Dallas Cowboys free agency signing is off to a much hotter start than expected as OTAs heat up
The Dallas Cowboys wide receiver doesn’t count with a full room in OTAs. But a recent development is still a surprise as a veteran is getting first-team reps.
It’s true. We shouldn’t make too much out of what’s going on at the Dallas Cowboys’ (voluntary) OTAs. Heck, Detroit Lions head coach Dan Campbell recently described OTAs as a pajamas party.
But at the same time, some developments or snap count decisions are telling and noteworthy. And so far, one of the most unexpected developments is happening at wide receiver.
Valdes-Scantling taking first-team reps at OTAs
According to multiple reports, NFL veteran Marquez Valdes-Scantling took first-team reps at wide receiver in Week 1 and now Week 1 of OTAs. That is a major surprise to me, even with George Pickens having yet to show up (CeeDee Lamb missed Tuesday with an excused absence).
While I thought MVS was brought in for depth only (similarly to Parris Campbell last year), his first-team snaps suggest he could be more in the eyes of the coaching staff.
“With CeeDee Lamb being excused from practice and George Pickens not in attendance, Ryan Flournoy, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and KaVontae Turpin saw most of the work with the first-team at WR,” wrote insider Tommy Yarrish on social media.
The surprise is specifically that MVS is seemingly above Jonathan Mingo and other young receivers on the depth chart. Though OTAs don’t tell the whole story, he is off to a much better start than I expected.
MVS has struggled recently
When the Cowboys signed Valdes-Scantling, I found it very hard to get excited about it. In fact, I graded it a C-, pointing toward MVS’s decline in play over the last few years.
He’s gone from a standout speedster to a journeyman struggling to stick on any team. The Cowboy swill be Valdes-Scantling’s sixth team since the start of the 2024 season. Last year, he was cut before the season by the Seattle Seahawks even though they had signed him to a $5.5 deal months earlier.
He still has valuable speed but he has been a shell of himself since he left the Kansas City Chiefs. Though he’s off to a solid start, MVS will have to prove he’s back to compete with the likes of Traeshon Holden and rookies Anthony Smith (drafted in April), and undrafted guys such as Jordan Hudson.
Despite the first-team reps, I wouldn’t bet on MVS cracking the 53-man roster just yet.
Once Pickens comes back, MVS will have to focus on making an impact on special teams to fight for one of those final spots on the team. Since 2019, he has four special teams snaps.