FRISCO, Texas – Another practice cycle is complete.
Tuesday was the Cowboys' third-straight day of practice, which means Wednesday is a day off. Well, maybe not "off." They'll still go through meetings and walkthrough, but they won't practice again until Thursday.
If this was the last practice for 48 hours, it was an entertaining one. Here's a notebook of some of the standout moments from a competitive session.
- Chidobe Awuzie suited up for the early part of Tuesday's practice, but he did not participate in the competitive portions. The fourth-year corner tweaked his knee while making an interception on Monday. It's likely the Cowboys are monitoring him to prevent further injury, though Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy did not that the injury didn't seem to be severe.
- With Awuzie out, Trevon Diggs got even more opportunity than usual – and he made the most of it. The rookie broke up a post route intended for Michael Gallup, and he denied Noah Brown a touchdown with an end zone breakup, as well. Later in practice, he made a great play to poke a pass away from Cole Hikutini by reaching over his shoulder. Unfortunately, he got there just a bit too soon and was flagged for defensive pass interference, but it was still an impressive display of athleticism.
- Anthony Brown also had a solid day in coverage. Dak Prescott challenged him twice in a row by throwing go routes at him on back-to-back reps. Brown had excellent coverage on both reps, shadowing Michael Gallup and Devin Smith step-for-step, and denied both completions.
- Might as well mention one more cornerback. Reggie Robinson made one of his nicest plays of camp so far. In red zone drills, the rookie corner wound up trailing tight end Charlie Taumoepeau. Robinson was a step or two behind his man, but he closed ground quickly to bat away a would-be touchdown.
- Tuesday featured goal line reps, so it got a little bit physical. There were several loud pops near the goal line. Ezekiel Elliott and Trevon Diggs collided at the pylon as Elliott looked to turn the corner for a touchdown. Luke Gifford and Donovan Wilson also laid a big hit on Tony Pollard at the goal line. It's hard to judge during a practice, because there's no live tackling, but it's a decent bet that the two would've stopped Pollard from crossing the goal line.
Views of the Dallas Cowboys during the ninth day training camp at Ford Center at the Star in Frisco, TX.
- Cameron Erving appears to be getting closer to his training camp debut. The swing tackle candidate was dressed for practice and did conditioning work with the athletic training staff. Starters Tyron Smith and La'el Collins also haven't returned to practice yet, but Mike McCarthy has indicated they're progressing.
- Greg Zuerlein hasn't missed a field goal attempt in practice yet. For the third time in camp he went 6-for-6, with the long today from approximately 46 yards.
- CeeDee Lamb finds a way to stand out, every single day. Prescott found Lamb for a 50-yard touchdown during the seven-on-seven portion of practice. Later on, during red zone reps, Lamb made another toe-touching grab along the sideline for a would-be touchdown – but the referees ruled it out of bounds. It's hard to say for sure, but a look at the replay might confirm it was a touchdown. It certainly looked like Lamb got both feet down in the end zone.
- Dak Prescott continues to show some favoritism for his tight ends in these practices. Obviously, the receivers are getting plenty of targets, but Prescott certainly seems to enjoy looking down the seams for the likes of Blake Jarwin, Dalton Schultz and Cole Hikutini. Prescott had a beautiful completion to Jarwin between the two safeties – though, in a live setting, Xavier Woods very likely would've laid a big hit on Jarwin.