Dallas Cowboys OTAs run from May 22 on and off until June 15, with the team’s mandatory minicamp sandwiched in the middle. We already know that Micah Parsons will miss at least a portion of the voluntary team work.
2023 Dallas Cowboys OTAs Preview
The date marks one of 10, and in the Cowboys’ particular case, nine OTA practices they’re legally allowed to conduct (we’ll get to why they only have nine soon).
Phase One, where meetings were limited to meetings, strength and conditioning, and rehab, has come and gone. Phase Two, which consisted of walkthroughs conducted by offensive players against offensive players, is also over.
What should we look for in Phase Three?
Can Mike McCarthy Follow the Rules in 2023?
The best in the world seems to agree. “If you ain’t cheating, you ain’t trying.” Joe Montana said it about the Patriots nearly a decade ago, and NASCAR’s Junior Johnson felt the same.
“I loved the game, Johnson once said. “Maybe I’d have four or five new things on a car that might raise a question. But I’d always leave something that was outside of the regulations in a place where the inspectors could easily find it. They’d tell me it was illegal, I’d plead guilty, and they’d carry it away thinking they caught me. But they didn’t check some other things that I thought were even more special.”
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The NFL is a physical game, but there are rules in place to protect players before training camp. And the Cowboys have gone beyond what’s deemed reasonable. And in consecutive seasons, McCarthy has been fined, and the Cowboys have lost an OTA practice.
Two offseasons ago, McCarthy was fined $50,000, and the Cowboys lost a day. Last offseason, the NFL upped the fine to $100,000, and the Cowboys lost another day for the 2023 offseason.
“We’re doing it the right way,” McCarthy told reporters. “There’s no question about that. Our players are trying to do it the right way… I think there were seven to nine plays that we looked at as a group, and frankly, the majority of them involved younger players, so to me, it’s a learning experience. I think like anything in life, if you’re punished for trying to do too much the right way as opposed to not doing enough the right way, I think that’s a healthy experience to learn from.”
ESPN’s Todd Archer was perplexed by the NFL’s decision.
“Been covering NFL offseason practices since 1997, and there’s nothing different from a Mike McCarthy practice to any other coach I’ve covered,” he tweeted after the NFL’s decision. “Other than not actually practicing, I’m not sure what else he could do.”
Can the Cowboys keep from losing an OTA practice in 2024?
Can the 2019 Michael Gallup Please Stand Up?
When the Cowboys signed Michael Gallup to a five-year, $57.5 million deal last offseason, he was coming off an ACL tear in Week 17 of the previous season. The 2021 campaign was riddled with injury turmoil for the WR, and he never looked like the same player in 2022.
He had lost multiple steps, and that’s not optimal when his primary function and best trait was his downfield rapport with Dak Prescott. His sideline awareness and ability to tempo his vertical routes and accelerate at the last second made him a dangerous downfield threat.
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He has a career reception rate of 55% and an aDOT that has never dipped below 11 yards. Dallas wanted him to be the No. 2 alongside Lamb, but he’s better suited as a third option who isn’t target-rich but has explosive production.
But that can only be the case if he can get some of his spring back.
“My knee was feeling sore, and it was just different. Last year at this time, I couldn’t walk,” Gallup told 105.3 The Fan. “It’s different now. I feel springy again. It just feels different. It’s kind of like in the air. I’m smiling every time I walk in that facility.”
Can Jalen Tolbert and Simi Fehoko Rise From the Ashes?
Jalen Tolbert caught just two passes and played only 89 offensive snaps in 2022. Just one year after being selected with the 88th pick in the NFL Draft, Tolbert is at risk of losing his spot on the roster. Simi Fehoko, who played only 36 offensive snaps, is in the same boat after being a fan favorite after being drafted out of Stanford in 2021.
The Cowboys’ wide receiver room is improved from a season ago. Brandin Cooks joins Lamb as legitimate pass-catching threats, and Gallup says he is in a different headspace.
KaVontae Turpin’s spot on the roster is safe because he’s a special return man. Dennis Houston could battle for a roster spot, and Dallas drafted Jalen Brooks out of South Carolina in the seventh round.
Who Gets the Snaps at RB?
Tony Pollard is still recovering from his broken leg, leaving a bevy of backs to compete for snaps during OTAs. But the question remains, who will become the favorites of the coaching staff in May?
Malik Davis and Rico Dowdle return to the roster in 2023, and the Cowboys added Ronald Jones during free agency. Meanwhile, they drafted a fan favorite in the snack-sized Deuce Vaughn, who Cowboys fans are hoping becomes his mentor, Darren Sproles.
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Who wins favor early heading into training camp? And maybe even more importantly, what could we learn about what the Cowboys rushing attack will look like post-Ezekiel Elliott and Kellen Moore?
Jones has the most extensive résumé, but that’s not necessarily a great thing when you’re an RB. Davis and Dowdel each have their fans in the organization and in Cowboys Nation. And while not having Pollard during the offseason isn’t ideal for building rapport, it’s outstanding for sorting through the potential depth at the position.
