Cowboys News: Cooks cooks, Vaughn goes vroom, Taco gets another shot
Day 2 of padded practice is in the books for the Oxnard Cowboys, and while Dak Prescott, Brandin Cooks, and Deuce Vaughn turned in highlight-reel-worthy moments, Micah Parsons caused a bit of a scare with a very close call on his red-jersey-clad quarterback. You’ll see all those plays here, along with an update on Sam Williams’s shoulder injury, Ronald Jones’s suspension, and how Jerry Jones and Mike McCarthy offered differing perspectives on the current Cowboys backfield situation.
Also in this morning’s catch-up, who stands to capitalize on Luke Schoonmaker’s foot issue, predicting a jump for Jalen Tolbert and Jabril Cox, and guessing what the offense’s run/pass split will really look like. Brett Maher opens up about his postseason meltdown, DeMarcus Ware reveals why being a part of this year’s Canton class is extra-special, Taco Charlton is getting another shot at an NFL roster, and remembering the time the late Pee-wee Herman showed up at Cowboys training camp. That’s all up in News and Notes.
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Cowboys RB Ronald Jones addresses suspension: 'I'm not cheating the game' :: Cowboys Wire
The 25-year-old says he tested positive for a heart stimulant, a medication that has been prescribed to him by a doctor. “It wasn’t any steroid or anything to enhance my game.” Jones says he asked the league for a retest and believes there should be some protection within the policy for players who have health issues away from the field.
McCarthy ready to 'develop the room' of Cowboys RBs; Jerry Jones keeps door open for Zeke :: Cowboys Wire
Coach and owner shared differing takes on the running back situation in Dallas. McCarthy says he wants Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn, and Rico Dowdle and Co. to step up in the wake of Ronald Jones’s suspension. Jones admitted to “reading the tea leaves” regarding the availability of Ezekiel Elliott, adding, “He’s not ruled out at all here.”
Vaughn shows off electric moves :: Mike Leslie
Deuce Vaughn is nearly impossible to tackle.
This spin move… 🔥 pic.twitter.com/oZjTY3E3uQ
— Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) August 1, 2023
McCarthy reveals the run-pass balance he’s planning for the Cowboys :: Cowboys Wire
McCarthy says the clues for what he wants his offense to look like in 2023 lie in what they did from 2021 to 2022. They ran the ball more in 2022 than 30 other clubs, but the coach hinted that their personnel this year may dictate a shift in those numbers.
Prescott finds The Archer for pretty TD :: Patrik Walker
Dak. Cooks. Tuddy.
“Where you at?!!” – Cooks 🏹🔥
Dak Prescott has been lethal on this EZ so far in camp, daily. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/0zgRLWIW0m
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) August 1, 2023
With Schoonmaker out, pressure on Ferguson to perform for Cowboys :: Cowboys Wire
Ferguson has picked up his game while the highly-touted rookie from Michigan comes back from a partial tear to his plantar fascia. The injury will need time and rest to heal, leaving the Wisconsin product with a chance to be the clear-cut starter as the season begins. “I know what to expect out of myself but also that ceiling that I think I need to reach as a player and also for this team,” he said.
Micah Parsons blows past Chuma Edoga, takes down Prescott :: Jon Machota
Micah Parsons sack pic.twitter.com/kvptOz3yPW
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 1, 2023
McCarthy: Cowboys DE Sam Williams expected back Tuesday after early Monday exit :: Cowboys Wire
The second-year man suffered what was later classified as a shoulder strain just an hour into the first padded practice of camp. The team’s goal was to have him do some individual work on Tuesday, perhaps signalling that the issue was not thought to be serious.
Which Cowboys' upside is greater, Jabril Cox or Jalen Tolbert? :: Cowboys Wire
Both were reportedly “draft-day steals” when the Cowboys turned in their cards. Now both are fighting to break out from a pack of other talented players in their respective position groups. Cox could see many of the linebacker snaps taken last year by Anthony Barr, while Tolbert could find himself filling a Cedrick Wilson sort of role.
120+ pics from Cowboys' opening ceremony, 1st padded practice of 2023 :: Cowboys Wire
From the playmakers in action to the big guys hitting the sled, the fans meeting their heroes to the world’s most famous cheerleading squad, here’s the best moments from Oxnard for those that couldn’t be there in person.
'I'm with the best of the best': DeMarcus Ware thrilled to be in Hall of Fame's 2023 class :: The Repository
“This class is pretty cool because usually when you look at a lot of classes in the Hall, there are a lot of offensive guys,” Ware said ahead of Saturday’s enshrinement ceremony. “To me for the first time, this is a defensive-minded class, and being in the class, you are always with the best of the best.” Two of his most memorable matchups came against Joe Thomas; now they’ll enter Canton together. “Now being in the same class and we can say ‘Dude, we did it. I hated going against you, but we did it.'”
With Nick Bosa holding out, 49ers sign former Cowboys first-round pick Taco Charlton to one-year deal :: CBS Sports
The Cowboys’ first round pick in 2017 is getting another chance in the NFL, this time with the team that bounced Dallas from the playoffs the past two years. Charlton provides depth to a San Francisco defensive line as they continue to practice without Nick Bosa amid a contract dispute. Since being released by the Cowboys in 2019, Charlton has played with Miami, Kansas City, Pittsburgh, and Chicago.
Brett Maher hopes scars from postseason nightmare will propel him forward :: ProFootballTalk
The former Cowboys kicker says his infamous postseason misses were both mental and mechanical, and he worked hard in the offseason to correct them. “That drove a lot of my offseason prep work,” Maher- now with Denver- said, “and I’m happy to be here with the opportunity and [to] learn from it and move forward and become better from all sorts of situations — positive and negative and certainly that one.”
Look back at the time Paul Reubens, aka Pee-wee Herman, visited Cowboys training camp :: Dallas Morning News
The iconic actor (in full costume) visited Cowboys training camp in 2011 while in San Antonio for a TV taping. His memorable sideline cameo that day included what must have been fascinating chats with Tony Romo, Jerry Jones, and Jason Garrett. Even Jason Witten got a photo with Pee-wee, admitting later that he was one of “like, three guys in the huddle [who] knew who he was.”
