5 takeaways from Day 2 of Cowboys' minicamp
BY DREW DAVISON
June 13, 2018 03:18 PM
Another day, another sloppy practice for the Dallas Cowboys' offense.
More dropped passes became the storyline of Day 2 of minicamp on Wednesday.
"It's a work-in-progress," quarterback Dak Prescott said. "We're not anywhere where we want to be, but we know the strides we need to make. We know where we need to get to, so we’re not going to stress too much or get too frustrated over a few drops here and there. Obviously I missed throws, so it’s part of it.
"But we’re definitely getting better. That’s the main importance of this right now."
On to the observations from Day 2 --
1. Drop sequence. As stated, the Cowboys offense struggled to catch passes on Wednesday, particularly during one stretch of seven-on-seven drills.
Backup quarterback Cooper Rush threw a strike to Rod Smith, who bobbled it and had it broken up by linebacker Damien Wilson; rookie Michael Gallup dropped a pass by Rush; and then rookie running back Bo Scarbrough had a drop, borderline fumble, on a pass from fellow rookie QB Mike White.
It wasn't a promising performance by the offense.
2. Strong D. As the offense struggled, the defense shined.
Safety-turned-cornerback Byron Jones made a couple noticeable plays early on. He dropped what should have been an interception on a poor throw by Prescott to Gallup, but rebounded the following play with a nice breakup when Prescott tried to go back to Gallup.
Duke Thomas, a cornerback and University of Texas product, made a nice pass breakup, and linebacker Jaylon Smith knocked out the ball from tight end Geoff Swaim on a would-be reception during seven-on-seven drills.
Finally, second-year cornerback Jourdan Lewis came down with an interception on an overthrown ball by Rush intended for rookie Cedrick Wilson.
3. Beasley's TD. The offense did flash at times, though, and one of the highlights was Rush connecting with Cole Beasley for a touchdown. Beasley ran past cornerback Jourdan Lewis on the outside, and Rush placed a perfect ball for him.
That play excited the rest of the offensive players near the end of practice.
4. Praise for Austin. It hasn't taken Tavon Austin long to make a positive impression on the Cowboys. He's become one of the leaders in the wide receivers room and his versatility has intrigued offensive coordinator Scott Linehan.
Austin has the ability to line up in the backfield, outside or in the slot. He's the type of weapon the Cowboys haven't had in recent years.
As Prescott put it, "He's a steal."
5. Conditioning work. The Cowboys have been running sprints at the end of practices, something that Prescott praised.
It's not something the Cowboys have done in the past, but it's being embraced by the team despite the high June temperatures.
"It's definitely different but everybody on this team is embracing it," Prescott said. "That's how you win. You've got to be conditioned first and know what you're doing. That's kind of the main reason we're doing it."