The Dallas Cowboys arrived in Oxnard on Monday for the opening of training camp, but that day was mostly spent unpacking and getting acclimated to what will be another lengthy stint on the West Coast. On Tuesday, the first real activity of camp took place–the opening press conference with owner Jerry Jones, CFO Stephen Jones and head coach Brain Schottenheimer. And in what is a rarity for Cowboys training camp over the year, the team reported to the facility entirely as a complete unit, all signed and without a gripe about their off-field situation.
And maybe more important: Everyone is healthy. We’ve seen how quickly that can change during camp, of course, but as things stand the Cowboys have no one sidelined with a significant injury, no one who is already slated to miss time in camp, let alone heading into the upcoming season.
Other teams are wrestling with physically unable to perform designations and non-football injury concerns. The Cowboys are not.
As Stephen Jones said: “We don’t see any PUPs or NFIs, at this point. Obviously, we are gonna do a little workout here and we’ll see. But right now, talking to (the training staff), we don’t feel like we’re going to have anyone start on the PUP list or the NFI.”
Cowboys Had 4 Players Injured Last Season
That’s remarkable. The Cowboys opened camp with four such players last season, including cornerbacks Trevon Diggs, Shavon Revel and Josh Butler, plus linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. In what should have been taken as a bad sign, all four struggled when the season got rolling–Diggs was even cut during the season because of his inability to get healthy.
Schottenheimer said the Cowboys are keeping watch over two recovering starters because both missed time during spring practices–Donovan Ezeiruaku had surgery to repair a torn labrum in his hip, and DaRon Bland again had a broken bone in his foot repaired.
Brian Schottenheimer: ‘We’re Very, Very Healthy’
Both players struggled with injuries last season, and the health of each is critical to the success of the Cowboys defense this offseason.
Asked about their status, Schottenheimer pointed out that both missed OTAs and mandatory minicamp last month because they were recovering from surgery.
He added: “EZ and DaRon will be the two guys that we’ll just monitor but we don’t see any restrictions. We’re just going to be smart with them because they missed the spring. But we’re very, very healthy going into camp and hopefully it stays that way.”
Cowboys Not Finished Building Roster
Indeed, one advantage of good health is that Cowboys should be able to see how things come together on both sides of the ball relatively quickly. That should help identify areas of weakness that need help, and Stephen Jones said the plan is to continue being aggressive in upgraded the roster through the summer.
“We’re not finished,” Stephen Jones said. “We’re going to look for opportunities, every day, to improve this roster. Obviously, guys who go out on that field and compete, some guys will really show up and we’ll be really pleased. But like any team in any year, even in years we have won Super Bowls, you’re looking for ways to improve.
“As we go through training camp into the preseason and ultimately into the season, you’re always looking for ways to improve.”
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