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Here is the full report from this afternoon's practice out in Oxnard.
Though Nick Foles has signed with the Chiefs and has been crossed off the Cowboys' list as a potential QB2 behind Tony Romo, the Cowboys seemed to have slowed their pursuit of a veteran arm for now. Josh McCown is certainly numero uno on their list but apparently, he's well-liked in Cleveland.
The #Browns want a mid-round pick for Josh McCown, but #Cowboys aren't ready to give one up https://t.co/NMwaRorV1C pic.twitter.com/tm971riTyE
— Pro Football Rumors (@pfrumors) August 5, 2016
It doesn't seem like the Cowboys are willing to give up prime resources for a backup quarterback. Though Josh McCown has had some success, at 37, I'm not sure he' worth that collateral. It's certainly a seller's market, which is why Jerry Jones remains calm at the moment:
"You just play this thing and see what happens around the league and we’ll see where we are. We should be able to take a real veteran who has enough NFL experience to come in here and catch on pretty quick, but at the same time to be getting Dak and Showers their reps," Jones said. "That backup quarterback has to be the right situation. We don’t want one that we’re having to give so much reps too that we don’t get reps with Dak and Showers. We’ve got to look at that. The best thing to do right now is to be pretty deliberate, to not be in a big hurry and let some more things play out around the league."
That's enough talking about the quarterbacks that aren't in Oxnard, now we shift focus to the ones that are. Today was a scheduled day off for Tony Romo but also Jason Witten and Dez Bryant (though Bryant tried to sneak out there). Also not practicing - Ezekiel Elliott, Kyle Wilber, Terrell McClain and Tyrone Crawford.
The Cowboys also waived/injured DB Rolan Milligan and OT Darryl Baldwin before practice got underway. In a day where most of the big names took a seat, it was an opportunity for Dak Prescott to get reps with the first-team. It was a bit of what you would expect for a young, raw talent as he had some great throws and some not so great throws. It was no coincidence that in the two-minute offense, they put Dak in the shotgun exclusively. He certainly was being coached on leading his receivers and created some better opportunities for the offense on some plays.
Dallas also got Jameill Showers involved and he showed some growth for himself 7 in 7-on-7 drills. Showers had two really bright spot plays as he connected with WR Chris Brown near the sidelines and hit Gavin Escobar on a crossing route for 35-yards and the score. There was talk early in the offseason program about Showers potentially challenging Kellen Moore, we'll continue to monitor how he competes with Dak and others as the Cowboys head into exhibition mode.
Also playing quarterback for Dallas, well, none other than the 50-year old head coach. We knew the Cowboys were short on arm talent so Garrett got in there and took care of business...well...maybe not.
Jason Garrett is your third-string QB today pic.twitter.com/RYDLcTm7QM
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 4, 2016
Cowboys LB Mark Nzeocha intercepted Jason Garrett in individual drills, then broke-up a pass during a 1 on 1 compete drill
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 4, 2016
As far as receivers are concerned, Andy Jones really had a nice practice today and became a favorite of both Showers and Prescott. Devin Street was really putting on a nice showing for himself until this happened:
Cowboys WR Devin Street just hurt his leg on this play: pic.twitter.com/1L7GnOoFQl
— Brandon George (@DMN_George) August 5, 2016
Street was able to walk off on his own but he left practice with the trainers and didn't return. Terrance Williams and Cole Beasley both looked sharp as they bailed out Prescott on a few plays. Though he wasn't practicing, Dez was seen helping out the younger wide receivers like Brown and Jones after they had dropped a pass. Speaking of Dez, Morris Claiborne has picked up where he left off as he continuously trashed-talked Bryant after Claiborne locked down his man. Dez only responded with a smile and maybe a few words, too. Just a quick touch on the running backs, it was the Alfred Morris Show today as both Darren McFadden and Ezekiel Elliott didn't do much after the walkthrough. With Jason Witten sitting out, it was an opportunity for the younger tight ends to get some reps.
On the defensive side of the ball, Andrew Gachkar was subbing in for Kyle Wilber but he too was dinged up on a play and was seen leaving the field with the trainer. DeMarcus Lawrence is starting to heat up the ground underneath Tyron Smith's feet as he was able to spin by him on ocassion. However, it's not often that pass rushers are able to beat Smith at anything:
Anyone who beats Tyron, even on one rep, should do a touchdown dance. Olivier Vernon got $85 mil for beating him 2x https://t.co/VPfYcArBfE
— Jeff Cavanaugh (@JC1053) August 5, 2016
I don't know if a truer statement has ever been uttered than that last one by our pal, Jeff Cavanaugh. If there is a bright note for a defense that we all have concerns about, a lot of what we've heard thus far about this defense has been pretty positive.
I'd argue that the defense has largely been better all 3 days of padded practice. https://t.co/L8l4meRUmN
— David Helman (@HelmanDC) August 5, 2016
On a day where we had lots of Cowboys negatives to talk about, I'd remind that at FS/CB1/DT1 at minimum, they've upgraded.
— Jeff Cavanaugh (@JC1053) August 5, 2016
The common theme of the day was the youth movement that took place out on those fields. The Cowboys will scour high and low for what they want but this is a team that is full of young players and they want to see what they have. Both Garrett and Jerry Jones spent time with Dak Prescott after practice again, they want to put him in the best position he can be in. As always, we'll be plugged into every outlet available in Oxnard and will continue to keep an eye on all this trade talk that is all over the place.
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