After eight training camp practices, it was time for the 2026 Dallas Cowboys to get their first true test. Dallas traveled over to Woodland Hills to take part in a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams.
Coming off a 12-win season in which they made it to the NFC Championship Game before losing to the Super Bowl Champion Seattle Seahawks, the Rams had arguably the best offseason of any team in the league. Los Angeles made two big moves to upgrade their defense, acquiring the best defensive player
in football, edge rusher Myles Garrett, along with stud cornerback Trent McDuffie.
The Rams were already ultra-talented, but these offseason moves cemented them as the Super Bowl favorite. Currently, the Rams are the odds-on favorite to win Super Bowl LXI at +500. The Buffalo Bills, the team with the second-best chance according to Vegas, are double the odds at +1000.
Clearly, the Rams were going to be a big test for the Cowboys in their first joint practice of the year. It may be extremely early, but pacing yourself against the Super Bowl favorite can be very valuable at this time of year. Dallas’ offensive line did catch a bit of a break as the Rams decided to hold Myles Garrett out of the practice.
While there was no video allowed during the team portion of the practice, we did get plenty of reporting on what went down between the two teams. Dallas had some impressive performances in their first real test of training camp. To the surprise of many, it was the defense who stood out most. According to multiple reports, here are the biggest winners from today’s joint practice.
1) Dallas’ pass rush
A big test for the Cowboys’ defense today was whether they would be able to get consistent pressure on Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford. It sure seems like Dallas was able to do just that. The Cowboys’ pass rush was disruptive all afternoon, recording multiple sacks against Stafford and keeping him and the other Rams quarterbacks uncomfortable throughout practice.
2) CB Shavon Revel
If you were making a list of which Cowboys individual success will have the biggest impact on the team’s performance as a whole this season, second-year corner Shavon Revel would be near the top. The 25-year-old has gotten off to a good start during camp, and it appears he carried that into today’s joint practice.
Revel made multiple impressive plays going against the Rams’ first-team offense.
3) LB Justin Barron (+ the whole LB group)
If you had to pick one MVP on Tuesday’s practice, Cowboys’ linebacker Justin Barron would have taken home the award. The third-year Syracuse product hauled in a stunning three interceptions during practice, picking off Matthew Stafford once and Stetson Bennett twice.
Barron wasn’t the only Cowboys’ linebacker to impress this afternoon. Both DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters recorded impressive stops in the run game. If Dallas wants to have any shot at being an above-average defense this season, they’ll need both Overshown and Winters to stay on the field and play at a high level. It seems like both did just that on Tuesday afternoon.
4) WR George Pickens
George Pickens having a big day? Stop me if you’ve heard that one before. The star wideout has been the standout of camp on offense, and that trend continued during today’s joint practice. Pickens made multiple grabs and was Dallas’ most productive skill player on the offensive side of the ball.
