Five Standouts from Opening Weekend
The Cowboys on the West Coast have had a hectic opening four days, with three full sessions and numerous walkthroughs completed. Prior to Monday’s first official day off, Mike McCarthy scheduled four consecutive morning practices to put the young roster to the test. allowing some players plenty the opportunity to establish themselves early on. It is still easy to observe who is starting the arduous month in Oxnard on the right foot, even though the pads are not on quite yet. Five things stood out during Training Camp 2024’s opening weekend:
5. Tyler Guyton – An offensive lineman makes an impression this early in camp, especially when he is not wearing pads. Usually only men like Tyler Smith and Zack Martin can dominate at that level. But it was the rookie’s early snaps that grabbed attention. After Chuma Edoga, Guyton started the week as the starting left tackle, but on Sunday, he received all of the first-team reps. He put up solid rep after good rep in that practice against players like Marshawn Kneeland, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Micah Parsons.
4. Eric Kendricks: Linebackers, like offensive linemen, are not really able to display their physicality when they are not wearing pads. Kendricks continued to make the right readings, step up to make a “tackle,” then retreat in coverage despite this. It appears as though he has been a member of the defensive unit for ten years, which is exactly why Mike Zimmer called him in for his first sessions as a Cowboy. During practice on Sunday, he intercepted Dak, capping off an excellent weekend.
3. Tyron Billy-Johnson – Every year, there’s an under-the-radar wide receiver who steals the show with high-flying grabs and impressive athleticism. Players like Dennis Houston, T.J. Vasher, and others have jumped off the page in training camps of the past. This time, it has been Tyron Billy-Johnson at every level of the defense, taking advantage of the extra reps. The challenge now becomes finding the the consistency necessary to earn a roster spot.
2. Micah Parsons – This is self-explanatory, he’s Micah Parsons. Since he stepped on the field as a rookie in 2021, he’s disrupted the backfield and kept quarterbacks guessing. The same can be said this year as he tallied pressures and challenged the offensive tackles like usual. Then, if that wasn’t enough, Mike Zimmer has moved him back and forth off the line of scrimmage, puzzling the offense even further.
1. DaRon Bland – All weekend, there was no group more impressive than the defensive backs. Bland led the way along with guys like Jourdan Lewis, Caelen Carson, and Josh Butler. Each of those names could probably be on the list, but it’s hard to deny what Bland has been doing. His ability to play the football has always been known, but now there’s an added emphasis of preventing the big play and being a true shutdown corner. We’ll see if the defensive back success continues when the pads come on and if CeeDee Lamb returns to practice.
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