Your Sunday morning Cowboys news.
Dak Prescott’s cheat code with George Pickens will have entire NFL terrified -Jared A’Latorre, The Landry Hat
The George Pickens trade is poised to have opposing defenses in “deep” trouble.
With all the negativity surrounding Dak Prescott in the media this offseason, he’s looking to make a statement to his resume, and in essence, his reputation by getting back stronger after suffering a season-ending hamstring injury in 2024.
The addition of George Pickens will only help the cause and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk is a big believer in that. Even though Pickens became a distraction in the locker room and on the field, some of that probably had to do with the frustration of having to deal with a nonstop quarterback rotation.
“Pickens has never had a high-end quarterback,” Florio said. “Have we finally reached the point where a Steelers receiver who was disgruntled in Pittsburgh actually goes elsewhere actually does better elsewhere than he did in Pittsburgh?”
Dak Prescott and George Pickens could be the Cowboys’ next great duo
There is no doubt about it: Pickens is primed for a career season, even operating as Prescott’s No. 2 target behind CeeDee Lamb. Prescott himself thinks that Pickens is a great fit in the offense.
“Go turn on that guys tape, he’s getting separation, he’s got separation even when he’s not getting the ball at times and when he doesn’t have separation, he’s still making the catches,” Prescott said. “It’s not going to be hard, for me it’s about getting the ball near that guy and let him go be George Pickens.”
Believe it or not, the Dallas Cowboys actually finished 11th in passing offensein 2024. With CeeDee Lamb’s back against the wall, the pressure of being WR1 led for him to end his season early due to a shoulder injury, and he already looked gimpy weeks prior.
Turpin’s Legal Issues Hurt his Chances at WR3 – Mario Herrera Jr., Inside the Star
Turpin’s off the field incident could hinder his chances at an expanded role.
Just when it looked like the Dallas Cowboys’ offseason was finally free of distractions, trouble emerged in the form of an unexpected legal issue.
In the early morning hours one June Sunday, wide receiver and return specialist KaVontae Turpin was arrested by the Allen Police Department and charged with two misdemeanors in Collin County. Any legal entanglement this close to training camp is far from ideal, especially for a player vying for a larger role in the offense.
Turpin had entered the offseason as a dark horse candidate to claim the WR3 job behind CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens, a role the Cowboys have yet to firmly fill. With a potential suspension now looming, Turpin’s arrest could severely hinder his ability to seize that opportunity.
Minor Charges, Major Implications
While Turpin’s charges are considered misdemeanors and not of the high-profile variety, the NFL’s personal conduct policy gives Commissioner Roger Goodell wide latitude in determining disciplinary action. Cowboys fans know all too well how that tends to go. Ezekiel Elliott was suspended six games in 2017 despite never being charged with a crime. Rolando McClain, Randy Gregory, and even DeMarcus Lawrence all faced significant suspensions for infractions that many considered minor or first-time offenses.
Whether justified or not, it’s clear that Cowboys players have historically found themselves on the receiving end of stricter-than-normal punishments. If Goodell decides to act quickly, even a 1-2 game suspension would have significant implications. The WR3 battle was expected to come down to who could build the most momentum early in camp and preseason. Missing valuable reps, and perhaps even Week 1, could put Turpin at a steep disadvantage.
Outside Looking In
With Turpin now facing uncertainty, the door opens for other young receivers to make their case. Jalen Tolbert is the most obvious candidate. A third-round pick in 2022, Tolbert has shown flashes but hasn’t yet cemented his spot in the rotation. With another offseason under his belt and George Pickens in the mix, this could be his chance to finally break through. Then there’s Jonathan Mingo, the 2023 second-rounder acquired in the offseason, who brings size, physicality, and untapped potential.
Cowboys 1st-round pick has one season to avoid bust label, perhaps one training camp – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
Could it be now or never for Tyler Guyton.
The Cowboys drafted USC right tackle Tyron Smith, a physical marvel, in 2011. Though they clearly took him at a spot in the NFL draft where they were going to move him to left tackle, then-head coach Jason Garrett, in his first full season at the helm, allowed veteran Doug Free to stay at left tackle and season Smith on the right side for a year.
Tyler Guyton was not so fortunate. Drafted in Mike McCarthy’s lame-duck and eventually final season, the Oklahoma right tackle was moved to the left side. The veteran tackle in place, Terence Steele, had been playing on the left side and with no other options, Guyton was given a clear path to the left tackle slot. It didn’t go well.
Guyton won the job, but had one of the worst tackle performances in the NFL last season, ranking 57th of 58 qualified tackles in Pro Football Focus grading. During the second half of the season, he was in an out of the lineup, benched both for injuries and performance. He’ll look to prove he’s better equipped to handle the NFL grind this offseason, as the new Cowboys coaching staff decided the best approach would be reassurance, not more pressure.
Profile
Instead of going out and signing a veteran swing tackle who could challenge Guyton to start the year, the Cowboys instead chose to not only stand pat, but allow the only veteran depth they had last year, Chuma Edoga, go unsigned. Behind Guyton, the only competition currenly is third-year pro Asim Richards.
Cowboys training camp attendance was low last year, opportunity for bounce back-RJ Ochoa, Blogging the Boys
Just when you thought you were out, they pull you back in.
Attendance at training camp last year caused a stir last year. You may have forgotten, but shortly after the Dallas Cowboys began work in Oxnard last summer there were all sorts of takeaways and things said about the attendance to watch them. More specifically, it was about the lack of attendance.
We are not gathered here today to re-litigate the way that this front office went about business last year because we have said it all many times and saw their brilliance on display in embarrassing fashion. There is zero doubt that their approach has been different this year and vibes around the proverbial water cooler are a bit more positive these days.
But “vibes” were definitely off last year and that really showed. In a recent story for The Dallas Morning News, Joe Hoyt uncovered the exact attendance number for the team’s training camp in Oxnard last year (the Cowboys just renewed their agreement with Oxnard and will continue to train there through 2030 by the way). It was a meager 24,500 and for some added context Joe added the 2017 number which was north of 55,000.
It stands to reason, based on the vibes that we discussed a moment ago, that attendance will be higher this year. The Cowboys “actually tried” (to lump everything in a small phrase) this offseason and capped it all off by trading for George Pickens. Energy is around. Heck, energy exists. Those are serious steps forward from this time a year ago.
Seeing these numbers together was quite eye-opening, though. For a little bit more perspective we pulled a story from 2018 here at BTB where we discussed training camp numbers being low relative to the previous season (the one Hoyt mentioned in 2017). Rounding up a bit, the Cowboys had 39,000 people attend the Oxnard portion of training camp in 2018.
If you read our 2018 article we noted that part of the reason for this could be the “vibes” (to continue along these lines). Consider that at training camp in 2017 the Cowboys were coming off of a season in which they won 13 games, were the top seed in the conference and had this serious new nucleus of talent in Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott. A year later in 2018 they had just disappointed severely and morale was low, similar to how things were a year ago for the club.
