McCarthy reveals rinse-and-repeat plan for Cowboys starters vs Chargers

The Cowboys will be living out of their suitcases for one more week as they lay their heads in several different cities over the course of just a few days.

They returned to training camp following their preseason loss in Denver. After the final couple of days in Oxnard, they’ll head two hours down the California coast for joint practices with the Los Angeles Chargers on Wednesday and Thursday. And it all wraps up with their second preseason game, at SoFi Stadium on Saturday night, before players and coaches finally head back home to the Metroplex.

Despite the rapid-fire change of scenery around them, the team will be on a rinse-and-repeat plan when it comes to what happens on the gridiron.

Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has confirmed that he expects most of his starters to get the bulk of the work in closely-controlled scrimmages with the Chargers, reserving Saturday night’s game snaps primarily for backups and rookies.

“We want to work the first group as much as we can Wednesday and Thursday,” McCarthy told media members this week.

Last week’s joint session with the Broncos starters was marred by a half-dozen scuffles; it will be interesting to see what transpires over the course of consecutive practice days between the two squads.

While fans may have been ultimately underwhelmed by the Cowboys’ performance- and especially their 17 penalties- in Saturday’s 17-7 loss to the Broncos, the coach is choosing instead to focus on some of the positives he saw as things continue to ramp up toward the regular season.

“Tackling as a whole, as a fundamental, we were plus-double-digits as far as missed tackles compared to broken tackles. Anytime you’re double digits as a team, that’s a good day,” McCarthy explained. “I don’t know if I ever recall only having two missed tackles in the first preseason game. Lot of positive components of the game that we can build off of.”

As far as personnel, backup quarterback Will Grier is progressing toward being ready to participate in both the practices and Saturday night’s game after a groin injury kept him sidelined in Denver. He was taking snaps in Tuesday’s final Oxnard walkthrough.

Newly-signed linebacker Anthony Barr should take part in his first individual drills since joining the Cowboys earlier this month. The coaching staff took a careful approach to ease the four-time Pro Bowler back into action after a torn pectoral muscle prematurely ended his 2021 season in Minnesota eleven months ago.

McCarthy said that safety Jayron Kearse, who is nursing a sore back, is not expected to play at all this week. Left tackle Tyron Smith, who came away from the Denver game with a limp, should be back at work on Wednesday.

The meetings with the Chargers will be of critical importance for players who are fighting for a spot on the team. After the roster was trimmed by five names Monday, another five cuts are due Aug. 23. That’s the same day that the Cowboys hold their first public practice of the summer at their home facility in Frisco.

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Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire