Cowboys training camp: Stock watch after practice #6

Things have been picking up for the Cowboys lately.

The first week of training camp is over, which meant that Monday marked the beginning of what some consider to be the first week of “real” training camp. Pads came on for Monday’s practice, allowing for more physicality and a better assessment of players. With that in mind, here are the players who saw their stock move the most on Monday.

Stock up

Hunter Luepke

A fan favorite is making some noise in training camp, as fullback Hunter Luepke earned some praise from Brian Schottenheimer in his press conference before practice. Luepke’s versatility – listed as a fullback but having also taken reps as a ballcarrier and tight end – was singled out, as well as his physicality and intelligence.

Most presumed that Luepke’s roster spot was safe coming to Oxnard, especially with Schottenheimer’s preference for having a power running game, but it’s good to see the fullback continue to earn his keep and, perhaps, even earn a larger role than he’s previously had.

Malik Hooker

The 29-year old safety has been with the Cowboys for four seasons already, and now he’s reunited with Matt Eberflus, who coached him for three seasons with the Colts. Early on in camp, it seemed as if that familiarity hadn’t helped Malik Hooker, as he hadn’t really stood out that much.

That changed on Monday.

Hooker had an up-and-down 2024 campaign in Mike Zimmer’s defense, so he’s hoping for a bounce-back season. If Monday’s practice was anything to go off of, he’s primed for exactly that.

Zion Childress

Zion Childress hasn’t gotten a ton of love, as the undrafted free agent out of Kentucky simply isn’t a household name right now, but that may be changing. After a couple moments in practices last week, Childress built on it in a big way Monday, drawing plenty of eyeballs.

Childress faces long odds to make this roster, given how many big names are ahead of him on the cornerback depth chart, but it’s also no secret that the Cowboys have plenty of injury uncertainty at the position, too. And in that regard, Childress is only helping himself by displaying his ability while others are still working off to the side.

Stock down

Mazi Smith

Mazi Smith has been a subject of much discussion. Once again, he’s been asked to radically change his body, cutting down to right around 300 pounds after bulking back up to his college weight last year.

Unsurprisingly, it’s once again seeming to stunt his growth. The third-year defensive tackle hasn’t made much noise in camp thus far, and even with the pads coming on, he was largely unable to overpower others the way he did at Michigan.

It’s hard to fault Smith too much for this, given all the physical changes he’s been asked to undergo, but it’s still tough to watch. Once a dominant force in college, Smith appears to be having the same problems that plagued his rookie year.

Player health

For as much excitement that comes with training camp, there is also the ever-present worry of injuries. The Cowboys seemed to get bit especially hard on Monday, a day that began with the news that free agent guard Rob Jones – who began to take first team reps just last week – would miss several months with a broken bone in his neck.

If that wasn’t enough, left tackle Tyler Guyton went down later in Monday’s practice, and had to be helped off the field by several trainers. That obviously carries massive ramifications for Dallas, as Guyton was showing tangible improvements from his rookie year and also mans the most important position on the Cowboys offensive line.

On top of it all, wide receiver Parris Campbell is sidelined with an MCL sprain and tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford has an ankle injury, both of which are expected to keep the players out multiple weeks. Spann-Ford, in particular, had been having a great camp, even getting some work with the first team.

Injuries this time of year are horrible but inevitable, and it’s an early test for Schottenheimer in how he handles them, especially as he tries to inject added physicality into the culture of this team.