OXNARD, Calif. – The Cowboys held another intense practice on Friday, including plenty of goal-line and red-zone work.
Here are some of the top observations from practice:
- It was an up-and-down day once again for Trey Lance, but his high saw him make arguably his best throw of training camp on a deep corner route shot to Jalen Tolbert that fell right into Tolbert's breadbasket for a big gain. The tightly contested catch hit in Tolbert's hands right before he stepped out of bounds for what would have been roughly a 40-yard gain. (Nick Harris)
- Chauncey Golston is entering a contract season and is hoping to break out for the Cowboys, especially in the wake of the team losing Sam Williams to a torn ACL. The question is where might that occur on the defensive line, because he's mostly taken reps on the interior before — entering the league as a defensive end before being moved inside — but now taking a good bit of reps on the outside. Either way, he's looked effective in his reps and his versatility will likely come in handy while things shake out at the edge over the next several weeks. - (Patrik Walker)
- While his shotgun snapping is still showing some inconsistencies, Cooper Beebe had a strong day in protection both as a pass blocker and run blocker. In run block drills, Beebe was consistent in creating big holes in the middle of the offensive line and in pass drills, he created opportunities for the depth backfields. (Nick Harris)
- Another good day for Marshawn Kneeland, it was. His technique is as impressive as his size, and he continues to refine the latter as camp rolls along; and quickly. On the third day of padded practice, his run defense (already stout) was on full display but so was his pass rush ability. The rookie second-round pick is starting to unveil some new pass rush moves — timely shoulder dips, misdirection with his hands, etc. — to incorporate with his noticeable power to make for a promising first camp thus far. - (Patrik Walker)
- A pair of players exited the practice field as tight end Luke Schoonmaker made a brief visit to the injury tent before walking to the locker room and safety Israel Mukuamu left practice early on and did not return. Rookie offensive tackle Tyler Guyton was not in attendance for Friday's practice due to a sickness. Eric Kendricks (lower back), Deuce Vaughn (hamstring) and Ryan Flournoy (knee) all continued to work with the rehab group. (Nick Harris)
- With two newly-signed defensive ends on the roster, namely Shaka Toney and Al-Quadin Muhammad, it was my mission to key in on their ramp-up on Friday. Muhammad didn't appear to have much rust at all, if any, putting Earl Bostick in the spin cycle on one occasion in 1-on-1 drills and showing his speed rush on another. The bottom line is the veteran came into camp ready to compete. - (Patrik Walker)
- The interior of the offensive line had an impressive showing during red-zone drills, anchored by centers Brock Hoffman and Cooper Beebe. The guards, with T.J. Bass and rookie Nate Thomas also handled their own inside, clearing the way for a few easy touchdown runs by Malik Davis, Royce Freeman and Snoop Conner, who went untouched a couple of times for a score. Even without tackling, the O-line walled off the defense several times to win the drill. – (Nick Eatman)
