5 Cowboys who have the most to prove at training camp

There are a few Cowboys who really need to have an impressive training camp.

The Dallas Cowboys will kick off their first training camp of the Brian Schottenheimer era next Tuesday, and there are plenty of questions surrounding this team right now. Some players, though, will arrive in Oxnard needing to prove themselves in different ways. These five have the most to prove right now.

CB Kaiir Elam

The Cowboys traded for former first-round pick Kaiir Elam earlier this offseason, and the former Bill is hoping a change of scenery is just what he needed. Elam was hardly bad in Buffalo, but his performance never quite justified his draft status.

Now, Elam has a legitimate shot at locking up a starting job in Dallas given the injuries to Trevon Diggs and rookie Shavon Revel. However, Elam’s rookie deal expires after this year, and if he fails to produce in Dallas it could really hinder his market. Elam drew some praise during OTA’s, but he needs to carry that over to Oxnard, as this could very well be his last chance to earn a starting job in the league.

RT Terence Steele

This is setting up to be a big year for Terence Steele. While the right tackle is under contract through 2028, the Cowboys could cut him after this season and save nearly $9 million in cap space. Steele’s play the last few years has been mixed, often being praised for his run blocking but being much more inconsistent in pass protection.

For example, Steele has led the team in pressures allowed in four of his five years in Dallas, with the lone outlier being the year Steele missed three games. Even still, Steele has flashed great potential, but he just hasn’t done it consistently. With a new offensive line coach, Steele needs to finally capitalize on that potential with his contract decision looming.

RB Deuce Vaughn

The Cowboys’ offseason actions sure seemed to indicate that the Deuce Vaughn experiment will soon be over. They signed two free agent running backs in Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams and then drafted two more in Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah.

That, combined with the fact that Vaughn has been a healthy scratch in 20 games over the last two years, doesn’t bode well for the former Kansas State star. That said, Conor Riley is now coaching the offensive line, coming over from Kansas State and having coached there when Vaughn dominated for the Wildcats. The diminutive running back has long odds to make the roster, but his familiarity with both Riley and Schottenheimer could help him gain an edge starting next week in Oxnard.

iDL Mazi Smith

It got overlooked due to the way the team as a whole finished last year, but Mazi Smith had a bit of a breakout season down the stretch of 2024. He finished second among Dallas’ interior defenders in both pressures and run stops, both times behind Osa Odighizuwa. That said, former player and last year’s assistant defensive line coach Greg Ellis recently shared why he’s concerned about Smith in 2025:

Smith’s ascension last year was largely tied to Mike Zimmer’s use of more varied techniques along the defensive line, whereas Dan Quinn’s focus on gap penetration never really fit Smith. Matt Eberflus has a similar emphasis on penetration, thus making Ellis concerned that Smith’s progress from last year will be undone.

TE Luke Schoonmaker

For as much as Jake Ferguson needs to bounce back from an injury-plagued season as he enters the final year of his contract, Luke Schoonmaker needs a big training camp even more so. The former second-round pick has often been injured this time of year, something Schottenheimer alluded to at the start of the offseason, and it’s prevented him from ever showing why he was drafted in the first place.

In OTA’s, Brevyn Spann-Ford got a lot of work with the first team offense, and his size seems to be an ideal fit for what Schottenheimer and Klayton Adams want to do on offense. John Stephens Jr. also looked like a roster lock a year ago before injuries ended his season, while undrafted rookie Tyler Neville has drawn lots of praise from the coaching staff. Schoonmaker may not be in jeopardy of being cut, but he needs to prove why he belongs on this roster sooner rather than later.