Cowboys Depth Chart: Training camp competition awaits at offensive tackle – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
There are some things to work out at offensive tackle.
Safe (4)
Tyler Guyton, Terence Steele, Nate Thomas, Drew Shelton
While there will be competition at left tackle and questions still exist around the long-term stability at right tackle, the 53-man roster spots are safe at the top of the room.
Tyler Guyton is the one with the biggest microscope on him going into training camp. The 2024 first-round pick has yet to put together a fully healthy training camp, much less a fully healthy season. After head
coach Brian Schottenheimer said during OTAs that Guyton’s starting job is up for grabs, the need for progression is bigger than it has ever been for the Oklahoma product. Through two seasons, Guyton has allowed 57 quarterback pressures and eight sacks.
On the other side, Terence Steele should be able to hold down his starting job at right tackle because of his strong run blocking ability. However, lapses exist in his pass protection, as he’s given up 93 quarterback pressures and 15 sacks over the past two seasons. He’s been a staple of durability since tearing his ACL in 2022, though, as he’s started every game over the past three seasons.
At left tackle, 2024 seventh-round pick Nate Thomas is Guyton’s biggest threat for the starting job. After being moved from guard to tackle before training camp last season, Thomas quickly ascended up the depth chart. He is now in position to be the starting left tackle, at best, or the backup swing tackle with a strong training camp. The staff’s confidence in Thomas didn’t quite translate onto the field; across 219 pass block snaps last season, Thomas allowed 23 pressures and three sacks.
The dark horse in the room is fourth-round rookie Drew Shelton. In a draft class that had an overflowing bucket of right tackle talent, the Cowboys took a day-three swing on Shelton, who primarily played left tackle at Penn State. Across 356 pass block snaps as a senior, Shelton allowed just 18 pressures and one sack. With a lack of confidence at the top of the depth chart, a path exists for Shelton to make a big impact as a rookie with a strong training camp.
Myth Busting Season: 3 Dallas Cowboys storylines that training camp will reveal more about, including Caleb Downs’ role – Mauricio Rodriguez, AtoZ Sports
These will certainly be some interesting things to watch.
Dallas Cowboys training camp is days away, and with it comes the annual opportunity to separate fact from fiction. Every offseason, Cowboys coaches drop hints about how they plan to use certain players, and every year, some of those hints turn out to be a whole bunch of nothing.
Or at the very least, nothing compared to what Cowboys fans and media make them out to be. I’m talking about when the Cowboys hinted fullback Hunter Huepke would evolve into a tight end. Or when wide receiver KaVontae Turpin was supposed to take running back snaps. And one of my favorites: when Tony Pollard was going to line up as a slot receiver. All of those storylines fizzled.
But there have been many others that turn out to be true. Today, we’re looking at three storylines that I wonder if they’re true or myth. Let’s begin with the biggest name of the offseason…
George Pickens as a slot receiver
One of the biggest offseason talking points surrounding the Cowboys offense has been the plan to move Pickens around the formation. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Pickens “does not like” to stay in one spot and wants to be moved around. Last year, offensive coordinator Klayton Adams admitted the coaching staff didn’t realize how dynamic Pickens could be with the ball in his hands until CeeDee Lamb went down with an injury last season.
The numbers paint a clear picture of just how different this would be. Among qualifying wide receivers, Pickens had the second-lowest percentage of snaps in the slot across the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Moving him inside would represent a dramatic shift in how Dallas deploys its top pass catcher.
If Pickens isn’t lining up inside during training camp practices, expectations should come back down to earth quickly—but it wouldn’t be enough to lower the Pickens hype.
No.4) What are you hoping to see in Parker’s defense? – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
What will the defense in Dallas look like under Christian Parker in his first year running the show?
Tommy: Turnovers. Brian Schottenheimer has consistently harped on how frustrated he was in his team’s turnover ratio last season, where the Cowboys were -9, tied for third-worst in the league with 21 turnovers compared to 12 takeaways. Of course, most of Schottenheimer’s frustration likely comes as the play caller and with the offense, as 21 turnovers isn’t ideal for any good offense.
That said, with a good offense you need to give them more possessions. Getting turnovers is the best way to do that and set up Dak Prescott and company in a positive position to go and put points on the board. That is what will go a long way to helping the Cowboys win more games. Of course, you aren’t going to get a turnover on every play and need to be a solid defense in general, but quick changes of possession caused by turnovers turn games on their heads.
If those turnovers are able to come from the secondary and through interceptions, that’s a big testament to what Parker has been able to do with the unit that dealt with a plethora of injuries and only had six interceptions total last season.
Dallas Cowboys pre-training camp roster projection: Notable cuts, darkhorse candidates and more – Joseph Hoyt, Dallas Morning News
Diving into what the Cowboys roster could look like in 2026.
Quarterback (3)
Dak Prescott, Sam Howell, Joe Milton III
Notable cuts: N/A
Briefly: Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott would probably urge you not to issue causation due to correlation, but still, there is a trend worth noting when it comes to his career. Since 2020, he’s alternated between playing a full season and missing a significant amount of time. This coming season, he’s trying to string together healthy seasons in back-to-back years for the first time since 2019. That makes having a backup quarterback position important. The Cowboys brought in Sam Howell to compete with the raw but talented Joe Milton. Howell has a full season’s worth of starting experience. Could that be enough to win the battle?
Wild card: If the Cowboys see enough from Howell or Milton, could they run the risk of having just two quarterbacks on the active roster? It’s something they did a season ago with Milton and former quarterback Will Grier, who spent all of last season on the practice squad but recently announced his retirement.
Running back (5)
Javonte Williams, Jaydon Blue, Phil Mafah, Hunter Luepke, Malik Davis
Notable cuts: Israel Abanikanda, Dominic Richardson
Briefly: The Cowboys know who their starting running back will be. That’s why you won’t see much of Javonte Williams during preseason. They’ve also been adamant about their optimism for second-year running backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah. They expect both to take a big step this season. That probably places Malik Davis on the roster bubble. In this case, however, we keep Davis. He’s someone the Cowboys know they can trust on special teams. He’s the team’s starting personal protector on punt coverage. Will that be enough for him to make the roster?
Wild card: The Cowboys signed Hunter Luepke to an extension last season, but he was used on just over 20% of the offensive snaps last season. Could he be on the bubble, especially if the emergence of a run-blocking tight end like Brevyn Spann-Ford continues in camp?
Daily discussion question: Who will have the first highlight moment of training camp?
