FRISCO, Texas 鈥 What a perfect way to end training camp. Couldn't have scripted this any better, and there actually was a part of this owner Jerry Jones was suspect of.
Let's set the scene:
Final padded day of Cowboys camp out in Oxnard, Calif., at the River Ridge Sports Complex on Wednesday. Beautiful sunny day as the norm. The 25th day having been out there. The pace was fast. The energy still high, just the way new head coach Brian Schottenheimer envisioned what he was trying to accomplish. Compete every day. Every practice. Every period. Every play.
Down to the final period of a near 2-hour practice. Move the ball period. First team vs. first team. Offense under Dak Prescott's command facing third and goal at the defense's two. Lot of hootin' and hollerin'.
Dak comes up throwing, trying to fit a ball into a tight window. But in the way is defensive end Sam Williams of all people. And let's pause to remember a year ago out here on these same fields, Sam suffered a torn ACL. Out for the season when he was expected to play 70 percent of the game snaps once the season began. Immense talent. Was going to be his turn to shine.
The 26-year-old, on the final year of his contract, worked his you know what off to be ready for the start of this 26-day training camp that began on July 20. And there Sam was, sort of the team comedian, in the way, telling Dak by his actions, oh no you won't score on us.
Sam picks off the pass in such close quarters, not necessarily the skill of a 6-4, 260-pound athlete. Could have spiked the ball at the goal line. Play over. Let's celebrate.
Oh no, not Sam. He takes off, as the running backs normally do during practice to what they term finishing the play, running another maybe 20 yards or so. Oh, no, not Sam again. Sam hits stop speed. There was no stopping him. There was no catching him either as several tried.
Nope, didn't stop, as if he was in some Forrest Gump movie, run Sam, run. And he ran until he reached the end zone 100 yards away to begin the celebration, soon to return triumphantly with ball in hand to the congratulatory backslaps, helmet pats playful pushes from of his exuberant teammates.
Although the second team then had an opportunity to move the ball. Didn't seem to matter. Sam dropped the mic on the entire stay out there.
And this was a cool moment. On his way back up field Sam was passing Cowboys associate trainer/rehab specialist Britt Brown. They had spent countless hours during countless days all last season and the entirety of this offseason rehabbing. All those sidesteps, the forward and backward ones, too, Sam tugging along the resistance cord Britt would tightly hold, trying to build strength and endurance back into that knee.
Saw Britt, the serious, no-nonsense rehabber, crease a huge smile, as if one of his children had just graduated college, as if to say, dang we did it. Sam did it.
"I Like the physicality, the enthusiasm," Cowboys owner
Jerry Jones said when asked his thoughts on this training camp. "Probably the last play we saw, No. 54, taking that thing to the house and outrunning everybody is a great way to have ended this practice and certainly his camp.
"Sam is not fragile in terms of mental . . . and as Dak said, 'Oh no, anybody but Sam.'"
Yep, if you only knew Sam.
But let's understand, that the Cowboys are back home at The Star, training camp is not over entirely. They will have two night practices at Ford Center come Tuesday and Wednesday preceding the final of the three preseason games on Friday, Aug. 22 before getting into preparation for the Eagles the following week. There is more to sift through, more concerns to address.
And the Cowboys will continue addressing those concerns at 6 p.m. Saturday at AT&T when facing Baltimore and most likely former backup quarterback Cooper Rush. Certainly, that will give the Cowboys a firsthand look at the difference between what they had for eight years with Rush as the sturdy, dependable backup and where they are right now while interviewing Joe Milton as the potential backup today.
Milton, with elbow well enough to play 鈥 said felt like he hit his funny bone when leaving the first preseason game in the fourth quarter 鈥 is scheduled to start again Saturday night while Will Grier will be expected to be the backup, or as Schotty cleverly describes standing there smoking a cigarette until called to run in, throwing the smoke down and tapping it out with his foot before heading into action. Face it, the Cowboys need to see more of Milton before committing to the second-year quarterback as the backup. Remember Schottenheimer saying when asked on Monday if Joe Milton was the backup, "Why do we have to decide that today?"
Good answer because they haven't.
Plus, there is more roster fish to fry than just that.
Take cornerback. The Cowboys still don't have a definitive answer to when Trevon Diggs will be ready to play. Maybe the opener if he actually starts padded practices next week. He's getting closer but his return hasn't been determined. Same for Shavon Revel and Josh Butler, closer, but no commitment to just when they'll be ready. And second year player Caelen Carson has been out, too, with an injury.
That means, while resting DaRon Bland and Kaiir Elam with the other veteran starters against the Rams, all eyes will be focused Saturday on the likes of corners Andrew Booth, Troy Pride, Zion Childress, Israel Mukuamu, Robert Rochell, Kemon Hall and Christian Matthew.
Good thing as this point Bland is capable of playing outside and inside, and potentially both in the same game, depending on if the defense is in base or nickel. Also based on if and when those rehab players become available and which competing player(s) step up and where.
There also is running back, where injuries have created a bit of congestion. The Cowboys know who Javonte Williams is, and currently the starter. Veteran Miles Sanders missed around a week with a knee injury, but return just this week, though in his absence giving rookie Jaydon Blue an opportunity to step up into the second role. But then Blue likely will miss the game with a knee/ankle injury that since has given fellow rookie Phil Mafah and Deuce Vaughn opportunities they have grabbed and run with.
There is more. Can the young wide receivers step up to give the Cowboys pause about whether or not to keep a sixth wideout, coming down to the likes of Rayn Flournoy, Jalen Brooks and latecomer Traeshon Holden?
Where is the depth at defensive tackle, meaning can seventh rounder Jay Tioa, a space eater, do enough to make the 53? Can Mazi Smith become more like the initially anticipated "The Maz" when drafted late in the first round of 2023?
And of course, as stated the other day, as if this is some sort of primetime series, what about Micah? Sign an extension? Begin practicing? Be ready to play if so? Not play? All that while, as Jerry keeps reminding, "under contract."
So, by no means is training camp over, just a change of immensely hotter locations. A whole lot to figure out before the Aug. 26 date to reduce the 90-man rosters plus exceptions to but 53. To then put together a 16-man practice squad. To decide which players are on the 53 for 24 hours then placed on IR-return (minimum 4 weeks) so those players released can be re-signed in turn.
There was just a few of us there for the Cowboys final walk-through practice Thursday morning before loading up for the charter flight home when someone asked Schottenheimer about a sense of urgency now that camp is out.
"Uirgency is always high," Schotty said. "We know this first game against Philly will come fast."
And when thinking about all that has yet to be accomplished, probably coming as fast, if not faster, than Sam ran those 100 yards.
