FRISCO, Texas 鈥� On Tuesday, the Cowboys held their second and final OTAs practice open to the media. Dallas will have one more OTAs session on June 11 before mandatory minicamp begins on June 16.
From who is working with the first and second teams to who is progressing through the rehab group, OTAs serve as a chance to get an early picture of how Brian Schottenheimer is preparing his team ahead of his second season as the Cowboys' head coach.
In 2026, a new defensive staff led by Christian Parker is especially worth watching as the Cowboys turn to the 34-year-old first-time coordinator and his staff to help rebuild a unit that was among the bottom of the league in 2025.
Let's go through some observations from Dallas' OTAs on Tuesday:
- Cobie Durant provided the moment of Tuesday's practice by intercepting Dak Prescott's underthrown pass during the seven-on-seven portion. Further backing Brian Schottenheimer's words from Tuesday's press conference, which praised Durant's ball skills and playmaking ability. 鈥� Kyle Youmans
- Durant wasn't the only Cowboys defensive back to make a play on the football. He did have the only interception, but CB Caelen Carson and LB Dee Winters both had pass breakups against Dak Prescott and the first team offense on Tuesday. 鈥� Tommy Yarrish
- Joe Milton's arm strength was on display again as he rolled out to his left and tossed an off-balance throw that traveled over 50-yards down field to a wide-open Tyler Johnson at receiver. By far the most impressive throw of the day as he delivered it with seamless effort. 鈥� Kyle Youmans
- With CeeDee Lamb missing practice with an excused absence and George Pickens not participating in voluntary OTAs, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin and Marquez Valdes-Scantling were the receivers working with Dallas' first-team offense out wide. Flournoy had a strong catch in the middle of the field through contact from Cobie Durant, and was able to hang on. 鈥� Tommy Yarrish
- Active day on the offensive line as defensive linemen appeared extra aggressive with their hands at the point of attack. There were some clear wins by Kenny Clark and others against starting caliber blockers that put pressure on quarterbacks. It's something that's normally the case without pads but today seemed to take a step up. 鈥� Kyle Youmans
- Along with Clark's pressure, Dallas' defensive line had a solid day on a day that Christian Parker's defense seemingly had the upper hand. First-round pick Malachi Lawrence had a "sack" in 11-on-11 drills on Dak Prescott and the first-team offense with Quinnen Williams bringing pressure on the play too. Additionally, Rashan Gary had a pressure against the first-team and Jaishawn Barham and Marist Liufau had a pressure against the second-team offense led by Sam Howell. Tuesday morning, Brian Schottenheimer said Howell and Joe Milton are splitting reps as they battle for the QB2 job. With Milton getting the majority of the second-team reps last week, Howell gets them this week. 鈥� Tommy Yarrish
- Early in the install process on offense, there was plenty of pre-snap motion and versatile routes that allowed for receivers to challenge the secondary underneath. KaVontae Turpin and Ryan Flournoy each reeled in passes on shallow crossers and after pre-snap motion that gave them a step up on their coverage. 鈥� Kyle Youmans
- There were some younger players getting in the mix with the first-team offenses and defenses. Rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham got work with the first-team defense opposite from DeMarvion Overshown, and second-year running backs Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah both got first-team reps at running back. 鈥� Tommy Yarrish
