Risen Star
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- The defense looked ahead of the offense during the four non-padded practices. It continued Sunday in full pads. New defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus has his group swarming to the ball, rushing the passer and consistently taking the ball away, whether it’s via interceptions or punching the ball out.
- Dallas’ running back group has had some bright spots. Rookie Jaydon Blue seems to be more impactful with every practice. Veterans Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams still remain the top two on the depth chart. Sanders has consistently stood out the most, both running and in the passing game.
- The offense is still looking for success in the deep passing game. Dak Prescott hasn’t been able to connect yet with CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens in that area. That will likely come. But the highlight big plays down the field just haven’t been there yet.
- The energy remains noticeable throughout practice. As long as the Cowboys have success during the season, the energy storyline will be a very positive one. But what if they struggle? What if they are really bad? It’s easy to wonder how the storylines will change about the energy, questioning if some of it was too much.
We’re gonna have fun and we’re gonna work,” Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Sunday. “You can do both. In 1985, maybe people thought you couldn’t do both. But we can. And we’ve proved that. We’re gonna prove that when you see us win a lot of football games.”
- Play of camp so far: This deep ball from backup QB Joe Milton to Blue. The offense got the perfect matchup with a defensive end defending the speedy running back. Milton delivered a nice throw on the run, but Blue gets the most credit for the one-handed grab.
- Speaking of Milton, the big arm, athleticism and size all jump out. He looks like a robot built to be the ultimate quarterback. The one area that will be interesting to monitor in the preseason is how long he holds onto the ball. We’ve seen it during these practices where the defense is not allowed to hit the quarterback. The pressure goes by him or he tucks the ball and runs if nothing looks open. But how will that go when there is another team trying to take him down? He did just fine in that area last year in the season finale for the New England Patriots.
- Best moment of camp: It’s probably one of the coolest moments in any Cowboys training camp practice. Starting cornerback Kaiir Elam, who has been one of the standouts early, intercepted Prescott during team drills and celebrated by grabbing a young fan out of the crowd and holding him up like a scene from “The Lion King.”
- The edge-rushing group looks as good as advertised. Even with Parsons not practicing, the depth is noticeable. From Dante Fowler to Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland. But the one who has turned heads the most has been rookie second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku.
“I give (defense line coach Aaron Whitecotton) credit,” Stephen Jones said. “He was on the table for him at (Pick 12 in the first round). He was jumping up and down saying this guy is the 12th pick, let’s get him.”
What does Ezeiruaku like about the defense?
“It’s not a lot of thinking,” he said. “Some coaches can overcomplicate things sometimes. (In this defense), there’s not a lot of thinking. We’re going straight and we’re attacking the ball.”
- It was a good sign to see cornerback Trevon Diggs getting some work off to the side Sunday. There’s still no timetable for when he will return, but his surgically-repaired knee appears headed in the right direction.
