The Dallas Cowboys are leaving Oxnard, California on Thursday following over three weeks of training camp on the West Coast gearing up for the 2025 regular season. With a game scheduled at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas for Saturday, it’s time for America’s Team to go home.

Two preseason games separate the team from roster cuts and non-exhibition showdowns. But for some players, enough has been done to prove they’re in for big years. Below are the five biggest winners from Cowboys training camp in Oxnard. Let’s dive in.

CB Kaiir Elam

There’s no Cowboys player that did more to help his stock in camp than Elam. Even though the front office was seemingly bullish on the former first rounder joining the team, there were questions about how he would perform once the pads came on. After all, facing the likes of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens wasn’t going to be an easy task.

And while Elam isn’t an elite cornerback, he proved enough. He showed he can start outside for the Cowboys. Going into Week 1, you can use permanent ink when jotting down the starting lineup. Barring any injury, that probably isn’t changing all season long. Even when Trevon Diggs returns, at which point the Cowboys could slide DaRon Bland inside to work the slot.

DE Donovan Ezeiruaku

The Cowboys’ second-round rookie is as advertised. Run defense has room for improvement but Ezeiruaku is a game-ready pass rusher. His technique put the team’s tackles in trouble consistently in practice. The Boston College product put up big numbers for a reason and it showed in training camp.

Even if he’s not a starter by the time the season begins, the rookie is going to get his snaps. Especially in passing downs.

WR George Pickens

Pickens showed off his ability to make spectacular catches and he had a good day versus the Los Angeles Rams when the Cowboys held a joint practice earlier in the month. But all of that was expected.

The best part about Pickens’ camp? He is locked in. That could always change, but Cowboys coaches and players have talked about a veteran receiver that gets it and that’s putting to bed the nightmare stories stemming from his days in Pittsburgh. A colleague who covers the Steelers texted me a clip from practice: “I never saw Pickens block like that in Pittsburgh.”

It’s too early to know if that will change. Today, however, it matters.

WR KaVontae Turpin

The All-Pro returner is becoming more than that for the Cowboys in 2025. Based on training camp practices, Brian Schottenheimer is getting ready to use him out of the backfield and at wide receiver frequently. While he won’t be a traditional No. 3, I expect a bigger role for him this year.

Turpin signed a three-year deal worth $18 million back in March. It looks like Dallas is getting great value here.

RB Jaydon Blue

Though things ended in a sour note for Blue—he suffered a heel injury that kept him out of multiple practices, the preseason opener, and potentially of Saturday’s matchup versus the Baltimore Ravens—it was a good camp overall.

Blue established himself as the RB3 at minimum and got first-team reps before getting hurt. He showed off explosiveness and acceleration that no teammate of his offers. I expect a big role for him.

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