Three days in June: A look at the Cowboys’ final trio of minicamp practices
By Calvin Watkins 4h ago
The Cowboys held their last offseason workouts of the summer — otherwise known as the mandatory minicamp — over three days at The Star this week. There were no controversies with holdouts or injuries during these practices. There were a few skirmishes, like Dak Prescott and Jeff Heath exchanging words on Day 2 and another dustup on Day 3. If anything, we’ve learned Jason Witten still has it, Prescott is going to throw quicker and deeper passes, Kellen Moore is calling a different game than Scott Linehan and Kerry Hyder is an underrated free agent pickup.
For three days, we watched the practices and talked to the people involved. We’re here to provide you with the last look of the Cowboys before their first training camp practice on July 27
But first and foremost….
The contracts
The Cowboys have a goal of taking care of four players contractually: Amari Cooper, Zeke Elliott, Byron Jones and Prescott. Here’s an update on where the extension conversations stand going into the six-week break before training camp.
*Prescott is priority No. 1, and the financial numbers keep going up with every passing minute. The Cowboys and Prescott have traded contract proposals and will continue to talk until something gets done. Last week, the Eagles signed quarterback Carson Wentz to a four-year, $128 million contract extension with $107 million guaranteed. Wentz had two years remaining on his contract before signing his extension. The extra four years will give Wentz an average salary of $32 million. That might be the new baseline for what to pay Prescott. When Seattle signed Russell Wilson to a four-year, $140 million deal with $107 million in guarantees a few months ago there is a thought it was the barometer. But after this Wentz deal, the comparisons between Prescott and Wentz are becoming more reasonable on the surface. You can go on and on comparing the two quarterbacks — and
our Bob Sturm did. The reality is the Cowboys look at the overall financial landscape of the quarterback position, and Wentz is now a very prominent part of it.
Ultimately, though, Atlanta’s Matt Ryan might have the contract worth looking at. Ryan has an average salary of $30 million, thanks to a total package of $150 million over five seasons. Not counting incentives, Ryan’s contract is larger than Wentz and Wilson’s, and while the guarantees are lower, the total package is higher.
Ultimately, Prescott is expected to get at least $100 million in guarantees. Based on what we’ve seen, he could not only surpass Wentz and Wilson but maybe Ryan, as well.
*The Raiders did the Cowboys a favor last year by picking up Cooper’s fifth-year option at $13.9 million. Now comes the hard part. A source said there is no movement on contract talks between the club and Cooper’s agent. That isn’t necessarily a bad thing: The Cowboys had issues working out a deal with DeMarcus Lawrence before eventually coming to terms. As far as the final dollar figure, Odell Beckham Jr. is the standard for wide receiver contracts with his five-year, $90 million contract, $65 million of which is guaranteed. The Cowboys may be squeamish about going that high: A team source said the organization hopes it doesn’t get to that point financially. Timing is also a factor. If Atlanta extends Julio Jones — who becomes an unrestricted free agent in 2021 — before Cooper, he might get a number even higher than Beckham, which could create a domino effect like Wentz’s deal has with the quarterback market. Then what do you do?
Cooper, for his part, isn’t worried.
“I haven’t talked to him in a minute,” Cooper said of his agent. “I don’t even like talking about the contract with him. I just handle my business. I’m more anxious about camp and actually playing football.”
Still, Cooper is well aware of the going rate for wide receivers, and that he might ultimately get a deal that averages $16 million to $18 million.
“Of course, I know exactly what they’re getting,” Cooper said. “But I ain’t counting anybody’s pockets.”
*During the NFL’s league meetings, team officials were going to wait before taking care of Elliott. But Elliott’s side phoned team officials saying “Don’t forget about No. 21.” So there may be movement.
Elliott’s contract seems easy to settle because Stephen Jones is on record saying Todd Gurley’s $45 million in guarantees is the baseline for what to pay the Cowboys running back. The wild card could be the NFL’s investigation into Elliott’s detainment in Las Vegas for pushing a security officer to the ground. Jerry Jones doesn’t believe it’s a big deal and maybe he’s correct. But it’s another off-the-field problem for the starting running back which has to be addressed. Cowboys officials are in control, because Elliott can receive a fifth-year option in 2020 and franchise tags in 2021 and 2022. It’s doubtful team officials want to do that, but with the salary cap rising $10 million per year on average, there’s room to get Elliott done.
*Jones is coming off his first Pro Bowl season but enters a contract year at a time when a team source says the team wants to see him duplicate his 2018 season. There are still questions: The team source noted that Jones didn’t record a turnover last year, and he’s also coming off of hip surgery. He seems to be recovering just fine, but talks have gone nowhere regarding a contract extension. It’s difficult to say Jones is a shutdown corner. Xavier Rhodes, Xavien Howard, Kyle Fuller, Chris Harris and AJ Bouye are considered among the best at their positions — yes, Josh Norman is good, too — and all of them are ball hawks. But Jones did cover opposing receivers well, and the metrics support this. So do the Cowboys pay him like Norman and Howard? You don’t want to overpay like the Jets, who gave Trumaine Johnson a five-year, $72.5 million deal in 2018. It wouldn’t be a surprise if Jones enters free agency in 2020, between his injury and the Cowboys’ reluctance to commit without seeing another strong season.
If you’re wondering about the Cowboys’ financials, there’s plenty of room to take care of all of these players. Going into the final day of the minicamp, the Cowboys had $19.05 million in cap space available. The NFL average for cap space is $17.048 million. They also have $74.8 million in projected 2020 cap space
(per Overthecap) but future cap space can disappear quickly.
Here are the top five Cowboys who take up the most cap space heading into training camp:
| Player | 2019 base salary | Salary cap number |
| Tyron Smith | $10 million | $15.5 million |
| Zack Martin | $10 million | $14 million |
| Amari Cooper | $13.9 million | $13.94 million |
| DeMarcus Lawrence | $1.5 million | $11.1 million |
| Travis Frederick | $6 million | $10.9 million |
Now here are the five players who account for the most cap space in 2020. Imagine what this chart will look like next year if Prescott, Elliott and Jones get new deals.
| Player | 2020 base salary | Salary cap number |
| DeMarcus Lawrence | $16.9 million | $21.9 million |
| Zack Martin | $11 million | $15 million |
| Tyron Smith | $10 milion | $13.5 million |
| Travis Frederick | $7 million | $11.9 million |
| Tyrone Crawford | $8 million | $9.1 million |
Now to the practices.
Day 1
This is what Jason Garrett said about the development of Cooper Rush and Mike White before practice:
“They’re doing well,” he said. “They’ve certainly made strides. At any position, it’s just important to get reps — maybe most importantly at that position. So the more work they get, the better they get. One of the things we really try to do this time of year and in the early part of training camp is try to keep the reps equitable.”
Rush threw three interceptions (Donovan Olumba with a pick-six, plus Joe Thomas and Donovan Wilson). Rush tried to force a throw to a double-covered Amari Cooper that was snagged by Thomas, who played underneath in a zone. Third-string Mike White wasn’t perfect, either, and was intercepted by Mike Jackson Sr. for his own pick-six. White also had a ball knocked down at the line of scrimmage. If there’s a time for White to surpass Rush on the depth chart, this could be it, though the Cowboys are trying to downplay any competition between the two right now.
“I think everybody is a work in progress,” quarterbacks coach Jon Kitna said. “We just talk about focusing on the process of playing quarterback; don’t worry about the outcome right now. Just the process of it, grinding and going the right places with the football and getting better and better. They’re young, and I was just telling Mike (White) ‘I know how it is in Year 2.’ It comes with reps.”
*Jason Witten looked fabulous on Day 1. Witten caught passes on consecutive plays in a two-minute drill, one on his custom Y-option route and another on a deep out route. After he made the catch, Witten looked up at reporters watching from the seats at the Ford Center and yelled, “Let’s go!” Witten dismisses the notion he’s going to play 20 to 25 snaps. Which isn’t to say he’ll be on the field every down; he’ll probably sit when the Cowboys go with a faster lineup. But if the Cowboys have, say, 60 offensive snaps, expect Witten to play 40 to 45.
*Clemson rookie Mitch Hyatt was getting second-team reps at left tackle and struggled against fellow rookie Jalen Jelks. Hyatt gave up a sack and a pressure when lined up opposite Jelks during 11-on-11 drills. Hyatt’s biggest problem is speed and strength. He needs to react faster off the snap and get a strong push into the chest of the oncoming defender.
*Kerry Hyder continues to have a strong offseason and could give Robert Quinn a run for his money at the starting end position opposite Lawrence. He picked up a sack toward the end of practice and probably drew a hold on Tyron Smith in a two-minute drill as Prescott connected with Randall Cobb on a touchdown.
*One year ago, perhaps the biggest non-story during training camp was the kicker battle, because everyone assumed Dan Bailey was going to retain the job. He was cut, of course, as Brett Maher won the gig and produced. So far, he’s kept that momentum up in the offseason. Maher went five-for-five on Day 1, making kicks from 33, 36, 40, 42 and 44 yards.
*Something noticeable from these practices is fullback Jamize Olawale’s expanded role in the offense. Offensive coordinator Kellen Moore is putting him in motion and using him as a receiver. There was a play where Elliott remained in the backfield and Olawale lined up in the slot and ran a shallow route.
Prescott is targeting him underneath over Elliott in some situations. These are ways to keep Elliott fresh by targeting someone else while he’s a decoy, and they also create possible matchup problems for a defense.
Day 2
Safety Jeff Heath and Prescott had a little dustup. Prescott ran more zone reads on the second day of practice, and that means contact. Prescott kept the ball on a read with Elliott and tried to slip through the guard and center before Heath stopped him. There’s no tackling during these practices, especially on a quarterback. Some NFL teams make their quarterbacks wear a red jersey to signify they’re not to be touched. That is not the case with the Cowboys. And while Prescott wasn’t tackled, he exchanged words with Heath after getting grabbed, much to the delight of his teammates.
“I love that,” Heath said. “I’m sure he did, too. It happens all the time.” Said Cooper: “I don’t know what that was about. What’s going on? I thought (Prescott) might have stiffed him but he didn’t do anything.”
*White has become my favorite to secure the backup quarterback job. He made a wonderful throw on the move in a two-minute drill, connecting with receiver Devin Smith for a diving catch in the back of the end zone for a touchdown. Smith got behind safety George Iloka and Olumba.
The number of deep throws in minicamp has stood out. Yes, the Cowboys will continue to throw underneath to the tight end and integrate some dump-offs, but all three quarterbacks are challenging the defenses with longer throws. On a first-and-10 from the defense’s 25, Prescott executed a play-action pass with Elliott and later found Randall Cobb down the field for a touchdown pass.
*Olumba picked off his second pass of the minicamp in the two-minute drill. He, along with Chris Westry and Mike Jackson Sr., is making the most plays in practice among players on the bubble. Right now, the corners projected to make the 53 are Chidobe Awuzie, Jourdan Lewis, Anthony Brown, Byron Jones and Jackson Sr. But Jones’ availability for Week 1 may be in doubt due to his recovery from hip surgery, which could open the door for someone else to make the roster.
*Second-year DE Dorance Armstrong earned a sack with a nice spin move during 11-on-11 drills and probably had one of his better efforts of the offseason overall. Armstrong is someone whom the Cowboys value and is another player who puts pressure on everybody’s favorite defensive end, Taco Charlton. Speaking of Charlton, we caught up with him this week:
The Athletic: Looks like you had surgery on a shoulder and ankle this offseason. How are you recovering?
Charlton: I never had surgery in my life, so this is the first time in my life that I had two surgeries. At the end of the day, it helped me feel better, my shoulder feels better and my ankle is feeling better. It’s a good sign.
The Athletic: Will you be ready at the start of training camp?
Charlton: Definitely, I’m feeling good and I feel better each week and I hope the progress continues so I’ll be ready to go.
The Athletic: Jerry Jones said defensive linemen normally take three years before they have an impact. Is this the year for you?
Charlton: If you look at my first two games, where I’m actually playing a lot, I get a lot of snaps. My production is good. After that, I didn’t play third down, so it hurt my production. Now, I’m healthy this year, and hopefully, I’ll get more snaps and opportunities. And if that happens, I’m able to put out some good film. Like I said, if you watch the first two games (of 2018), you will see what happens when I’m on the field.
*The Cowboys finalized a four-year contract with guard Connor McGovern, according to multiple sources. McGovern, a third-round pick, got an $882,102 signing bonus. McGovern missed the entire minicamp while recovering from a pectoral strain.
Day 3
The last day of the veteran minicamp is a short practice with the Cowboys mostly wanting to catch a glimpse of the second- and third-team units.
*Rookie linebacker Andrew Dowell is making a name for himself right now at a position that won’t carry many numbers. Dowell knocked down an underthrown ball by White in team drills and later tackled running back Jordan Chunn for a loss on a pitch play.
*We’ve talked about deep throws being made in these offseason practices, but one thing that’s significant is the number of throws into coverage. Prescott found Cooper, who jumped over two defenders, for a completion, and later connected with Witten for a touchdown in a red-zone drill with a defender draped over him.
*Safety George Iloka said he knows the defense, yet remains behind Heath on the depth chart. Iloka continues to struggle in coverage and looks lost at times. He was beaten badly for a touchdown as receiver Devin Street got behind him for a long touchdown. It will be interesting to see if Iloka makes the 53.
*White needs to work on his arm angles when he throws the ball. Defensive end Daniel Wise was able to bat away a pass, the second time in as many days that White had a ball knocked down. As it stands, Rush is still the No. 2 quarterback, but White is rising.
*The Cowboys had several players undergo offseason surgeries, including wide receiver Noah Brown (knee) last week. But only Jones and Lawrence could start training camp on the PUP list. Lawrence (shoulder) isn’t wearing a brace, and Jones (hip) is walking without a limp. It appears the Cowboys’ biggest defensive players are on target to start the regular season on time. We end our report with another Q&A, this one featuring everyone’s favorite tight end, Rico Gathers, who is currently fighting for a roster spot.
The Athletic: Is there always a fight for you to stay on the 53-man roster?
Gathers: For me, I just simply don’t worry about it, I just come in and show up and do my job. As long as I wake up, I got a job; that’s the only thing that matters to me. With that mindset, it makes it easier for me to come out here and do my job, and at the end of the day, if they tell me they want to part ways, then you’ve just got to accept it. I feel like I do exactly what I need to do for this team for my growth as a tight end.
The Athletic: Is the game becoming a little more familiar to you now? You really haven’t played since middle school before taking up the game again.
Gathers: When you’ve been doing something for three years, just hearing different terminology and stuff, and then you know you finally get one year to just go out there and learn while playing, you come back in and set your plan for the offseason and really attack the mental side of it. Even with a new offensive coordinator (Moore), some of the stuff stays the same and some of it has changed. As long as you have your principles, you can go out and execute.
The Athletic: How do you deal with the possibility the team might cut you?
Gathers: It’s all about chemistry, they want to put a team full of guys who match well together. At the end of the day, (front office) makes the ultimate decision. All you can do is move on and keep pushing. I just come in and execute whatever they ask of me to execute. Just don’t even worry about the competition part. It’s all about accountability at this point.
