We didn’t learn much from Cowboys Minicamp: Here are 3 things we did
Dallas Cowboys mandatory minicamp is in the rearview mirror and the reality is we didn’t get to learn all that much about the state of the team.After all, players aren’t wearing pads and there’s no live contact allowed. Additionally, the Cowboys reportedly mixed-and-matched players from the first, second, and third team during practice so taking […]
Dallas Cowboys mandatory minicamp is in the rearview mirror and the reality is we didn’t get to learn all that much about the state of the team.
After all, players aren’t wearing pads and there’s no live contact allowed. Additionally, the Cowboys reportedly mixed-and-matched players from the first, second, and third team during practice so taking a lot away from certain notes would appear to be an overreaction.
That being said, we did learn at least a few things. Here are the three biggest lessons that I could take away from minicamp and OTAs.
1. Deuce Vaughn is working at WR
At first, I didn’t make too much out of this. I even decided I’d consciously wouldn’t overreact to the news. But hearing Mike McCarthy talk about Vaughn “cross-training” at running back and wide receiver got me thinking… this is actually pretty massive for Vaughn.
When you’re trying to crack into a 53-man roster at the NFL level, the biggest way to help your chances is to provide value in special teams. At this point, I’m not sure Vaughn does. As a rookie, he played 31 special teams snaps in seven games. 28 of those came in three games that all were either a blowout win or a blowout loss. In his other four games played, he had three.
That doesn’t help his case as a potential 53-man roster member. But if he plays two positions and is able to become a factor as a slot wide receiver slash running back, that changes things, doesn’t it?
Vaughn might just need to make the wide receiver thing work as he’s no lock to make the team. We’ll find out in training camp how the offseason experiment went.
2. There’s an actual battle for WR3
For months, we’ve thought Jalen Tolbert is the projected WR for the Cowboys offense after the team released Michael Gallup as a cap casualty. That doesn’t sound like a given at this point and that’s because of second-year wide receiver Jalen Brooks.
The seventh-round draft pick turned heads in offseason practices as several people noted he’s separated himself from the pack and is not only looking like the solidified WR4 but also on par with Tolbert.
105.3 The Fan’s Bobby Belt noted on Twitter/X that he likes "more than Jalen Tolbert as receiver #3 right now." It’s looking like Tolbert’s job to lose but make no mistake about it, he’s gotta step it up if he doesn’t want to lose his starting job.
3. Weight notes
Okay, let’s geek out about something that might appear boring to most fans: Weight.
Earlier in the week, McCarthy laid out to reporters why weight is a big deal and how difficult it is to maintain throughout the season, using tight end Jake Ferguson as an example. Here are three notes that stood out about players’ weight benchmarks during OTAs/minicamp:
- DeMarvion Overshown: The young linebacker claimed he added 13 pounds over the offseason and expects to play around that weight during the season. Last year, he was listed at 220 pounds, meaning he might be around the 230-235 range in 2024, similar to what Eric Kendricks plays at. This is a sign of the Mike Zimmer defense wanting heavier linebackers to play a more traditional-looking front seven.
- Tyler Smith: A subtle but important nugget that McCarthy dropped in his press conference: Now that Smith will be focusing solely on playing guard without worrying about keeping the athleticism needed to win on the edges, he should be able to play at around eight pounds heavier. Picking Tyler Guyton in the first round sure had a domino effect on the O-line with the biggest benefit being Tyler Smith specializing at guard, where he’s played his best football.
- Jake Ferguson: McCarthy revealed the fan favorite playmaker “struggled” to keep his weight up at the end of his first two years in the NFL. Going into his third season, expectations are Ferguson gets that part down pat, which could provide an even more dangerous version of him late in the season. This kid is only going to get better and better.
Mike McCarthy gives honest ACL injury update on Trevon Diggs
Respect the honesty.
