Dallas Cowboys training camp is just under a month away, and players will soon report to Oxnard, Calif., to begin their 2026 camp/preseason. That will be a major step on the long journey toward the season, the playoffs and, hopefully in the Cowboys’ case, the Super Bowl.
Today we’ll analyze a couple of players, one on each side of the ball, that could surprise in training camp.
Offense – Phil Mafah
The running back room beyond Javonte Williams is not settled. The second RB spot is up for grabs, and Phil Mafah could be somebody
who breaks through this training camp and separates himself as the best back behind Williams.
The second-year pro, who dealt with a nagging shoulder injury much of last season, is healthy and looking to make a sophomore jump. Mafah has the frame, at 6’0” 234 lbs., and running style, downhill and physical, that sets him apart from the rest of the backs on the roster. He could find a niche on this team moving the pile and in short-yardage situations, which is where he scored his first touchdown last season against the Giants, Week 18.
But that niche could just be the beginning for Mafah, as he continues to build on an offseason in which he’s put in extra work and stood out at OTAs. He has at least one believer in Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.
“Phil Mafah looked good with his first-team reps, grabbing a touchdown in red zone work,” Harris reported for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. “Mafah has specifically drawn a lot of praise for his work this offseason, with one source saying he is ‘night-and-day’ different from last year.”
Defense – Dee Winters
For Winters, the story isn’t so much whether he can nab one of the starting ILB spots – he’s basically a shoo-in for that – it’s whether or not he can finally shine and give us more of what he did last year which included a 74-yard interception to the house.
The soon-to-be fourth-year pro is looking to break out in a big way. Winters has amassed 155 total tackles over the three previous seasons he spent with the San Francisco 49ers, solid numbers at this point in his career. Obviously, the touchdown alluded to earlier displayed his athleticism, which Dallas could always use more of, and our very own Dan Rogers reported that Winters was the only LB last season, of 80 LBs that made an interception, to eclipse 20mph after the interception.
It’s that athleticism and versatility that may have some fans thinking of peak Rolando McClain, who could cover ground, make plays on the ball, and help lead a defensive unit aching to grow. The stars don’t need to align for this to happen; Winters seems primed for a breakout season, and camp should put everybody that hasn’t noticed the potential on alert.
Who is you breakout player for the 2026 season?
