A week of training camp is in the books for the Dallas Cowboys and their rookie class has made some news.
On the bright side, second-round pick edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku has been a revelation, a clear winner of the opening week of practice. His first step has drawn rave reviews, and he has demonstrated an ability to set up the rush that belies his experience.
He is already being discussed as the bookend to Micah Parsons for the future, although he’ll likely begin this year as a backup to Dante Fowler Jr. as he works to fulfill the potential that appears outstanding.
Fifth-round running back Jaydon Blue out of Texas has also impressed with a strong first week. He’s getting third-team reps after JaVonte Williams and Miles Sanders, who appear to be the committee Dallas will start the year with, but Blue has quieted questions about his work ethic and has had standout moments.
Meanwhile, first-round pick Tyler Booker suddenly has more on his plate. He had lost the starting job to Robert Jones, but Jones broke a bone in his neck Sunday and will miss two to three months.
Before that Sunday practice, coach Brian Schottenheimer weighed in on Jones and Booker.
Rob Jones has been doing some really, really good things,” Schottenheimer said before Sunday’s practice.
“Tyler’s kind of hitting that mark where he’s a little bit like, ‘Whoa.’ Doing some good things, but doing some things that weren’t to the standard. So what do you do? You make a change. Is it permanent? I don’t know. I think Tyler’s going to be back out there with the ones. But you don’t stand up here and have the central theme of your program be, ‘Compete every day,’ and if a guy’s performing well and not reward him.”
The job is Booker’s now.
Cowboys give Jake Ferguson new deal
The Cowboys have still not addressed getting Micah Parsons a new deal, but they have just extended tight end Jake Ferguson. The Cowboys awarded him a four-year, $52 million contract extension, which includes $30 million in guaranteed money. The former 2022 fourth-round pick is now the highest-paid tight end in franchise history.
In other tight end news, second-year player Brevyn Spann-Ford was another huge winner in the first week of camp, until Sunday, when he left the field with an apparent ankle injury.
It’s not believed to be too serious, but he will likely miss a few days of practice.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Dallas Cowboys rookies have solid first week of training camp. Jake Ferguson gets new deal
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
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