FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys are conducting their final week of OTA practices before a three-day minicamp next week.
Here are some quick practice points from Thursday's session:
- As expected, veteran tight end Dalton Schultz skipped Thursday's practice as he hopes to land a long-term contract. In his place, the Cowboys used a combination of Jake Ferguson and Sean McKeon.
- The Cowboys had a lack of depth in the secondary, especially at safety where starters Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse were both held out. Also, cornerbacks Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis both did not practice for team or individual.
- When the Cowboys went to 11-on-11 drills, Trevon Diggs and fifth-round pick DaRon Bland lined up with the first-team defense at cornerback.
- At safety, the Cowboys lined up rookie Markquese Bell and Israel Mukuamu.
- However, before the conclusion of practice, the Cowboys lined up in a walk-through setting and Kearse, Brown, Hooker and Kearse all lined up for the first-team defense.
- Tyler Smith continues to work on the left side, both at tackle and guard. He rotated with Tyron Smith at tackle and also rotated with Connor McGovern at guard as well.
- Wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was one of the veterans also not practicing, along with Tarell Basham and Noah Brown.
- Rookie WR Jalen Tolbert was back in the mix after missing a couple of weeks of OTAs with hamstring issues. Tolbert had a few nice catches during the team drills.
- TJ Vasher is getting more and more work with the first-team offense. At 6-6, 210, he's got the length and size that doesn't compare to the rest of the receivers. Vasher has shown the ability to high-point the ball, especially in the red zone. He's taking advantage of the fact both Michael Gallup and James Washington are also out with injuries.
- One of the first scuffles of the offseason occurred between defensive tackle John Ridgeway and offensive tackle Josh Ball. The two had to be separated and Ridgeway was eventually sent into the locker room before the end of practice. The team did not announce if Ridgeway had an injury.
- The best catch of the day arguably went to first-year WR Brandon Smith, who made a leaping catch in double coverage from a pass from Will Greir.
- The Cowboys held an inaugural Diversity Summit for local high school coaches, sponsored by Nike. Nearly 20 coaches from the area were able to attend Thursday's practice and meet with some of the assistant coaches and players afterward.
