FRISCO, Texas — The Dallas Cowboys will travel to Rio de Janeiro with compression pants and tops and sleep items for players, Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Wednesday at The Star.
Dallas practices Thursday in Frisco and flies out that night. Sunday’s game against the Baltimore Ravens at Maracanã Stadium is the first regular-season NFL game in Rio and the league’s third in Brazil. It is one of a record nine international games on the NFL schedule this season, The Associated Press reported. Dallas is the designated home team.
The length of the trip is something the Cowboys own, Schottenheimer said.
“I’m not planning any touristy attractions,” Schottenheimer said. “My thing is to focus on getting down there. It’s going to be a long trip. We know that. We own that. We’ve got a good plan in place when you look at it. We’ve got a bunch of things in place from different things that they’re going to wear and compression pants and tops and sleep items and all kinds of things like that.”
“Then we get them down there,” Schottenheimer continued. “We’ve got a really good plan. I think the league’s ready, we’re ready, and now we just gotta go execute it.”
Cornerback Cobie Durant began on-field rehab Wednesday, and safety P.J. Locke is out of his walking boot. Keeping injured players in Frisco gives them better work with the training staff, Schottenheimer said.
“It’s easier to keep them here,” Schottenheimer explained. “They get better work here. They stay behind with our trainers and lift and run, and it’s a little easier for them.”
Brian Schottenheimer On Maracanã Field And Cleats
Maracanã has been hit by unusually heavy rainfall over the past six weeks. NFL field director Nick Pappas told The Associated Press the league shipped a tarp to Rio about a week ago to protect the turf. Flamengo players have complained about the surface, and Schottenheimer said Monday he had no concerns.
The first NFL game in Brazil, a 34-29 Philadelphia win over the Green Bay Packers in São Paulo on Sept. 6, 2024, drew complaints about footing. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark and edge rusher Rashan Gary played in that game for Green Bay. Defensive coordinator Christian Parker was on the Philadelphia Eagles staff.
Schottenheimer said the equipment staff has been addressing cleats with players all week.
“Well, it starts with educating them,” Schottenheimer said. “Certainly we talk about that. We’ve addressed it. Our equipment staff is addressing it all the time. It’s more of getting these guys to try the different cleats because we’d rather they try them and be like, yeah, I don’t want them unless it’s really advantageous for me to have them.”
“We have guys that played in the game,” Schottenheimer added. “Kenny Clark played in the game. Rashan Gary, Christian Parker coached. They’re all aware of it. But the biggest thing for us is we expect the field to be fine. And we have backup plans in place. But right now we’ve educated these guys. But at the end of the day, these guys have to wear things that make them feel comfortable. And if they’re slipping, then that’s going to be on them.”
Dallas Cowboys Schedule After Rio
Sleep is the priority on the flights both ways, Schottenheimer said. The Cowboys will not do any work on the flight home to get a head start on the next opponent.
“No. Sleep, rest, recover,” Schottenheimer said. “Our big thing is we want these guys to sleep on the way out there. They’ll certainly want to sleep on the way home, drink a lot of fluids. We need to keep them hydrated. And then they’ll get a day and a half or so off when we get back because we get back late, and then we’ll get ready to roll for Houston.”
Dallas plays at the Houston Texans on Oct. 4. Four days later, the Cowboys host the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Thursday, Oct. 8, at 7:15 p.m. CT on Prime Video.
