instead of needing to win two challenges to in order to ern a third. 'Bout time.
- Shorties: Dang, injuries after Sunday's first preseason game starting to pile up, not practicing here Wednesday were starting linebacker Damone Clark (knee) and versatile linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (hip) . . . But good moves for running backs Royce Freeman and Deuce Vaugh, both out with soft tissue injuries returning to practice on Wednesday . . . Cowboys former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn, now the head coach in Washington and needing help at wide receiver, is giving last year's Cowboys practice squad wide receiver Martavis Bryant another chance, signing him to the Commanders 90-man roster . . . See where former Cowboys international player Issac Alarcon is making somewhat of an impression at offensive tackle with San Francisco . . . Be interesting to see if a new atmosphere for cornerback Andrew Booth, acquired in a trade sending Cowboys former 2022 third-round draft choice Nahshon Wright to Minnesota, jump starts the Vikings 2022 second round pick's career . . . DC Mike Zimmer's familiarity played a part in the Cowboys signing of free agent LB Nick Vigil, who in 2021 started for the Vikings former head coach, along with current Cowboys linebacker Eric Kendricks and two years ago former Cowboys linebacker Anthony Barr . . .
Any time we get to spend like 15 minutes interviewing Micah Parsons, there is sure to be a last word provided, just as he did out here on Tuesday when the CeeDee Lamb extension stalemate was brought up and what last year's NFL reception leader (135 catches) brings to the team.
"CeeDee, he is checking in on me, he is watching the practice film, saying 'Oh you going crazy,'" says Micah, just warming up to the subject. "We have our talks, but at the end of the day, me and CeeDee and all of us, we all know what it is. He is part of the brotherhood. He's not going nowhere. The business side, he's going to take care of it. But honestly, it's been great for the defense not having CeeDee here. When he's here, he's way more destructive towards us, but he offers us a look we can't see nowhere else.
"I'm pretty sure Trey (Trevon Diggs) will be happy to have him back to add a little. Dak's going to be happy to have him back, and all the little things. Because when CeeDee is out there, he's going to talk trash, he's going to try to put his moves on me, and I got to hear it all week. Obviously, we miss him, he's one of the best people to have in the locker room, and I'm pretty sure he'll be here soon, no doubt about it, Week 1, he'll be suiting up for the Dallas Cowboys."
And tongue in check, in reference to Cowboys owner Jerry Jones saying there is no urgency to get CeeDee signed, Micah was asked if indeed it's "urgent" to get CeeDee signed, he said, "We all want CeeDee. I think every day when you face a true No. 1 receiver in the league, it's, 'Ah, we got to deal with this today.' . . . and be sure when CeeDee Lamb is here, we will be shading down to him. He's the best receiver in the league."
No arguments here.
