Training camp is finally here, well not quite, but it’s close enough. The Cowboys have their first training camp practice on Thursday, in Oxnard, California. With so many new faces on the roster, there will plenty of heated roster battles to keep an eye on during practice. It’s been a long six months, but today we will highlight some of the most important battles that will kick off on Thursday in practice. Michael Gallup vs Terrance Williams The rookie versus the vet. An old fashion heavyweight classic. Michael Gallup has the potential to be one of the biggest steals of the NFL Draft if things go as planned. His first order of duty will be knocking off Terrance Williams as the teams starting “Z” receiver. Gallup has the size, speed, route running ability, and hands to easily win the job if given a fair shake at things. If Gallup doesn’t win the job in camp, he will definitely be pushing for Williams’ job all year if healthy. For Williams, his offseason did not go as planned. First he suffered a foot injury that left him in a walking boot for months. Second, he was arrested and charged with public intoxication a few months ago in his DFW neighborhood. Williams has had a head-scratcher of a career in Dallas. At times, Williams has been a go to receiver in clutch situations, at other times (2017), he’s nowhere to be found and putting up severely disappointing numbers. Williams roster spot may be safe, but the starting “Z” job should be up for grabs, and TWill better show up prepared for an all out war with rookie Michael Gallup. Noah Brown vs Lance Lenoir vs Cedrick Wilson Let’s first go through the list of guys everyone expects to make the roster: Allen Hurns Cole Beasley Michael Gallup Terrance Williams I’m also going to throw in Deonte Thompson as a guy who will likely make the roster. Sure, that can be debated, but for now we’ll go with that. Who will step up and win the sixth wide receiver roster spot (I’m counting Tavon Austin as a running back)? Noah Brown has the experience, after playing a full season on the Cowboys active roster. Brown was more known for his ability to block than his ability to be a big receiving threat, but he will need to bring more to the table this year than just his ability to block if he wants a roster spot. Brown is familiar with the system and had a solid rookie season after being drafted in the seventh round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Lance Lenoir may be the biggest riser since OTA’s. Lenoir is known for his route running ability and his ability to separate, which is exactly what the Cowboys new wide receiver coach, Sanjay Lal, loves out of his receivers. Lenoir has been putting in a ton of work this offseason to work on his strength, speed, and improve on his route running ability. He is taking the opportunity and running with it so far. Cedrick Wilson is the fresh blood in the room, but has already made a positive impression on his coaches, teammates, and media members in just a few practices. Wilson was a big-play receiver at Boise State and had one of the highest ceilings out of anyone in the 2018 NFL Draft class due to only playing the position for two years. Cedrick Wilson and Jihad Ward https://t.co/kgcgJkTj3U — Bryan Broaddus (@BryanBroaddus) June 4, 2018 Randy Gregory vs Kony Ealy The roster battle headline in recent months has been Kony Ealy vs Charles Tapper, but the second Randy Gregory was reinstated by the NFL, that battle changed. Let’s first go over the guys that should be roster locks at defensive end: DeMarcus Lawrence Taco Charlton Tyrone Crawford Dorance Armstrong Armstrong is a lock for this exercise because the Cowboys were ready to trade up into the third round to get him, which shows how much they value him. Every other defensive end will need to bring their “A” game this offseason in order to reserve themselves a spot on the roster. Before Gregory was reinstated, the battle was between Charles Tapper and Kony Ealy. Ealy seemed to have the slight edge over Charles Tapper due to his ability to stay healthy, and his experience in the league. Now with Gregory back, and in the best shape he’s been in in some time, the battle has now changed. It’s very exciting to think about the things this defensive line could do with Gregory rushing off the right side. Gregory’s upside is through the roof, but he has yet to stay healthy and not suspended long enough to show off his elite traits as a pass rusher. I believe they’re are no guarantees for Gregory. He’s going to have to make the team. I worry if he misses days at camp waiting for league to give him the go ahead to practice. Tapper needs health. Talented enough to win a job. https://t.co/rJZYt8Oa60 — Bryan Broaddus (@BryanBroaddus) July 18, 2018 But don’t sleep on Kony Ealy either. Ealy has the experience, the stats, and the position flex to make a case that he should make the roster over Randy Gregory. This one will be very interesting, the Cowboys would be taking a risk keeping a guy with the off the field history of Randy Gregory over a guy who has 15 career sacks, has stayed relatively healthy, and can play both outside and inside in Rod Marinelli’s 4-3 defense. It’s tough to see where both Ealy and Gregory can both make the roster, though it could be done. Chaz Green vs. Marcus Martin This is yet another interesting battle to keep an eye on. Chaz Green is a very familiar face around the Cowboys locker room, but his time in Dallas has been a huge disappointment. Since being drafted in the third round of the 2015 NFL Draft, Green has seen playing time at both guard and tackle. In 2017, he actually started the season out as the Cowboys starting left guard before getting injured and losing his job to Jonathan Cooper in week four. Green has had a few good outings at both left guard and served as the Cowboys swing tackle in recent years, too. Green has the position flex, familiarity with the coaching staff, and the fact that he was drafted by the team in the top 100 on his side to possibly win the last offensive line spot, he will need a very positive camp in order to keep his job though. Marcus Martin was signed this offseason in free agency to come in and compete for the starting left guard job. Little did the Cowboys know that Connor Williams would fall to them in the second round of the NFL Draft. Martin is entering his fifth year in the league, and is playing on his third team. In his career, Martin has started 24 of 26 games since coming into the league in 2014. Martin didn’t play at all in 2017, so is looking jump-start his career in 2018. There are some Kadeem Edwards fans out there, and he has actually had a very good offseason, but the Cowboys normally give their high draft picks, and free agent signings, every opportunity to succeed before turning to Edwards as the last offensive lineman. Anthony Brown vs Jourdan Lewis There should be zero question here who the more talented player is between Jourdan Lewis and Anthony Brown, but for some reason Brown has been getting the nod in offseason workouts and practices so far. Anthony Brown is entering his third year as a member of the Cowboys, and boy has it been a roller coaster of a career for Brown. In his rookie year, Anthony Brown was a pleasant surprise coming on as a sixth-round pick, and eventually earning a starting job by the end of the season. Brown has goos size, and very good speed for a 5-foot-11, 196-lb corner.<doc-sep>17 Jul 1998: General view of helmets lined up during the 1998 Dallas Cowboys Training Camp at the Midwestern State University in Wichita Falls, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Stephen Dunn /Allsport With training camp kicking off this week in Oxnard, here are all the dates and times fans of the Dallas Cowboys absolutely need to know. After a long drought, real football is closer than ever. The Dallas Cowboys will be kicking off their Training Camp this week in Oxnard, California. And we have the dates and times every fan of America’s Team needs to know in order to prepare for the event. As it does every year, Cowboys Training Camp will begin with an opening press conference. That is scheduled for 6:00 p.m. CT on Wednesday, July 25th. It’s purely a press event that usually includes head coach Jason Garrett, team owner Jerry Jones, and executive vice president Stephen Jones. The players and coaches should land at Naval Air Station Point Mugu the day before, Tuesday, July 24th, to help support the troops by signing autographs and taking photos with military personnel. The Cowboys players will have non-padded practices on both Thursday and Friday of this week. On Saturday, July 28th, the official opening ceremonies will be held at 5:00 p.m. CT. This event usually involves a welcoming speech by owner Jerry Jones along with a performance by the Cowboys cheerleaders and much fanfare. Dallas’ first practice in pads should take place immediately afterward. Below is the Cowboys Training Camp schedule according to the Star-Telegram. Note: All times are Pacific standard. July 26: 4 p.m. PT practice July 27: 4 p.m. PT practice July 28: 3 p.m. PT opening ceremony; 4 p.m. PT practice July 29: 4 p.m. PT practice July 30: Off day July 31: 4 p.m. PT practice Aug. 1: 4 p.m. PT practice Aug. 2: 4 p.m. PT practice Aug. 3: Off day Aug. 4: 4 p.m. PT practice Aug. 5: 4 p.m. PT practice Aug. 6: 4 p.m. PT practice Aug. 7: 10:30 a.m. PT practice Aug. 8: Travel day Aug. 9: Preseason game @ San Francisco 49ers Aug. 10: Off day Aug. 11: 4 p.m. PT practice Aug. 12: 4 p.m. PT practice Aug. 13: 4 p.m. PT practice Aug. 14: Off day Aug. 15: 4 p.m. PT practice Aug. 16: 10:30 a.m. PT practice Aug. 17: Break camp – Travel day Aug. 18: Preseason game vs. Cincinnati Bengals The Dallas Cowboys will be moving training camp back to The Star in Frisco, Texas, after their preseason matchup with the Bengals. If you are looking to attend Training Camp in Oxnard, remember that attending practices is free but there is a charge for parking near the facility.<doc-sep>Training camp is here! I’m excited. Are you excited? Of course you are. I can’t remember a year when we’ve entered camp with so many questions. Between position battles and all the new faces we are waiting to see in action, it’s going to make for an exciting next several weeks. Over at our sister site Windy City Gridiron, Robert Zeglinski put together a nice alphabet guide for their readers in helping understanding training camp for the Chicago Bears. It was a clever way to stack things up so we thought we’d have a go at it to describe some of the things we are interested in keeping an eye out for when camp begins for the Dallas Cowboys. Let’s do this... A - Allen Hurns acquistion: It’s hard to know what the front office’s plans were in the beginning of the offseason as it pertained to the wide receiver position, but the end result was Dez Bryant bounced and Hurns comes in as the team’s top receiver. A healthy demonstration of pass catching ability from Hurns will certainly be pleasing to the eye for fans. B - Byron Jones at cornerback: The former first-round pick is entering his fourth year in the league, but this year he will move back to corner. How well he performs at his new position will have a big impact on the defense as a whole. Will he flourish in his new defensive position or will he struggle staying with his man? It’s a big deal and hopefully Jones is up for the challenge. C - Chidobe Awuzie’s breakout: The Cowboys young corner dealt with some setbacks his rookie season as he missed several games with a nagging hamstring injury. He’s healthy now and will be looking to take on the lead corner role for this defense. Awuzie checks off all the boxes when it comes to quickness, smarts, and physical play, and could be the Cowboys’ next breakout star. D - Dakuracy: There is not a single more influential element to the Cowboys success than that of their young quarterback, Dak Prescott. The team has done a number of things trying to custom fit this offense so he can help lead the team to victory. Now, it’s on him to make the throws. The more we hear about how well he’s doing in camp, the better we’ll feel about the upcoming season. E - Earl Thomas trade talk to subside: I love Earl Thomas. Earl Thomas would be a great player to have on this team. His talent could certainly be put to use in Dallas, but unfortunately, he’s not on this football team. It’s time to redirect our attention on the guys who are actually playing on the Cowboys, until it’s time not to. F - Fringe receivers showcasing skills: Everyone has their own favorite receivers rounding out the bottom of the depth chart. Maybe you like the new guys Deonte Thompson or Cedrick Wilson. Or maybe you like last year’s new guys Noah Brown and Lance Lenoir (practice squad in 2017). With limited space, it should be interesting to see which receiver makes enough plays to earn a spot on the Cowboys 53-man roster. G - Gregory’s return: He’s back just in time for some football action. After essentially a two-year hiatus, the team finally gets one of their top young pass rushing prospects back. Is he going to be in shape? How good is he going to be? What type of role will he have within the defensive line rotation. Man, we can’t wait to get those answers. H - Havoc-wreaking edge rushers: For the first time in long time, there are reasons to be excited about the Cowboys pass rush. Starting with DeMarcus Lawrence, fans will watch closely to see if he can have a repeat season and earn himself a big paycheck in 2018. Then, there’s the unproven guys like Taco Charlton, Dorance Armstrong, and Randy Gregory (welcome back!) whose potential has yet to be unleashed. Combine that with veterans Tyrone Crawford and Kony Ealy and you’ve got one fierce defensive end position group. I - Interior defensive line group: The Cowboys will start the season without David Irving and they’ll start training camp without Maliek Collins. That opens the door for several young defensive tackles to step up and earn playing time. Someone is going to be taking first-team reps for Collins while he recovers from his foot injury and that very same someone could end up starting for Irving once the season begins. Datone Jones and Jihad Ward are a couple of key reserves to pay close attention to as camp progresses. J - Jihad Ward’s contribution: The Cowboys traded away Ryan Switzer in order to acquire Ward from the Oakland Raiders. The team needs help along the interior defensive line and he has the talent to make plays. After an impressive minicamp, Ward is off to a good start and fans are hoping he can keep it going. K - Kris Richard Effect: It’s exciting to get a fresh new coach on this team, especially a guy like Richard, whose had success shaping the Legion of Boom in Seattle. With a handful of talented young players at his disposal, the secondary is ready to take the next step and help fend off opposing offenses. Hopefully, this change of the guard in the secondary will be just what this team needs to make the Cowboys one of the better defenses in the league. L - Lateral agility of Jaylon Smith: The time is approaching when we will get a glimpse of what a full-throttle Jaylon Smith will look like. That infamous knee continues to improve and with it - so does his lateral movement. Smith was clearly hindered by how well he could change direction last season, but if he gets that shiftiness back - look out! M - More cowbell: I’m not sure what that entails exactly, but I think we all can agree - we need more of it. N - No major injuries: Nothing sideswipes the hopes of a great season like a costly injury to a star player. The Cowboys saw this happen in 2014 with Sean Lee and again in 2016 with Tony Romo. Fortunately, the Cowboys had talented reserves and still made the playoffs both years. Regardless, staying healthy is imperative and every day the team comes away unscathed is a good day. O - Offensive line unison: It doesn’t matter how many All-Pros the team has if they have one guy on the line who looks like he’s stuck in concrete. The Cowboys offensive line fell apart last season and we’re not going to mention Chaz Green’s name as there’s no point in assigning blame, but take comfort in knowing that said player will not be starting at left guard or be the team’s swing tackle this year...both of which he did last season. Miserably. Instead, the rookie Conner Williams should slide in to play left guard and free agent Cam Fleming will see a lot of reps at left tackle as Smith is given extra rest to preserve his health. The performance of these two new faces and how well they sync up with the regulars will be huge in returning the offensive line back to their dominating ways. P - Physical shape David Irving: If the Cowboys are going to play on the game’s biggest stage in February, they are going to need their big-time players to be on the field making plays. Irving is one of those players. He’s had a tumultuous offseason and will start the season serving a four-game suspension, but when he returns - he needs to hit that ground running. That means he not only has to get his mind right, but get that body into shape as well. Irving was held out of action during minicamp for reasons described as conditioning issues, but hopefully he’s ready this time around. Q - Quarterback battle for the number two spot: It was a real treat when Cooper Rush emerged out of nowhere to make the Cowboys preseason exciting.<doc-sep>
The No-Huddle Notebook is your dose of Cowboys coverage that takes a look at everything surrounding America’s Team. After a long few months without football, the Dallas Cowboys are suiting up in Oxnard for 2018 training camp — signalling the beginning of football season at last. Most of the storylines include David Irving not making it to training camp, the development of a new offense built around Dak Prescott as he enters his third professional season, and a young defense that looks to build on a strong end to the 2017 campaign. Let’s get into it! Jason Garrett is not on the hot seat, says Jerry Jones Training camp in Oxnard is not officially underway until the man in charge addresses the media, and Jason Garrett did just that on Wednesday. The Princeton alum talked about a variety of different topics from Dak and Zeke to the reinstatement of Randy Gregory to everything in between. One thing that he won’t have to address, however, is job security — at least according to Jerry Jones. Is this a playoff-or-bust year for Jason Garrett? Jerry Jones: “No.” — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 25, 2018 Jones explained that he has all of the confidence in the world in his coaching staff. “They’re going to get a chance, I think, to be at their profession, at the very best time, and that is with young players,” Jones said. “Those guys are eager. They’re really listeners. They want to get better. They know the best way for them to have their own individual importance is to be a part of a team and leave that, I and me at the door. That will be emphasized out here, I know, by the makeup of this group. ”The bottom line is, I’d put the coaching staff at the head of my list as why we ought to get excited. And I think not only putting something in place for this season but for many seasons to come, coaching staff wise.” It remains to be seen on whether or not Jones will be saying the same things if the Cowboys fail to make the postseason, but for now, Garrett is not on the hot seat in the eyes of his boss. After all, it’s not that long ago since Garrett was crowned the NFL’s Coach of the Year. David Irving not attending Training Camp David Irving has emerged as one of the better defensive players on the Cowboys roster for his ability to blow up the interior of the opponent’s offensive line and get into the backfield. Just watch his performance against the Green Bay Packers for reference. However, the talented defensive lineman will not be in Oxnard and will instead be in a rehab center. Off the field, we hope that Irving gets the help that he needs. On the field, this gives another defensive lineman an opportunity to make a name for himself and move up the depth chart. Keep an eye on: Jihad Ward — the 2016 second-round pick has found a new home in the NFL, and he looks to take advantage of it. After impressing in OTA, this is Ward ’s chance to prove to the staff that he deserves big snaps while Irving serves his suspension and Maliek Collins recovers from a broken foot injury. If Ward can emerge, that would be big news for the Cowboys. — the 2016 second-round pick has found a new home in the NFL, and he looks to take advantage of it. After impressing in OTA, this is ’s chance to prove to the staff that he deserves big snaps while Irving serves his suspension and recovers from a broken foot injury. If Ward can emerge, that would be big news for the Cowboys. Richard Ash and Lewis Neal also have a golden opportunity. Can they make the most of their reps in Oxnard? Which tight end will emerge? With the shift in offensive personnel, many eyes are on the wide receiver position. Which wideout will step up and become a go-to target for Dak Prescott? How many wide receivers will the Cowboys decide to keep on the 53-man roster? Does Lance Lenoir have a chance to move up from the practice squad? While the WRs are certainly fascinating, the tight end position is also worth watching. Since the sudden retirement of Jason Witten, the Cowboys have been put into a twist of sorts regarding who will start at the position.