Training camp is a chance for unknown or little-known players to step up, but it can also be a time for certain guys to bounce back after having a bad experience during OTAs/minicamp or, in some cases, not participating. absolutelyThere are several Dallas Cowboys players who will be under enormous pressure once training camp begins, but there are a few players who will now have to overcome the possibility of their stock going down.
Which players on the Cowboys roster are on alert after seeing their stocks dip during OTAs and minicamp? Let’s take a look at some names.
Even without the pads in place, there may have been some changes to the Dallas Cowboys’ depth chart in the secondary during OTAs and minicamp, according to Nick Harris and Mickey Spagnola. from the team’s official websiteThe prognosis after the OTAs for Mukuamu is…not good.
“Israel Mukuamu was underperforming last season and was working almost exclusively with the reserve defense when the team split up during organized team activities and minicamp earlier this month. To put that into context, players like Juanyeh Thomas, Markquese Bell and even rookie Caelen Carson were getting some first-team time on the other side of the field.”
– Nick Harris, DallasCowboys.com
“Well, here’s the deal with Izzy. Chances are now that Mike Zimmer is the defensive coordinator, he plans to use three true linebackers on the field in his 4-3 instead of one big safety masquerading as a linebacker…”
– Mickey Spanish
Oh.
It doesn’t sound good for Mukuamu if he is already Losing reps to a rookie drafted in the fifth roundand not even before the end of organized team activities and minicamp. He’s likely to be cut or traded before the regular season even begins.
I don’t want to bring this up. againBut the Cowboys could have drafted Sam LaPorta last year. That aside, Luke Schoonmaker is making headlines for the wrong reasons again when it comes to organized team activities and minicamp, this time due to an injury.
Schoonmaker is dealing with a hamstring issue, which can be extremely tricky, especially for big guys like this. From our own Jerry Trotta:
“Schoonmaker’s absence allowed more opportunities for promising second-year player Princeton Fant, who took plenty of reps with the first team, and promoted undrafted free agent Brevyn Spann-Ford.”
– Jerry Trotta
Hope must be kept alive for someone like Schoonmaker, who was a second-round draft pick last year. At the same time, the emergence of Jake Ferguson and a strong Princeton Fant team makes one wonder how much time someone like Schoonmaker has left to run. How much will his draft status matter if other players are playing well?
Obviously you want to see him take the field, but don’t be surprised if he’s buried on the depth chart at the start of training camp.
There’s nothing wrong with experimentation during the offseason, but given the Cowboys’ apparent lack of depth at running back, The attempt to move Deuce Vaughn The slot receiver position in OTAs is a bit concerning, to say the least.
Maybe there’s nothing to see here. Maybe this is more exciting than anything else. But the Cowboys were rotating several players, including 2023 undrafted fullback Hunter Luepke, with the first-team offense at running back … and not Deuce Vaughn. The former Kansas State star could simply be adding points to his resume, but it seems more likely the Cowboys are trying to justify his staying in any way possible.
If there were a pie chart showing all of the offseason conversations surrounding the Cowboys’ quarterback position, probably about 85 percent of it would be related to Dak Prescott and his contract situation, 15 percent to Trey Lance’s progression and absolutely nothing to Cooper Rush.
Maybe that’s a good thing.
But the potential emergence of Trey Lance isn’t great news for Cooper Rush because the Cowboys could waive him and save more than $2 million in cap space. Rush has been a quality backup for Dallas, but if they’re serious about Trey Lance, then they need to increase his reps in practice during the week, and Rush (age 31 this season) deserves a chance to be someone else’s backup.