FRISCO, Texas — The conditioning work the Dallas Cowboys have done through training camp was not something Brian Schottenheimer imposed on the team. Center Cooper Beebe said Tuesday at The Star that the players and the team’s leaders decided to do it themselves.
Beebe said the biggest thing he can feel this year is the brotherhood and the culture being built, that more players are bought in than a year ago, and that the energy around the field is different.
“I enjoy it. Like anything, the more in shape team, when it comes down to it, it’s going to win. And that was something that we decided to do as a team and our leaders on the team,” Beebe said. “It wasn’t something Schotty forced us to do. It was just something we knew, when it comes down to it in the fourth quarter, you’re going to be tired. We got to be able to stay above our competition.”
“So we enjoy it. Some days it’s a little bit tougher than others for sure,” Beebe continued. “But at the end of the day we know that hard work’s gonna pay off.”
What Brian Schottenheimer Has Said About The Camp
Schottenheimer said Monday that Oxnard was a physical camp, which is what the staff wanted, and that Dallas is still in training camp mode.
At Arizona on Saturday night, Dallas ran 34 times for 175 yards in a 34-13 win. The Cowboys opened the preseason with a 17-7 win at Seattle on Aug. 15. They went 7-9-1 a year ago and have not reached the postseason since the 2023 season.
Availability Up Front Was A Problem A Year Ago
Beebe suffered a high ankle sprain in the Week 2 overtime win over the New York Giants and went on injured reserve. He came back Nov. 3 and finished with 11 games. A week after Beebe went down, Tyler Booker sprained an ankle at Chicago and missed three. Tyler Guyton landed on injured reserve after a high ankle sprain in Week 12, ending his season.
Guyton got through all of camp this summer. He said on Aug. 20 that had not happened in a while.
Beebe, a third-round pick out of Kansas State in 2024, moved to center as a rookie and has played 27 career games.
What Is Left Before Dallas Cowboys Cuts
Wednesday brings one more open practice at The Star. Dallas hosts the New Orleans Saints on Friday at 7 p.m. CT on CBS to close the preseason.
The roster has to be down to 53 by 5 p.m. CT Sunday, with waiver claims due at noon the following day.
