These 5 Cowboys rookies should play big roles in preseason opener

The depth to Dallas Cowboys coaching camp from Oxnard, California has ramped up at a feverish tempo ever since padded practices started for the staff final week, taking one other step up on Thursday when the Cowboys held a joint follow with the LA Rams – who they’ll additionally see within the preseason opener on Sunday. The chance to get stay reps towards an opponent aside from their very own teammates is invaluable, and there have been loads of highlights from scrimmage parts of the follow to remind us all that actual, significant soccer is really simply across the nook.

With regards to reminding anybody what’s at stake for the Cowboys this season, few phrases want to really be mentioned at this level. Contract drama surrounding among the staff’s finest gamers. Mike McCarthy perpetually on the new seat. Getting the playoff disappointment monkey off their again. Yawn. Most of this will and must be simply forgotten if and when this Cowboys proficient roster performs to their full potential, one thing nonetheless being realized and achieved via the roster-building stage of coaching camp. There’s little doubt that Sunday towards the Rams shall be only a small style of the soccer to return for the Cowboys even of their remaining two preseason video games to comply with towards the Raiders and Chargers, however with a number of positions proving to have shock depth and hard roster choices looming, there are many vital reps available on this sport.

Most of the surprises for the Cowboys have come by the use of second- or third-year gamers making strides of their growth, and in flip making it tougher for the whole lot of this yr’s rookie and UDFA class to collectively have their second but. For a staff that desperately wanted their 2023 draft class to make rather more of a right away affect than it in the end did, this has been a superb growth for the outlook of a brand new season, with even their restricted free company additions including splash performs like Eric Kendricks thriving in Mike Zimmer’s protection as soon as once more.

The Cowboys made eight choices on this yr’s draft although, and sooner or later must open the checkbook as much as maintain a few of their present stars, that means the 2024 rookie class can nonetheless have a significant say in how this make-or-break season shapes out. Forecasting what these younger gamers will seem like even a month from now in the beginning of the common season is anybody’s guess, and doing the identical for when the video games imply probably the most in December or January could as nicely be astrophysics, however we do have an unofficial depth chart launched by the staff forward of Sunday’s sport in addition to joint follow stay reps to verify in on the place a few of these picks stand in the mean time.

Revisiting this as coaching camp and the preseason continues shall be vital to understanding the roster choices Dallas makes, so listed here are the preliminary 5 rookies they appear able to lean on probably the most.

Spherical 1, Decide 29: OT Tyler Guyton

That is an apparent place to begin, as each staff across the league may have the best expectations for his or her first-round picks, however issues have been going nicely for Cowboys rookie left deal with Tyler Guyton. There are few issues that wreck an offensive sport plan greater than faults in cross safety, and the Cowboys have the best of stakes driving on their capacity to stay a excessive octane offense below McCarthy this season. Doing so with a rookie stepping up at left deal with to exchange future Corridor of Famer Tyron Smith must be purpose for pause, however Guyton has accomplished every little thing attainable to instill confidence in his capacity to guard Dak Prescott because the second he was drafted.

Getting a head begin on making the swap from proper deal with at Oklahoma to NFL left deal with by instantly starting coaching in Dallas after April’s draft isn’t solely serving to Guyton seem like a day one starter at coaching camp, however one which seemingly has years of expertise as he’s already held his personal towards fearsome cross rusher Micah Parsons. Subsequent to Guyton is Tyler Smith, who performed deal with in school however is now rising as among the finest left guards in soccer. Fellow rookie Cooper Beebe is combating for the beginning heart place after taking part in guard at Kansas State, and no one ought to neglect that one other future Canton inductee in Zack Martin at proper guard was additionally a transformed deal with.

The Cowboys monitor document at discovering and creating high finish expertise on the offensive line is impeccable, and there have been only a few reps from Guyton up to now in Oxnard to assume they haven’t hit one other residence run right here.

Guyton has regarded clean and fluid in his footwork, timing his athletic sliding capacity together with his lengthy arms to maintain defenders at bay with out being too aggressive upfield and shedding stability. His robust palms and preliminary punch have knocked rushers off their path, and his capacity to reset and maintain all through a rep has been spectacular. Solely Chuma Edoga is listed above Guyton on the left deal with depth chart forward of Sunday’s opener, a formality that has persevered because the begin of camp with Edoga getting preliminary first staff reps, however Guyton has shortly earned his personal share of first staff reps and may have loads of eyes on him each time he does see the sector this preseason for sport motion.

Spherical 3, Decide 87: LB Marist Liufau

Going into the draft, linebacker was seen as a large enough want for the Cowboys the place ready till the third spherical to handle it was a light shock. Solely Damone Clark and Demarvion Overshown, drafted below earlier coordinator Dan Quinn, returned as skilled gamers. Including Kendricks wasn’t precisely the large needle-moving signing right here both, however the veteran linebacker has regarded rejuvenated in camp and helps a completely new look protection play quick and skim their keys to proceed making splash performs.

The query proper now at linebacker for the Cowboys is who can complement Kendricks one of the best in Mike Zimmer’s protection. Listed as a starter over Overshown on the depth chart for Sunday, rookie Marist Liufau is doubtlessly making his case to be that reply.

Probably the most observed distinction in coaching camp from the Cowboys protection up to now has been their capacity to disguise coverages and fronts, with linebackers coming and going from the field and creating confusion as to the place stress is coming from for an offense. Kendricks will not be probably the most gifted or quickest blitzer at this level in his profession, however he’s capturing gaps and taking part in downhill to hopefully assist the Cowboys have a a lot improved run protection this season. A participant like Liufau, who’s instinctual and might maintain include on the again finish when different defenders set the sting, whereas additionally having the burst to show his hips and chase the ball to complete performs himself, could possibly be extraordinarily precious to this protection.

Now, for the sake of not getting forward of ourselves, there’s lots of context to remember in the case of naming Liufau a attainable “starter”. Identical to this time period was a relative one at a number of positions below Quinn, the identical is trying more likely to proceed at particularly linebacker below Zimmer. With even the staff’s finest total defender Micah Parsons getting extra reps than ever as a get up linebacker, and Overshown nonetheless very a lot factoring into the staff’s plans, there’s going to be a rotation right here assuming all gamers keep wholesome. We’re additionally working with a depth chart the Cowboys are taking right into a preseason opener, the identical sport Overshown tore his ACL in a yr in the past. Easing him again into any sport motion so the previous Texas Longhorn can see the common season for the primary time is sensible.

The arrow is pointing up for rookie Marist Liufau, however that is actually a spot on the roster to revisit as soon as cuts must be made.

Spherical 2, Decide 56: DE Marshawn Kneeland

This dynamic has been nicely lined ever since Sam Williams’ season-ending ACL and MCL tear, with the Cowboys getting thinner at defensive finish and now needing second-round choose Marshawn Kneeland to essentially step right into a outstanding function. The Cowboys unofficial depth chart doesn’t precisely paint a grim image with out Williams (nonetheless written in as DE2 behind solely Micah Parsons), but when the staff needed to play a sport that counted tomorrow, Chauncey Gholston being subsequent in line behind the at all times reliable DeMarcus Lawrence isn’t precisely nice.

Lawrence and Parsons will help make up for lots of weaknesses elsewhere in a protection, but in addition profit probably the most from having robust play on the defensive inside. With this very a lot being a piece in progress for the Cowboys, a participant like Gholston whose spent extra time as a deal with then true defensive finish with the Cowboys could possibly be extra precious inside nonetheless. This might be but another excuse the Cowboys want Kneeland, who has his personal flexibility to hurry from a number of positions and is rarely afraid to battle from snap to whistle regardless of the place he’s lined up.

Kneeland’s motor and talent to disengage linemen late in a play to complete across the ball had been his finest traits on tape out of Western Michigan, and the Cowboys have to get him as many alternatives to work on these items at full pace beginning Sunday.

Spherical 6, Decide 216: WR Ryan Flournoy, Southeast Missouri State

It has been a considerably quiet first coaching camp for rookie receiver Ryan Flournoy, who maybe unfairly had elevated expectations positioned on him as the one addition to the receiver room for a Cowboys staff that misplaced Michael Gallup in free company and already was very depending on WR1 CeeDee Lamb. A sixth-round select of a small faculty, Flournoy has been thrown into the gauntlet in his first NFL coaching camp, seeing beforehand unknown gamers like Tyron Billy-Johnson and Jalen Cropper make large performs persistently.

With out as most of the identical alternatives due to harm, Flournoy has made probably the most of a few of his reps and got here down with a spotlight within the joint follow towards the Rams with this high-point catch.

This can be a participant the Cowboys can use as a giant crimson zone goal, an space they struggled in at occasions final yr, and this area of interest function may very well assist Flournoy flourish probably the most. Within the absence of CeeDee Lamb at coaching camp, the Cowboys receiving corps is trying like they are going to proceed to be extraordinarily high heavy once more in 2024. The funnel of targets with out Lamb on the sector has flowed to veteran Brandin Cooks adopted by robust WR3 candidate Jalen Tolbert. The place different gamers which have shined greater than Flournoy exterior of Lamb, Cooks, and Tolbert, they might nonetheless have a particularly troublesome time really seeing the sector as soon as the large three is all collectively. A chosen package deal for Flournoy in specialty conditions might assist separate the rookie and make him a right away substitute to Gallup within the scoring space.

Spherical 5, Decide 174: CB Caelen Carson

The seek for high quality depth at cornerback past Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis was a high storyline for the Cowboys upon arrival in Oxnard. Bland and Lewis have regarded wonderful in camp with Diggs nonetheless recovering from his ACL, and Caelen Carson has match proper in.

The rookie out of Wake Forest is the primary defensive again drafted by the Cowboys below Zimmer, well-known for his eye for expertise within the secondary. Carson has performed like a prototypical Zimmer cornerback up to now in camp, utilizing his large body and size as a boundary cornerback to make escaping his protection troublesome. Carson got here away with this interception towards the Rams, and is ending performs on the ball to the extremely excessive commonplace set by Diggs, Bland, and Lewis in addition to coaches Zimmer and Al Harris.

It’s not a query of if however when cornerback depth is required via the attrition of an NFL season, and the Cowboys are seeing a participant they will belief increasingly more develop in entrance of their eyes in his first ever camp. Carson is listed solely behind DaRon Bland as one of many exterior corners on the depth chart proper now. Whereas the competitors elsewhere at this place makes it slightly tougher to fit the fifth-round choose wherever else, he has turned loads of heads in Oxnard with the added versatility to additionally play as an inside nook with good pace and pursuit angles to the ball.