Cowboys Minicamp Preview: Top 5 storylines to monitor during key week of practice
We're hours away from the Dallas Cowboys kicking off mandatory minicamp and while there are countless storylines to follow, we're focusing on the top five that are on our mind.From superstars' attendance to the Mike Zimmer defense, we'll be closely monitoring everything that players and coaches have to say when speaking to the media.Without any […]
We're hours away from the Dallas Cowboys kicking off mandatory minicamp and while there are countless storylines to follow, we're focusing on the top five that are on our mind.
From superstars' attendance to the Mike Zimmer defense, we'll be closely monitoring everything that players and coaches have to say when speaking to the media.
Without any further ado, let's dive into it!
1. Will CeeDee Lamb show up? And what about Micah Parsons?
Ultimately, this is the first thing we'll all be talking about when mandatory minicamp kicks off on Tuesday. CeeDee Lamb's contract negotiations could heat up at any moment following the Justin Jefferson deal in Minnesota but in the meantime I wouldn't expect him to show up for practice, regardless of the threat of a hefty fine.
How quickly will the Cowboys react now that all the WR market leaves have fallen, which is what they asked for back in April?
As for Micah Parsons, his absence from OTAs is highly unlikely to translate to mandatory minicamp as he hasn't been holding out because of a contract dispute but rather choosing to trade by himself.
2. How do the two Jalens fare at wide receiver?
Lamb being absent will mean Jalen Tolbert and Jalen Brooks could be looking at many more reps than usual. Tolbert is the projected No. 3 wideout but with only 22 career grabs, there's so much to learn about him yet.
As for Brooks, he's seemingly separating himself as the No. 4 in a young but promising WR room. Can he further that progress with a strong minicamp? Or even better, can he position himself to actually make a surprise push for WR3 reps and spark a battle with Tolbert? After all, he did get the majority of first-team reps alongside Brandin Cooks and Tolbert in OTAs.
3. Getting to know more of Trey Lance
Mike McCarthy has been extremely upfront about Lance, consistently reminding reporters that the kid that hopes to back up Dak Prescott in 2024 needs one thing and one thing only: reps. Lots of them.
It was true at San Francisco and it is even more so now on an highly-detailed offense that required technique adjustments for the former No. 3 overall pick. Training camp will provide us with the verdict on Lance but we would love to hear (and see) more about Lance this week.
4. Notes on the Mike Zimmer defense
There's a few things we've learned from listening to players talk about the new defensive scheme such as:
- They'll be bigger. Second-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown has recently alluded to gaining 13 pounds ahead of the season.
- It's not quite the same as what Zimmer ran in Minnesota, as Eric Kendricks has revealed he needs to keep his ego in check because he doesn't have all the answers.
- Linebackers' roles, as Kendricks is expected to be the middle linebacker while Damone Clark takes the strongside role and Overshown weakside.
But there is so much more to learn about the new scheme in Dallas. Hopefully, we get to hear more from players during media availability sessions.
5. Offensive line rookies
Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe are projected to start as rookies for the Cowboys' reworked offensive line. But who is putting up a fight to back up Guyton? Is Beebe handed the job or is it someone else's to lose?
The Cowboys have unsurprisingly run many variations in OTAs and we'll get a better idea of what things will look like once this team is in Oxnard but we'll be closely monitoring the OL combos.
