Cowboys training camp notebook: New player is being used in surprising way, Kaiir Elam hype rises
Saturday marked the final Dallas Cowboys' practice before pads officially come on in training camp. And while evaluation is very limited with no pads on, enough happened in practice to go through the most relevant observations. Once the heckling of Jerry Jones' speech was over, practice begun in front of stands full of fans. Here are […]
Saturday marked the final Dallas Cowboys' practice before pads officially come on in training camp.
And while evaluation is very limited with no pads on, enough happened in practice to go through the most relevant observations. Once the heckling of Jerry Jones' speech was over, practice begun in front of stands full of fans.
Here are the top takeaways from practice.
Tyler Booker works with the second-team as Rob Jones gets starter reps
I wouldn't expect this to become the norm considering the Cowboys have been open about Tyler Booker being the projected starter at right guard since April. However, Schottenheimer is preaching daily competition so it's only fair the veteran gets a crack at working with the first-team offense.
Sunday will mark the true start to competition in the offensive line room when the pads come on. The veteran is certainly the underdog.
Surprisingly, Solomon Thomas continues to get nose tackle reps
The former Top 5 overall draft pick has played three-technique most of his career. But the Cowboys seem to be asking him to fill other defensive tackle responsibilities: Playing as the nose/one-tech.
Matt Eberflus is seemingly shuffling his defensive linemen around in practice but Thomas has noticeably been given first-team nose tackle reps, which could mean he's competing with Mazi Smith. Listed at 256 pounds, the free agent signing is definitely on the light side of things, which makes it a surprise this is the route the Cowboys seem to be taking. In contrast, Mazi is reportedly at 310 right now. Let's see how things shake out.
Kaiir Elam hype rises even more by picking off Dak Prescott
The Cowboys defense has been piling up takeaways and on Saturday, one of the most important new arrivals on the team joined the party: Cornerback Kaiir Elam.
Elam was sticky in coverage against Jalen Tolbert, at one point "running the route" for the wide receiver and intercepting Dak Prescott. The former Buffalo Bill is looking like a lock to start outside Week 1. A former first-round draft pick, this could turn out to be one of the most successful gambles the front office has made recently.
Five Dallas Cowboys whose stock is already soaring high even before the pads come on in training camp
What we’ve learned so far.
