The Dallas Cowboys receive important injury updates right before the start of training camp
The Dallas Cowboys’ training camp is already off to a hot start before the team’s first practice on Wednesday in Oxnard, California.
Talk about a good start for the Dallas Cowboys’ 2026 training camp. Before the first practice of the summer on Wednesday, the team received very promising news on the injury front.
No Cowboys players to start on injured lists
According to Joseph Hoyt from Dallas Morning News, the Cowboys are expected to start camp close to fully healthy.
“The Cowboys aren’t expected to add any player on the roster to PUP or NFI, per source,” posted Hoyt on social media. “They expect to have everyone available to practice tomorrow.”
That is massive news, especially considering the Cowboys had multiple players in rehab mode during the offseason program. Among players who were limited or unable to practice during OTAs and mandatory minicamp were projected starters CB DaRon Bland, S Malik Hooker, and EDGE Donovan Ezeiruaku.
As Hoyt notes, though all players will be available, some of the above will likely have to go through some sort of ramp-up before practicing at 100%.
The news also is a promising contrast to last year, when the Cowboys started camp with four players on PUP or NFI; CB Trevon Diggs, CB Shavon Revel Jr., LB DeMarvion Overshown, and CB Josh Butler.
This news is massive for Cowboys defense
As noted above, the news is particularly positive because several projected defensive starters were focused rehabbing through mandatory minicamp.
The biggest name on the list is Bland, who needs to show he can still be the same standout cornerback he was earlier in his career. Back-to-back foot surgeries put him in a position where Bland needs to prove himself all over again to win a starting role. If he gets back to his former self, it will be a needle-moving development for the Cowboys defense. Having all of camp to gear up for the season will be huge for that process.
Meanwhile, Ezeiruaku enters his second year in the NFL with high expectations, and camp will invaluable for him to establish himself as a starter. He had flashes as a rookie, but Year 2 should bring increased consistency. The Cowboys know they can get quarterback pressure from their interior defensive linemen, but there’s a lot to prove at EDGE. That starts with Ezeiruaku.
As for Hooker, I’m not sure people realize how valuable he can be to this new-look Cowboys defense. Many have been quick to rule him out because of a new defensive coordinator, but the Cowboys will still show plenty of single-high coverages post-snap, and Hooker is at his best as a centerfielder.
The Cowboys will hold their first camp practice on Wednesday, and one of the major storylines will be what each of the players above is doing and not doing on the practice field.