4 winners (and 1 dud) from Cowboys’ joint practice with Rams
This Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys will play their first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams. The two squads intelligently practiced together beforehand. Mike McCarthy emphasized that fighting is a sign of lack of discipline and that it is not a measure of toughness in the face of fights breaking out in joint practices across the league. McCarthy’s implementation of a zero-tolerance policy for fighting is positive because the Cowboys have occasionally lacked discipline during his tenure.Even though there were a few near misses, there were no fights on Thursday. There was enough space for both team and individual drills. While it is crucial to avoid overreacting to a combined practice, certain players distinguished themselves from their teammates more than others.
1. Winner: WR Ryan Flournoy
It’s unfortunate but Ryan Flournoy’s stock has dropped significantly since the start of training camp. After standing out in OTAs and minicamp, Flournoy suffered a knee injury on the second day of camp and missed a handful of practices. His absence led to more reps for Tyron Billy-Johnson, Jalen Cropper and David Durden. All three receivers took advantage of the opportunity.
Hungry to prove himself, Flournoy made arguably the best catch of the practice with a beautiful comeback and snag. Trey Lance lofted the pass and left it a little behind Flournoy, but the rookie adjusted and climbed the ladder to haul it in.
2. Winner: Caelen Carson
There has been a steady drumbeat of Carson making plays in training camp. That continued when Carson intercepted Jimmy Garoppolo in the red zone. What made the INT all the more impressive is that Carson was just subbed onto the field with the second-team offense.
3. Dud: Ezekiel Elliott
Elliott broke loose for a big run on one of his first carries. His burst was better than expected. However, moments later Elliott coughed up the football amidst a swarm of Rams defenders (h/t Jon Machota for the highlight). He picked up a nice gain again but his ball protection was terrible.
4. Winner: TE John Stephens
Cowboys fans were eager to see how Stephens looked in his first action against an opposing team since he suffered a torn ACL last year in preseason. Mike McCarthy noted before the joint practice that he just wanted Stephens (and DeMarvion Overshown) to “cross the threshold” as far as testing their knees in a competitive setting.
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