OXNARD, Calif. — Dallas Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones was asked Thursday which players had stood out to him during training camp. He named three position groups instead.
“Well, I like our receiving group, and I think they’ve earned it and they’ve worked,” Jones said. “I like our quarterbacks, and I really like what we’re doing with, frankly, in our secondary.”
Dallas allowed 511 points last season, the most in the NFL, and finished last in passing yards allowed at 251.5 per game.
“I think you’re seeing the results of good communication out there, and you’re seeing players that are actually playing at a level that they can attain because of good communication,” Jones explained. “They’re not worried about as much if they’re making a mistake or where they are. They’ve got a good feel for it, and that’s the point. So I see the effect of what we’re trying to do on defense relative to communication, and then I obviously really like the players and their individual abilities to execute.”
The Receiving Group
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens return as the starters. Pickens caught 93 passes for 1,429 yards and 9 touchdowns in his first Dallas season and is playing this year on a $27.3 million franchise tag, the only player in the NFL on one. Lamb caught 75 passes for 1,077 yards and 3 touchdowns in 14 games.
Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin hold the next two spots. Jonathan Mingo, Anthony Smith, Marquez Valdes-Scantling, and undrafted rookie Camden Brown are competing behind them.
Brown caught both Dallas touchdowns in the preseason opener at Seattle and finished with 3 receptions for a team-high 62 yards. Dallas waived Traeshon Holden this week to clear a roster spot for **Von Miller**.
The Quarterbacks
Dak Prescott completed 404-of-600 passes for 4,552 yards with 30 touchdowns and 10 interceptions last season and started every game. He has not appeared in a preseason game since 2019.
Sam Howell and Joe Milton III are competing to back him up. Howell started at Seattle and completed 8-of-12 passes for 94 yards with a touchdown. Milton completed 12-of-15 for 107 yards with a touchdown and was not sacked.
Brian Schottenheimer said Thursday morning that Dallas had not decided who would start Saturday at Arizona and that he expected to settle it that night.
The Secondary
Dallas drafted Caleb Downs 11th overall in April out of Ohio State. He was a unanimous All-American in each of his last two college seasons and won the Jim Thorpe Award.
Jalen Thompson signed a three-year, $33 million contract in free agency and is expected to start. P.J. Locke signed a one-year, $5 million deal. Malik Hooker returns.
Shavon Revel Jr. is in his first fully healthy offseason after a knee injury slowed his rookie year. DaRon Bland is back. Devin Moore, a fourth-round rookie, returned Monday from a groin injury, and Zion Childress returned the same day from a hamstring injury.
Christian Parker took over as defensive coordinator in January. He is 34 and the youngest defensive coordinator in franchise history. Parker spent the previous two seasons in Philadelphia as passing game coordinator and defensive backs coach.
What Comes Next
Thursday closed the Oxnard part of training camp. Dallas plays at the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday and has open practices at Ford Center at The Star in Frisco on Aug. 25 and 26.
The Cowboys face the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. CT. Dallas must reduce its roster from 91 to 53 players before Sept. 13’s game against the New York Giants.
