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This He's Talking Cowboys Training live from Dallas Cowboys Training Camp in Oxnard.
Calif Straight shot.
Ten today, tuchdown and now your hosts Isaiah Standback, Nick Harris, John Mashoda, and Kyle Yeoman's.
It's a Wednesday edition of Talking Cowboys presented by Black Rifle Coffee Company, the official coffee of the Dallas Cowboys. We are here nine am in the morning eleven am Central time, but we are back on the tennis courts in Oxnard, California's Cowboys training camp continues. We have two padded practices down. We've got a couple more to go before the Cowboys take on the Jaguars next Saturday in preseason game number one. Alongside John Machoda, Nick Harris, Isaiah
stand Back, I'm Kyle Yeomans. Good news is we all survived the media party last night and we're here. But the even better news is that we are here and we're able to talk some cowboys today. Nick, that was your first experience? Pretty good?
Yeah, pretty solid. Can't complain one bit.
Good food, good company, and of course a couple drinks in there as well. We had a Miller Lite or two while we were out there, so that was always a lot of fun. But black rifle RTD right now, that was exactly that's why we're here.
Can we have that request? Can we request listen here black rifle to need y'all to send us something very.
Long for the first Isaiah stand back sponsors ready to drink.
If y'all don't know what RTD is, that's ready to drink. That means it comes in a can. They sent us some last year. Kyle, I think it would be perfect if we had a shipment sitting down here camp.
So every morning we can have our RTD black rifle. Cough, what'd you think?
I agree?
I agree? This is a thing. John just get used to it every once in a while. Stand Back, He just looked into the one shot camera and he just decides to make a pitch to one of those sponsors. Happened with Esselore, It happened with all the different sponsors along the way. I don't even know if I can say their name yet, but anymore, but quicker oats, it'll happen at some point, Like yeah, it's always a he's a pro. He is a pro. He's a pros pro
all right. H Like I said, two padded practices down, I want to get first impressions on how they've looked, how the team has looked through those two padded practices. But first I want to do It's kind of like news and notes for those that listened to the show last year, I would give it to Patrick, and Patrick will give news and notes. Before that, Rob was really big on it. But I want to split it up. I want everybody to give me one talking point. We kind of did it on Monday, where it's one one
storyline that's really stuck out to you. But I'm gonna call him talking points. I just have a better name for it now since it is talking cowboys. But John, I'll let you start it off. What's the number one thing on your mind?
I mean, I'm not gonna say that this should be everybody's number one thing, but for me personally, it's really been the offensive line and developing anybody behind that starting five. I know we talked about it the other day, but especially with Zach Martin not being out here, that's my one area of concern is the depth of that offensive line, because I do believe that if they can develop some depth there that it can it can just fill a lot of holes, answer a lot of questions.
Everything can click because of that.
So you know, kind of it's just tough out here because they're going against a loaded defensive line, and so it's you know, I want to come away from these practices and share a bunch of stuff of like, no, this guy did this, and the defensive line looks monstrous.
So it's like you, I'm.
Really looking forward to the preseason games to kind of gauge, Okay, where are these some of these guys like Farniac and Josh Ball and and we'll let's go against some of those guys. But that to me, like when I look at the roster, I I'm always going back to the offensive line.
What do you think, Nick on that regard.
On the offensive line regard, Yeah, the depth worries me for sure. You know, I don't feel too comfortable if if Zach Martin is not on the field on Week one. I wouldn't feel comfortable if he is and then an injury happens somewhere down the line. So, like we've talked about, I think that's the only position group you could really look at and be like, Okay, that's a bit of a concern in the depth, Isaiah, he.
Gives me the bubble, guts Coyle, Yeah, it gives me the bubbles. You know what I'm saying.
You ever had like something that just doesn't sit right? They're not settled. I've got that feeling right now. You got it right now.
If you gotta see Kyle, just lean up on one side, you'll know what it takes place.
Yeah, it's just it's unsettling right now. And I am not only just because of Zach Martin's absence, but also because of the aspect of they're.
Just moving a lot of guys around.
And we get it, you know, you gotta protect Tiring, We get it, Te Stills coming off of injury. You know, we get it. Martin's not here. But like we, as you know analysts, we don't have anything to really rest
on right now. And that's why these preseason games are going to be so influential and so it's, you know, so just prevalent because we need to know what our what's their game plan, because right now it doesn't feel as if there is one, even though we know there is it's it's it's like it's like a crap game right now, man, just d Dyson and you're kind of seeing it with falls.
If you could point in any position group to be the Krypsonite on this team, is there, it's a runaway favorite.
Yeah, no doubt. In my mind, it would be offensive line. Does it make you feel any better though? The fact that they are going up against the defensive line that is so loaded, is so deep, and they have that talent level to where and Mike McCarthy talked about it the other day, where's it's almost an iron sharpens iron mentality where the offensive line, like John said, it's no doubt like they're struggling, but they're going up against one
of the best defensive fronts of football. Does that provide at least a little bit of comfort in that situation?
Oh?
Yeah, no it does. They're gonna get great work.
And that's the other thing like a lot of people might look at, is well, they need to go out there and go add somebody, add one of these, you know, a veteran free agent that you can maybe get on the cheap to help out it guards. Yeah, that could potentially happen, But It's kind of like the running back, the backup running back spot.
They want to be able to see.
Mike McCarthy wants to be able to see, like, what are these guys capable of?
This is the time when you can see it.
Let's see if we can develop somebody right now, this is the time to do it. So while we sit here and have questions about it, it could be going to That is the plan exactly.
And I agree whole hardly on that.
I do believe that they have a game plan, and they have a backup to the backup, and they have a backup to the backup to the backup. As we've seen over the past years, they've always had a game plan in that regard, and they are This is the time where you find out what your guys can and can't do. And I just can't wait for those preseason games to show up because you know that Tyrann's your left tackle right with If Tyron's not your left tackle,
who's your left tackle? Well, I'm bumping Tyler right well behind Tyler, who is it? Well, that's what they're playing around with right now. You know, if they find themselves and that in that situation, they need to know what their capabilities are, and I'm not sure that we feel very holistically confident in that right now. The guard position is going to be something else. Are they going against really great talent? Absolutely? Defensive line is absolutely, they're They're
freaking juggernauts out there. It's positive in the light that you get to go against high caliber talent. It's negative in the sense if you don't get an opportunity to see what these guys are truly capable of, because they're getting their butts kicked often, you know. So it's a it's a give and take, you know, when they go out there and they have oh, okay, this is gonna be easier, and yeah, they'll perform better than what we've seen out
here at practice because of the caliber of talent. But at the same time, I don't know how effectively these coaches can really judge the production of the players when they're getting smacked up left and right by his amazing d line.
One thing I just want to add real quick on that.
It's also a part for me because there is changes on offense with bringing in Brian Shinheimer, with Mike McCarthy calling the plays. They talk about getting the play in early to Dak. If I'm a coach, I don't want Dak going up there. And the very first thing he's worried about is like, is this offensive line is gonna be whold? He's got so much on his plate, you know,
with dissecting, is what's the defense doing right now? Like I need him to be as confident as possible in that offensive line in front of him.
When we were talking the other day about the West Coast style and the West Coast concepts and making it simple on Dak post snap, does it make it harder on Dak pre snap walking up to the line of scrimmage, especially whenever there is an added element of okay, let's
make sure I get blocked for this play. But is there an added it just not not concerned, I don't want to say, But is there an added pressure on him going up to the line of scrimmage to be able to read and be able to diagnose quicker and better because everything happens so quick after the snap. I don't. Had it been last year's system, I would say yes.
But being at the West Coast system is a quick release, get the ball out of your hands quickly type of setting. This office line isn't going to have to hold their blocks for an expanded duration of time, nothing like last year.
Usually.
You know, from a quarterbacks perspective, if I'm under the center, it's three step game. Majority of this passing game is three steps, three step game or play action. I'm not saying there's not five and seven steps there is, but majority of it is three steps.
Getting out your hands quickly.
Your receivers are getting about five to seven yards, your tightens are getting aboutive to seven yards down the field.
You always have a short option.
You always have an intermediate option around ten to twelve yards, which your receivers get there.
That's your five step read. It's really gonna be like your second option.
So you have a three step read, you have a five step read, and then you have a hey, just get rid of it or take off read. So I don't foresee them having to hold their blocks, which is place to their benefit. You don't need a bunch of absolute dogs up there to hold hold the ground all day long. But for those instances, you still need a solid offensive line, and I think that Dallas Cowboys will have that. Right now, We're just looking at the second
and third strings. And trying to figure out, Okay, if these scenarios that have represented themselves in recent years, you know, obviously show back up, who's going to be the one that rises to the top, you know.
And that's kind of a double edged sword though, because while it does help you, I guess a bad offensive line never helps you. But I guess it's better to have. Whenever you have a quick release game and a quick release offense, you have to get the running game facilitated in some way too. And if you can't get that with the offensive line, that could happen. If you know, Zach doesn't show up and an injury happens, you know, that's that's when we started seeing at doomsday option on
that offensive line. But I am glad you brought up that defensive line point, because that was something I was thinking yesterday. Whenever this defensive line the first two days through pass, we're just obliterating everything up front, and I was thinking in the back of my head. I don't play many video games, go, but I do play two K and.
Madden a lot.
Okay, whenever I buy the game, the new game every year, my goal is to get to the Hall of Fame or the All Madden level and every year, even though I know it's dumb, I start on that level and I'm like, Okay, this is too hard. I need to work my way up. I feel like that's what's happening with the offensive line right now. They're starting on the
Hall of Fame. They're starting on the All Madden. They need to somehow figure out how to work back to like veteran or pro and kind of work their way up because it's it's it's not looking great right now.
You can get your foot like that. That's good. I mean, let's get to the All Pro level and then you get to the Hall of Fame level, and then we can push and we can keep on.
That's what we're really hooping.
Yeah, that's what we're really a real big time all right. So that's talking point number one. Nick, What was your talking point the.
Running back two situation? You know, I don't I don't feel like there's a ton of clarity in that in that department.
You know, Mike.
McCarthy did provide, you know, a little bit of confidence in Rico Dubdell and Malik Davis earlier this week, but you know, with Ronald Jones suspension, I think that's that throws another kind of wrench in this conversation. And you know, Ronald Jones is the guy in that room who you know, has a little bit of a different skill set. He has a different experience level than everyone in that group. So you know, not having him in the first two games,
you know, how does that affect his roster status? Even so, I think that's going to be a position group that sees a lot of fluidity through the preseason. You know, I think it is too early to kind of tell who exactly is going to come up and take that RB two spot, but I think preseason is going to really determine a lot there.
Yeah, whenever you get the pads clack clicking and clacking a little bit, I mean even out here, they're they're touching the hips like they're playing two hand touch here. That's that's ultimately what it is. Not in the offense and the defensive line, and there's a little bit of a pop, but you keep them up right. That's different whenever you're running back because you got to find a way to blow through.
Absolutely, and I love Duce, do not get me wrong, But there's a couple of these like spin a rounds bounce off guys where like he'd be getting flattened. So I I want to see him do that in the preseason, be able to bounce guys off that are actually trying to tackle him.
But this bouncing off and spinning those great for the video, fantastic.
Keep doing that, news, come.
Bring it in here, like all right, sweet, it's sweet, sweet, you know do that somerling again.
Dak jumping over the line and getting two hand touched from behind. I think he would have scored that that touchdown anyways, everybody's kind of I was right in front of the it was the Dak design run and practice on Tuesday, and jay Ron curses behind him he got him on the hip. I was like, I don't know if Curse makes that play because if that's a game, Dak is extended and he is getting to the goal line like that. He's done that so many different times.
I think me and Isaiah have talked about it. How great was it to see a Reid option. I feel like I haven't seen that from this offense in a while. Put a couple of r pos in there, is there?
There were a couple at the goal line yesterday he hit Jake Ferguson on one where it was a it was a read option and he immediately hit the tight end in the flat and it was a wide open touchdown on the r PO is not a bad deal. What you're talking point, Isaiah, I have to agree.
I think the running back situation, aside from the office and line, that's my next my next box that I feel like they need to check. I'm not I'm not one hundred confident, but it's also a position group that you can go out there and grab somebody and be okay. So I think that they have the time on their side to get to these preseason games to find out exactly what they have. I also have full vote of confidence in Malik Davis and Rico Daldo though I mean
those guys. I know everybody's talking about Dus because he's a he's a newest edition, and he's he's you know, he's he's a smaller guy, you know, electrifying all that jazz.
But the guys that have been here, those guys, those guys are good. Those guys are really.
Good, and I have full confidence in them, and I know this coaching staff does as well, because they have shown trustworthy.
It was interesting to hear Mike McCarthy after that one press conference a few days ago when he was asked specifically, what of that second group the next running backs stood out to you?
And I'll be honest, I did not expect him to say Rico doubt all.
First.
It kind of surprised me, you know, and so that was obviously intriguing. But and then talking to Mike McCarthy yesterday after the press conference is over, he was asked about EZEKIELA well, Ezekiel and why he wouldn't they don't want to go that direction right now, and he talked about how, like we said, with the offensive line, wanting to see out here one is seeing the preseason games,
what you have with some of the younger guys. But the name has to stay until Ezekiel Elliott signs elsewhere because the owner and general manager will not close that door on Ezekiel Elay, you have to keep that as a possibility that he could be returning to the Cowboys. I don't know if that happens or not, but you can't close the door on that right now.
What do you think the percentages Ezekiel Elliott suits up Week one?
For me, it's gone up in the last two days.
Wow, interesting, I would agree. Who do you think would would.
I'm not saying it's a high percentage, it's gone up.
A little bit, but who who do you think would close that door first? Do you think it would be the front office or do you think it'd be Zeke's party that would close that door first?
I think it right now it would have to be Zeke's party because I think it's been made known to his party kind of where the Cowboys are financially for you know, they're not looking to pay like a number one. You know that's in the off season. Everyone bring up
like the Dalvin Cook stuff like all the time. I'm just like, that's just not a price point that they're not they're gonna you know, they're more into the Leonard Fournette type of like, you know, if they don't find the right guy out here, then you don't have to spend a time and bring a guy in. So I think if his dollar amount was willing to come down, then I think that would be the thing there.
But I don't know.
Outside of you know, the Patriots are the only other team that's been you know, the rumored to a well, not rumored. It's been reported that they've met with him. So maybe he ends up there. But as long as he is a free agent, you just can't close the door in it. But there were definitely times where I, you know, during the offseason, I was like, it's like one percent chance, and now I'll probably go up to maybe five percent.
This is just my assumption.
I assume that offer sheet is on the table waiting for him.
Wow, I assume that close.
No, No, I'm not necessarily that it's that close. I'm saying, like, this is your price point. If you want to meet that, sure, we'd love to have you, but we can't. We can't go past that dollar.
You're waiting for them to It's like what John was saying, like you're waiting for exactly for dall or for Zeke's party to come down, for Dallas to make it happen. Yeah. Interesting.
And then from his perspective though, I kind of wonder too, like what other options he has out there, because like the role he had when he was drafted and then the role he would have now is just so different. Maybe he has a better opportunity to another team that where he's got a better chance to maybe be their
lead ball carrier by the end of the season. You know that maybe right now it doesn't look that way, but he signs with this team and you're like, oh man, the end of season, Ezekiel, it was that team's leading rusher. You know, you might not expect it now because he's not on a team, but this stuff moves quickly, you know.
Would you want to see that, Isaiah, would you want to see Zeke back with the Cowboys?
Yeah?
I think it'd be obviously great for him, great for the for the team and the fan base. I don't see it happening, yeah, I mean they gave his number away immediately, immediately. It's a good player too, Yeah, so I'm hard to take that one away. I mean that's not the only measure obviously, but that's major. You know, it's in for somebody who meant as much as organization as he did, and they hurry up and gave that away.
That that means something. So I don't really foresee that happening.
And plus, there's a lot of really great opportunities around the league right now that he that are kind of falling into his lap. So I think the longer he waits the more leverage he gains. Unfortunately, there's injuries in this game, and the more running backs that get hurt around the league, the higher his thought goes. So he's just really sitting back chilling right now, not having to go through camp.
That is a great point.
It is so true because they haven't even played any preseason games yet and there's just all I mean, that's just the nature of the game. There's gonna be freak injuries, and when that happens, there could be a team that you know is a contender that all of a sudden, it's like, Man, if you come in right now, you can be the missing piece to this team. And for him, how could you turn that down?
I don't think it could. I really don't guess. I think that's what he's waiting for at this point. He's waiting for that opportunity to arise, whether that's in Dallas, New England. Insert name here of an injury that's that has yet to happen. But camp injuries happen, especially at the running back position. Preseason injuries happen at the running back position, So we may not even see that that saga come to a close until week two or three.
Of the preseason and then you finally get a full lay of the land on what the NFL brings from a running back standpoint and what it would bring for Zeke going into this season. But all right, I like the talking points overall. We got to We hit a lot there. When we come back, though, I want to continue with first impressions of the padded practices, and I want to talk a little bit more about this battle in the trenches and some of the youth up front.
Has anybody stood out, because there's one name that I'm looking at right now that is starting to get some reps with the first teamers that I did not expect coming into camp. We'll tell you about that a whole lot more when we come back with Talking Cowboys.
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Back here with more Talking Cowboys, presented by Black Rifle Coffee Company, the official coffee of the Dallas Cowboys. This segment is brought to you by Invisi Line, the official smile of the Dallas Cowboys. John Matchoda, Nick Harris, Isaiah standback. I'm Kyle Olmens, what you spoiler? You what You're such a swindler?
What did I do?
You Ben David his way into getting a dog on invisile line. Drop, No, that's not true. I had to pay full cash for my Sure, you did to paid. I had to. I had to on the noils. All of a sudden, Kyle gets in visit line. Then all of a sudden, next year they're the sponsor.
It's interesting.
I'm coming out with everybody's gonna get the tea fixed, It's gonna be great. I'm trying to help everybody out, that's all. That's all. Uh yeah, it's that in Quaker oats and I like coffee. So it all just kind of lines up, doesn't it all kind of lines up. We're also gonna in the future of the second segment where I believe there's a rumor, just a rumor, guys.
So we're gonna get a text line for the first time in podcast history, a text line where you can text in from the fans can text to us directly, and we would see on the text line, I art our chest box be live man. Yeah, our chet it's legit, it's legit. We won't have it today, but I was gonna take some fan questions, but we'll have to save that for another show. We'll, we'll, we'll do it on Fridays with Beamer's promising. We're gonna make that happen Friday. Yeah,
oh yeah, say it with your chest Fridays. That's right, So I gotta say it with your chest. Yes, all right, speaking of saying it with your chest. TJ. Bass offensive lineman, undrafted free agent out of Oregon. This is the kind of in depth training camp coverage that you get on Talking Cowboys talk about undrafted free agents. On the guard spot, he's rotated in a couple of times. He did so in a rookie mini camp where he was running with
the ones, at least the wrong ones of rookies. He did so with OTAs and now he's starting to rotate in at guard with not with no Zach Martin and the rotating in and out with Josh Ball at the right guard spot. Have you have you seen anything from TJ. Bass and when he's brought to the table John and and has he impressed you at all? I'm trying to find a bright spot on the offensive line, and I think he might be one of them.
I can't say that there's anything about him that necessarily jumped out to me, but he was a guy that when they signed him after their draft, nick Yeatman was kind of making fun of me for this that I went and got like a got him off to this, I know, like in the lock from now the rookies aren't in there yet, and I was like, oh, you know. The pr SAF was like, is anybody else you want to talk to that they're not bringing out? And I was like, yeah, I kind of want to talk to
TJ just because the position he plays. He was a guy that I want to say Dan Brugler might have had as a six round grade on but it was definitely a draftable. Maybe it might have been a fit. Yeah, And so because of that, he's been a guy that I've kind of wanted to pay attention to. I just I really haven't as much as I've wanted because of In these first couple of Paddy practices, I feel like more of my focus has been on the you know,
receivers and dbs and stuff like that. But yeah, I mean obviously running with the ones is what is what you want, and he's going to get every opportunity for that, and you know, and talking to him, it was one of those things where as you get later in the draft, you're not getting drafted, so then you start getting calls from teams and it's like, Okay, where do I fit?
What what team do I have the best chance to get some playing time?
Your agent's talking to those teams and stuff like that, and the Cowboys are obviously a good fit for him.
I haven't seen a lot of TJ bass this week's specific, in the lifelast week specifically, but I will say where he comes from and the coaching that he comes from leads me to have a lot of confidence in what he can do. Alex Mirrabaal, who's his offensive line coach that brought him into Oregon. He's now at Miami, and we'll dive into you know, specific position coaches around draft time and why those are so important. But Alex Mierbal is the best offensive line coach in the entire country.
And for him to go into the JUCO ranks and pull TJ. Bess out and make him a priority, that says a lot about what he can do. And he started immediately as soon as he got to Eugene so you know, just having that in his background, even if he did go undrafted, that leads me. That leads me to a lot of confidence about what he can do.
Has anybody else in terms of the rookies? Has anybody else jumped out off the page, whether it's offensive line or not, just rookie class in general? Has anybody jumped off the page from? For sure?
We can start with the duo of Jalen's and honestly you could. You could trickle it down to the trio of Jalen wide receivers that have just had a good week in general. Yeah, but talking about the two rookies, Jalen Brooks and then Jalen moreno Cropper, it was Jalen moreno CROs more so last week and once the pads got put on and we could be a little bit more physical out here, it was Jalen Brooks and man, he's been fantastic through cap and I'm sure we'll talk about him a lot more in the show.
What do you think as a Yeah, Brooks is the only one that really pops out for me right now.
I think he's he's shown up a few times. I like his I like his release off the line of scrimmage. I like his ability to separate at the top of the route. And then obviously with his size, he can he has strong hands, and he has he's really strong at the point of the catch.
And he's a good dude. I like him. You know, listen to him talk, have my opportunity to kind of talk to him a little bit. I like him. I like him. How can a tall, lanky, wide receiver like that one grow into his frame, because that's something that that coach McCarthy and the offensive staff has talked about. I mean, there's a lot of times he's he looks very, very long. He's just kind of yeah, a little sloppy. He's raw, let's say it that way. He's got this
raw talent. How does he grow into that? And then two, how does his coaching staff unlock a inability in the red zone to use him? Because he had one touchdown grab his final year at South Carolina, he played the entire season, had one touchdown grab. It was a twenty yarder at Tennessee. That was it. That was the only one he had. So how do you unlock that a little bit by putting him in situations to be successful.
In the red zone, confidence and reps. Let him get his reps, let him get confidence. I mean, from the things I've seen him do over the last few days, I don't see a reason why he wouldn't have success at this level, regardless of what he did in college.
It's all about opportunity.
It's all about the situation that you put in, the system that you're in, the person's throwing you the ball. All those things matter, right everything. That's why I'm not a big stat guy, because there's so many other things that affected. From what I've seen, he is a good fit here. Nobody does what he does currently at that position group, and they don't have anybody to fulfill that role. MG is there gold guy? Really kind of sort of right now, Cooks is gonna cook people this year. Just
system alone with him is nasty. CD's gonna do a CD does, and they don't have a guy that they really go up there and just say, hey, we're gonna run you on a seven step post. It doesn't matter of body up the guy and go grab it. And that's who he is right now until somebody else shows him up. So I look forward to seeing him in the preseason.
He's starting to creep into that wide receiver conversation as far as making the team and being on this travel roster. When preseason comes around, that's when it's gonna be, Hey, prove your keep on this roster and prove that you can make it happen in a game as well.
And we've seen that happen a couple times out here. John, I mean, think about Semi Fojoko is a great example where in camp he looks great, he flashes, he's got the size, he's got this ability, and then all of a sudden, it just fizzles away. I don't want that to happen to Jalen Brooks, but we've seen it a couple times before. Do you think he can continue what we've seen out here and whenever we get into preseason play? Yeah?
I do.
And I mean when I came out here, if I was doing my wide receiver depth chart that I thought would make the fifty three, he was not on it. But after these last few days, I'm like, oh, yeah, no, he's absolutely in that mix with you know, you mentioned Foko. I think Jalen tulb it in a really good spot there, and and Turpens really impressed me out here. Yeah, so they're not gonna obviously keep seven wide receivers, so you
know there's gonna be an odd man out. But man, if you told me right now, I had to cut down that roster and it'd be tough to keep Dayalen Brooks off of it.
There's a tough there's a tough decision in a couple number, a couple positions, and there's there comes a time at camp where you start playing that game, where you start playing the cut game. You start looking at how many defensive linemen are you gonna take. You're gonna want to take ten eleven defensive linemen in general, and that includes edge rushers. You're gonna want to take four or five linebackers. You're gonna want to take four safeties. But then where
do you where do you take? Where you cut down? What position group do you have to level it out with? And that's when it's gonna get interesting with wide receiver because, like you said, there's no way they can take seven with them, but there's gonna have to be six guys that they're gonna have to cut it down to at some point, and so an odd man out is certainly gonna happen not only a wide receiver, but at a
couple positions. Isaiah, Yeah, a couple positions. But I'm keeping in miye on the receiver position just because him.
I used to Jalen Brooks. Obviously all the battle of the Jalen's right, he got all the Jalen's the trifecta, but Jalen Brooks, specifically him versus Simmy Fooco. When I look at the two of them, the difference aside from the investment, the initial investment, Jalen Brooks seems more eager to contribute on special teams, just just my observance, my observation, he seems eager to actually go out there like and we asked about specially he's like, oh yeah, Like give
me that. I didn't get that vibe from Simney when he first came in nor last year. Not to say that he wasn't willing, but there's something to be said about knowing how you're going to impact this team, knowing what's required to make this team, and then obviously being able to be effective in those roles. They better get their conditioning up because they're going to be all over
the place in preseason. They're going to be on the field for three quarters and they're going to be on special teams and at the receiver, so they're ready to get their conditioning in. They're going to be asked to not only have impact on offense, but also make impact on especially because that's how you're gonna make this roster. None of the receivers at the bottom of this roster are going to just be offensive threats. You have four receivers that are locked in. Called it how it is.
You got four guys that are locked in. You got CD, you got Cooks, and you got Gallup and you got Turp. Those guys are locked in those four, So you really you could argue with with it being a third round pick. Jaalen Tolbert's probably the fifth. Tobert's probably, I mean with the camp that he's having yet he's he's they're gonna give him another opportunity, so call it five.
So here's there's a battle for one spot.
Really unless something just goes horribly wrong for Jayling to watch, I don't see right now, he's playing very confident.
It looks like a totally different player. He has the leverage of being a top one pick. Time they're not gonna cut ties like a top one hundred pick correct, and so yeah, that's what's that's what gets weird because we got we got to Oxnard and one of the first topics was wide receiver four, who's got it? And it feels like turping or not turping. It feels like and I guess you could say turp and have that wider first five or lock room kind of locked up.
But then it's now now the battleshifts to wide receiver six, who is here whenever they make that trip. And that's what people don't People don't understand how mentally stressful camp is. Imagine being one of I don't know, I mean, guys I got brought twelve guys I've received probably.
Imagine that camp and I haven't counted it up, and knowing that you're you're all going after one spot. It's the most stressful thing in the world. Every decision. If I go out there, I mean, I don't remember what.
The tight end.
Yesterday there was a tight end. I got in there and he got in with the ones and fall started. Immediately taken out. It's a Princeton fan.
I think it might have been fat but immediately you're taken out like that alone.
Will beat you up for the rest of the week because like I lost the trust, they put me in a situation I lost their trust. Now I'm gona have to do ten positive things just to make up for that one. That's what you're dealing with every single day in terms of the stress of camp.
Man, you're litter. I better do this right, I better do this right, and it makes it almost impossible to just be you.
So it's not until the preseason games really show up that you see the real version of these players. Camp is awesome, but when they get to the games, that's when they can literally relax and be Okay, now I could play again, right, And even then you're still under so much to risk.
But people need to understand the stresses man of camp.
It it's hard, and I think that's going on in every camp every year, but for this team particularly, like for me, it's This is clearly the best roster the Cowboys have had since I've covered the team from top to bottom. Like McCarthy said the other day, it's gonna be the hard It's gonna be a very difficult fifty
three cut. There's just so many spots that already locked up that there's so many guys in those positions, Like you're saying that, it's like, yeah, you make one mistake like that, and you're just like, man, is that the difference of me making an NFL team? Am I gonna get another chance? Am I gonna get an opportunity maybe with another team? Who knows what happens here? Because yeah, this roster isn't that, Like you know, we talked earlier,
there'll be injuries and they'll shift things as well. But as it's since here right now, like you know, I mean, obviously there were some good teams in four teen and sixteen and stuff like that, but they were not as
good from top to bottom. There were some weaknesses there, and they've done a good job of shoring up those areas to their Just isn't when I look at this roster there's this isn't all those spots, Oh, this guy might make it in special teams, this guy might help it out here, Like, there's just not that many spots available, man.
And even so you're it's it's interesting hearing the different viewpoints because you're you're seeing this from an outside source, a beat Ryder working for the athletic, but you could hear the stress in your voice because hey, they have this this roster, they have this opportunity to make this jump, and you want to you don't want to be left behind.
I could hear the stress in Isaiah's voice as a former player on the other side of it too, of feeling that stress going to sleep at night and you don't want to put your your iPad away because you want to look at the next couple of plays, and because you want to end up in the right situation
at the right time. And and you mentioned how it beats yourself up for certain things, little things that you think, little mistakes that add up, and then that break that trust between you and the coaching staff, and how it bothers these guys for days. I could tell you've you've got a couple of those those memories as well.
There's one play that I remember when I was with Seattle and I was up to obviously a contract year, all this kind of stuff, and I was coming actually the following year, I was coming off of injury, and they put me in a situation in practice where they were looking for one guy to fill a role in terms of big plays, and they put me in for that play, and I freaking dropped the ball. I dropped it, and I knew when I dropped it, I was like, damn,
that was it? Like that was that was the If I make that play, I'm their guy, you know, if.
I given a chance, if you were given a hundred chances to make that play, man.
And nine times you make that Yeah wow. So I mean but you but you know, like in your heart, and then you're you're you're thinking over what could have done differently? What did I do wrong?
What what would I change? And then it messages you up for another play, and then it's snowballs. Right then you start seeing guys that used to be confident. I mean, there's there's guys I'm not gonna name their names right now. There's guys that you that we saw last year playing with full confidence, that were walking around with their head down right now because the situations at their end right and you can see it on their face like they're stressing.
I know it right from the player staff, I'm like, they're in their own head. He kind of wants you to say that, No, no, you don't want to say, well.
I can just tell you when he was saying that I'm thinking of from last year.
I'm thinking of Jalen Tolbert, which just like you know, you come here and then Mike McCarthy wants you to play all three wide receiver spots and that was a lot. And he admitted that, you know, and I think it was after Ota practice one time in his locker room and his locker about how there was just a lot.
You know.
And then I keep going back to you know, that play in Green Bay where you know, he lines up off sides and just like just you know, that just gonna beat you down, and that's going to weigh on you, like you know, I'm finally giving this opportunity, and this happens, and like you just said, like it's snowballs until where like now it starts affecting you here, it affects you in this in this part of the game and you know,
your preparation things like that. And so I do think that because of him having that experience, he gets to go in the off season, you know, work with Dad, getting the playbook and everything.
Like that, and have a chance to rebound from it. But yeah, there's that that is a great point.
Talking about the mental adversity aspect. If we're looking at all the guys that are vying for this last receiver spot. I like Jalen Brooks even more because of his the way he's approaching everything. He's like, look, yeah, I've had great days, but it's brick by brick. I gotta stack it. I don't get too high, I don't get too low. I'm very level headed. That's what he said a couple days ago when I pulled him off one on one, and that's what he said again yesterday whenever we had
him in media availability. So being able to have that mindset, I think is going to be what eventually helps in those situations.
I like him. Thirteen receivers out here right now, thirteen of them, and I feel like all of them have made some sort of storyline or headline at some point along the way.
When you say that, all I think of is, Okay, I wonder what the NFL record is of, like what on cut day? Because what's the most receivers the team's ever kept? Like, is there been a team that kept me like seven?
Eight receivers? You would know of? Yeah, you would have to. There's got to stretch at other positions that's the thing.
There are eight guys going for one spot and people I don't think people get it, you know what I'm saying.
I really don't think people would get it. There's eight guys that that particularly, just that position group going for one spot. There's guys out here there busting their butts every single day giving it their absolutely one. They know they have zero chance of making this roster.
And it's so competitive because let's say Jalen Brooks has a day Thursday and Saturday, he doesn't have a great day. Yeah, he was right back there, you know, and the door doors right back open.
Like you said, things with the wide receiver is a position that we all can watch watching. Yeah, Like, and it's just if you mess up, like you talk about dropping that pass, like everybody sees it. Like whereas if you miss like a block, you got some other guys people try a bit, they throw to you and you drop that past or whatever like that, you just feel like every single eyeball is on you.
I mean, you can go back to even last year in camp, Will Greer was almost a backup. No, yeah, people don't. People don't remember that, Like Will Greer was almost a backup. He had a better camp. He had a better camp, and an injury happened, right, an injury happened. Because that injury happened. Now all of a sudden, you looking at a Cooper Us who has a brand new contract. Yeah, there are some days out here, you know what I'm saying, Like the stuff turns.
Yeah, yeah, there are some days out here in twenty sixteen where Jamil Showers had a better day than Dak Prescott. Yeah, it's crazy to think about now, you know that. And then Kellen goes down and just the way that whole thing came together and just how fast that moved. And that's at the you know, the most important position.
So the NFL moves quickly, Yes, and it waits for nobody. Nope, that's that's ultimately what it is. You you better keep up or get out of the way. And that's that's how it goes. All right. When we come back one final segment, it's gonna be a short one. We went a little long this time, sorry, Beamer, but we'll uh, we'll wrap things up and we'll talk a little defensive line because that's another spot where cut cras are gonna be tough coming up in the next couple weeks with more talking cowboys.
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Welcome back into Dear Doctor, the show where I answer life's questions with an ice cold can of doctor Pepper. Sheila, let's hear from my next caller, would you, Dear Doctor?
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Time for the final segment of Talking Cowboys, presented by Black Rifle Coffee. This portion of Talking Cowboys is brought to you by Quaker Oats, a super trusted superfood. Quaker Oats, the official oatmeal sponsor of the Dallas Cowboys. Got the guns going, Love the oats, Baby boom, Love the oats again. The artie. It's not an RTG. I guess what would be just RTG? Ready to go, artie, ready to eat, ready to eat some artie.
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It's it's annoying. Oh back here with Isaiah stand back the walking. We've got Nick Harris, We've got John Mitchowda. I'm kylei Yeowens wrapping things up here on Talking Cowboys. And I mean the stress level is high for a lot of these guys at camp and thirteen wide receivers going down to six. Think about defensive line, and I brought it up a little bit in the last segment.
Where do you where do you draw the line? And there's some big names that are gonna be cut at some point and big bodies that are gonna get cut. You think about a guy like Neville Gallimore, who was a third round pick. He is fighting for a spot on the roster with Mazzi Spith in front of him, Jonathan Hankins in front of him, and I think Gallimore has actually had a solidified camp. I think he's done a decent job in the middle. He's provided a little
bit of pass rush. But as as anybody else stood out to you on that defensive line as stepping up to try and fight for one of those rosters posts I wouldn't say.
I mean, there's obviously been the guys that you're expecting to sure have been wrecking shot. But yeah, when I look at the roster, I'm like, man, it's gonna be tough for them to keep more than ten defensive linemen. And when I say ten, I'm counting my with that, even though on the roster they listen to Yeah right, So yeah, So I like, like, Neville Gallimore is a guy like you mentioned Bohanna, and then obviously that Chauncey Golston slash Fajoko where they kind of play somewhat of
a similar hybrid. I do think there's a good chance that both of them make it. But I'm just saying, like, it's that is a tough spot when you look at from top to bottom if everyone stays healthy, because that's always the thing. Like you look at this and we go into it and it's, oh, yeah, no, that's because
they're gonna have everybody. And then you get out here and you know Sam Williams is missing some time, and then Dorian's Armstrong isn't and then so you start moving some pieces around and things like that.
But man, you look at that from top to bottom. Mike McCarthy said it yesterday.
That's the this is the best depth he's had a defensive line in his coaching career. So I just find it hard to believe that they could go more than eleven. And I even think that that's gonna be tough.
Yeah, And we've talked about it a little bit, and I guess it's kind of throwing a wrench into this conversation a little bit. But it's so deep on that defensive line. Do you consider trading somebody out some point.
That has to be on the table.
We said this last year. They should have did it last year.
The opportunity is still there to get offensive line deaf.
Or running back. I'm not offensive line or running back.
Yeah, I'm not gonna name names, but there are a couple of guys on on that defensive line that their max value is right now, and go ahead and get a piece off of them. But you know, we'll see.
Do you think it's more likely that they go and sign somebody at one of these positions if need, or is it more likely that they use a surplus like defensive line. Maybe some of these young linebackers that probably wouldn't get into the to the mix. Do you think it's more likely that they trade to go get a piece to help out some of these positions. I'm hope.
I understand when I say I want to be empathetic to guys, because it is guys' lives when they have to get up and move. Okay, but it's a business. I feel as if Dallas missed an opportunity last year to be aggressive and trade away some of their defensive line assets.
I truly do.
I think they could have filled some gaps last year having that surplus of assets. This year, it's no different, except for the fact they've added two more guys in the draft this year.
So you have two guys that history says they're going to be on a roster.
Okay, all right, that's Fajoko in Massi Smith, all right, So those guys are gonna be on the roster.
They're there.
So you add two more guys to a depth chart that was already stacked. I almost think it's as aggressive as this front office has been this offseason and acquiring pieces that are going to be instrumental to their success this year. I think that they won't. I think they had to have to learned from their previous mistakes, I eat, mistakes from last year.
Not trading.
I think they take that step this year and they be aggressive and they trade now. I believe that they'll allow a preseason game to go by just to remind everybody how valuable some of these guys are, because it's going to be highly competitive at that position once you see how successful they are.
I think that a lot of guys are going to be on that trading block.
I think they're gonna be packaged up and sent off most likely to acquire some assets that are are of need. Because Dallas has a couple week spots. I mean, their armors dog on bullet almost bulletproof at this point. In terms of their roster, the way the roster has made up, it's a couple of saw spots, right. If you have an ability to take some of those those hardened spots right and fill those gaps all of a sudden, all of a sudden, you got a Captain American shoot.
When you were saying that, the first thing I was thinking I was in twenty eighteen, they kind of had they kind of felt good about a few of their DB's not starters, but on their depth, and it was Charvarius Ward, and at the end of twenty eighteen they traded him. They did that for that Parker and then Jury. I want to make sure I got it right. From Kansas City. They didn't get much out of Energy at all, and then Ward ended up.
Being pretty good.
So i'saw, I'm just saying, like, I'm just thinking of them trading somebody, and what will happen is like they'll end up getting in a spot where they're on a team that doesn't have a lot of great defensive line depths, and then they kind of play well and then you got to hear about it, Like for.
The ever, you know what happen about John Ridgway last I was yeah, yeah, yeah. I mean he was a draft pick and basically he got plucked off of the practice squad rostered by Washington. All of a sudden, he was stuffing the run against you. Yeah. A couple of weeks later, I mean he was playing against you. Yeah, And I mean you could tell you.
I will say though, I mean as we sit her today though, like if he's still on this team right now, I mean he's in with that group, You're just like they're stacked.
And that's that's the reason why the whole conversation is here, right, It's just you have a surplus of assets, so use them to get what you need to stir up your team.
Yeah, for sure, you didn't get anything out of rich Way.
Nothing at all, you know, yikes.
And he gave you, gave up money, He gave up money to get him, and you got nothing for him. So that's what I'm saying, learning from their mistakes of the past, what I consider mistakes of the past, and aggressive as they've been this year, to go out there and get Cooks, to get Gilmore to be in the front office like they're they're they're not sitting back and waiting and getting the leftovers like they have in recent years.
Stay aggressive, keep that energy.
Also with that Macarthy said the other day about that's part of the reason that they didn't they're not scrimmaging or practicing against another team is because he just wants to really see this first team go against you know, their first team offense, first team defense.
Because of how loaded you know, this pro competition.
Yeah, we can beat each other up.
Yeah, yeah, leads to fights and things like that.
But yeah, always it got a little chippy yesterday, it was it was There's been a lot of competition. They had a lot of one on ones, they had a lot of seven on seven works, So of course with the competition ramping up, the chippiness ensued. So for sure, got to keep everybody separated. You got to keep everybody having having a productive session. That's the one thing you want to avoid. But it's been good and I think
the camp energy is high. I mean they're taking the field behind us and going through some walkthroughs, and I think the more that we get into this camp, the more we're gonna see that competition ramp up and we're gonna see these guys really fall into roles, because then it turns from a hope to a worry to a concern. Now then it's a it's a desperation as camp goes along. For sure, if you get here, you get off the charter. Everybody thinks for making the making the tea right, and
that's all of a sudden, you're not. And that's when that's when things can think it's really a little bit wild. And that's when these next couple padded practices are really going to tell us who this team is and how they're going to be built. But that's going to do it for us. We're a little out of time. I feel like we could keep ying. I got all day Forcasta for the hour. But good news, we'll be back on Friday. We got one more show this week. We'll
talk on Friday. We'll have another padded practices to pat practice to go off of on Thursday, and then we'll keep on rolling going into week number three here in ox Stars. For you guys, it'll be a game week at that point. By the way, Talking Cowboys is going to be well represented on that first preseason game. Isaiah Standback is going to be in the booth. You nervous, nervous, don't have to get ready. There you go. Isaiah is in the booth for all three preseason games, all three
of them. So he'll he'll be with myself and Bill Jones for the first one, and then it'll be the same booth, but flipping roles. I'll do play by play for the first one, uh color for the second one, so it will flip roles and then the third one. Michael Irvin is one guy that played wide receiver here. At some point he comes in kicks me out of the booth. It's okay, it's fine. I'll make it work. So it'll be Bill, Michael and Isaiah for that third
preseason game. So really excited about that. We'll come. Gonna be fun, but it is. We got one more show then it's game week. Here on Talking Cowboys for Ja Machoda, Nick Harris, Isaiah's standback for Chris being behind the camera. I'm Yeoman saying so long. We'll see you on Friday with more Talking Cowboys.
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