Diggs to be ready for camp? OL already better than ’23?

Tony Nguyen | Dallas Cowbyoys
June 7, 2024

The Cowboys have concluded this year’s minicamp and will not reconvene until late July in Oxnard, but quarterback Dak Prescott made sure to leave things on a competitive note; we’ll explain what had him in the face of one of his own teammates this week. We’ll also get into why he thinks this year’s offense is already ahead of last year’s unit, and why he says his lack of a long-term deal is no big deal at all. Plus, an inside glimpse at how the offensive line is gelling, and Cooper Beebe’s high school coach pains a vivid picture of what it’s like to be hit by the Cowboys’ new center.

Meanwhile, cornerback Trevon Diggs updates us on his knee rehab; he won’t be back as soon as fans have been hoping. We’ll also look at how the Cowboys may have swung too far to the other extreme in their running back philosophy. All that, plus we check in on what two former Cowboys coordinators are bringing to their new NFC East teams, and another ex-coordinator who flamed out in Dallas has risen from the ashes in the UFL to be named Coach of the Year. All the News and Notes, up next.

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The cornerback says he’s progressing well, but there’s a decent chance he won’t be cleared in time for the start of training camp in Oxnard. “Maybe,” Diggs said this week. “Maybe not. But I’m feeling comfortable. I feel good.” The team is still optimistic he’ll be back in the mix before the season opener, to be played 353 days after he suffered the knee injury in practice. Mike McCarthy told reporters that the Cowboys “will respect the timeline, but Trevon looks great.”

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Things got competitive during Wednesday’s work, the final practice session before training camp in July. During 7-on-7 drills, receiver Cam Johnson managed an unlikely catch on a tipped pass, leading Prescott to get in the face of safety Israel Mukuamu. “Having energy high, celebrating after big plays,” he said afterward. “Just makes it fun.” Prescott’s next pass was picked off by Eric Kendricks, but he made up for it later on a fourth-down touchdown toss to Brandin Cooks.

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Never mind the four starters missing from the Dallas offense this year. The man who leads the unit on the field says they’re already a leg up on 2023 because they’re not learning things from scratch. “Second year in Mike [McCarthy]’s offense,” Prescott explained. “Last year at this time was the first time you’re hearing these things. You’re on the 500-level now, you know what I mean?” The QB says an increased comfort level is allowing everyone- himself included – to work faster and with more attention to detail.

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Every coach and 29 Cowboys players are on the last year of their contracts, so the stakes for 2024 are even higher than usual to make a very deep run in the postseason… and hopefully more. And much of it rides on the right arm of Prescott, though he downplayed any added pressure. “It’s just the urgency that you should always have, to be honest,” he explained. ”So maybe guys who normally wouldn’t feel it, feel it. So I don’t mind it. I’ve been in this position before, I’m a gambling man. Will gamble on myself and my guys.”

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Now an entire season removed from a torn ACL in 2022, Steele likes what he’s seeing from the Cowboys offensive line so far this offseason. “As a unit, we’re gelling really good,” he said. “Everyone is killing it in the classroom and on the field, and we’re really moving leaps and bounds over last year.”

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Holding a blocking bag while Beebe hit it was like being walloped with cinderblocks. And that was while he was still in high school. “Have you ever been too close to a mortar shell [explosion]?” coach Rick Pollard asked. “You feel it radiate through your whole body. Your teeth kind of jar.” Since then, Beebe’s only gotten better. And stronger. And nastier. At Kansas State, teammate Deuce Vaughn took full advantage. “If there was ever any point where I went into panic mode behind the line of scrimmage, I’d get behind that cat,” he said.

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The analytics crowd has been saying for years that running backs are interchangeable parts, but the Cowboys have taken it to a whole new level by practically ignoring the position entirely. (This, after drastically overpaying for the most expensive backfield in football.) By letting Tony Pollard leave and trusting in a downgraded Ezekiel Elliott and Royce Freeman to replace him alongside a largely unproven Rico Dowdle and a thus far ineffective Deuce Vaughn, Dallas seems prepared to roll into the new season with a fairly pedestrian committee.

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The Cowboys can probably toss out their scouting notes on last year’s Philadelphia offense, because former Dallas offensive coordinator Kellen Moore has basically rewritten the Eagles’ playbook for his first year there. Head coach Nick Sirianni had previously explained the new scheme as one that will incorporate concepts from Moore’s previous systems as well as his own.

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After massive turnover at every level, the Commanders are one of the biggest question marks in the league for the upcoming season. As they start a big-time rebuild under Dan Quinn, the brightest spotlight of them all will be on No. 2 overall draft pick Jayden Daniels, who will be the team’s seventh different Week 1 starter in as many seasons. If he’s what they hope he is, it will be considered a successful season, regardless of how many games Quinn wins in 2024.

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The veteran coach had a disappointing one-year stint as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator in 2020, but he’s the toast of the UFL now. Nolan was named Coach of the Year for the spring league after guiding the Michigan Panthers to a 7-3 season. They finished 4-7 last year, in the USFL’s final campaign.

Cowboys News: Diggs may not be cleared when camp starts, O-line already better than last year?

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