The Dallas Cowboys started their on-field work for the 2025 season on Tuesday, amid the fallout of the stir created by the team’s opening press conference. As Jerry Jones pointed out, he thoroughly enjoys injecting himself into the spotlight, craving to be in the throes of a willing media to take everything he talks about and distract away from actual football being played.
That trickled down to the first practice, as Trevon Diggs and Micah Parsons’ post practice media scrum were littered with questions about what was missing. Diggs was missing from the offseason work and had to answer questions about his $500,000 in lost salary. Parsons is missing an extension and has begun invoking the thoughts of not being in Dallas for the long term.
The on-field product saw the collective unit get it’s first run under new head coach Brian Schottenheimer and defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, which offers both coaches and players a reprieve from the circus the owner enjoys conducting; at least for a few hours.
Here are three key observations from training camp’s Practice No. 1.
1. Micah Parsons wasn’t a full participant in practice
Parsons did appear at practice, and though the expectation was there for him to participate in the practice drills, he was notably absent from a significant portion of the activity. It’s clear Parsons is trying to balance the leadership aspect he intends to take on he and Jones have both hammered home publicly. It’s also clear Parsons is not keen on risking himself too much while working towards the season and waiting for a new deal.
2. Edge rusher rotation looks like it has a real shot of being dynamic, or is the OL bad?
Every year, it’s easy to get caught up in the hype of one side of the ball or another based on training camp performances. The problem is, optimism allows fans and media to see it as positives for one side of the ball and not negatives for the other. This is often the case when trying to evaluate the trenches. Are the defensive linemen really this good, or is the offensive line in for a tough year?
Astute dc.com beat writer Patrik Walker tends to wade through that in his evaluations, so perhaps his first impressions of Marshawn Kneeland’s second season and Dante Fowler’s second stint will hold true.
It was he [Kneeland], not a cornerback or linebacker, who grabbed the first interception of 2025 training camp … It ended in the former second-round pick taking away the ball, shedding a would-be tackler or two and tattling off several yards for Matt Eberflus’ defense.
Back like he never left, only seemingly better and/or more motivated to prove he’s one of the best pass rushers in the league when given the reps, Dante Fowler heft hi imprint all over the first practice. His most notable contribution was on an attempted handoff from Dak Prescott to JaVonte Williams. Fowler teleported to the backfield and nearly got to the ball before Williams did, on a play that would’ve been destroyed if the players were in a padded practice.
3. Cowboys backup QB appears to be Joe Milton, who had an up and down first practice
The Cowboys acquired second-year QB Joe Milton from the New England Patriots this offseason, and it appears he’ll get a ton of work this camp. HC Brian Schottenheimer already admitted on Monday that they were going to limit Dak Prescott’s reps, much to his disappointment, and it was Milton not Grier who got the lion’s share of extra snaps. According to Walker again, Milton had an up-and-down day, making some nice throws, but also some with shoddy accuracy, as well as fumbling twice.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 3 key observations from Cowboys training camp practice No 1: Parsons hold-in? QB2 emerges?
Reporting by K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
