With new faces and young stars, OTAs have been significant for Cowboys in setting a strong foundation
By Saad Yousuf Jun 1, 2019
To the common eye, OTAs might seem like a pretty mundane part of the NFL calendar. Players don’t put on pads, there’s no live contact and attendance is voluntary. How a player looks during this time is hardly indicative of what’s to come in the fall.
So, what’s the point?
OTAs hold a different level of importance based on the player and team. In New England, Tom Brady has been skipping OTAs this offseason, just as he did last year as well. The Patriots are reigning Super Bowl champions. However, that’s Brady and that’s the Patriots. For the Cowboys, OTAs are beneficial in setting a strong foundation, and that holds true perhaps more this summer than any other time in recent history.
This is Dak Prescott’s first time working with Kellen Moore as the offensive coordinator and Jon Kitna as the quarterback coach. There’s no doubt Prescott is very comfortable with Moore from the time he’s spent on the roster and as the quarterback coach. But offensive coordinator is a different beast. Prescott and Moore are feeling out the plays Prescott is most comfortable with, while also discussing how to approach pressure situations and more.
“Me and Kellen talk often about things we like and where this offense is going,” Prescott said. “It’s great. I can say, right now, I’m probably as confident and comfortable as I’ve been.”
Prescott is also getting used to Moore’s voice. Talking in meeting rooms and coaching on the field are different from when a quarterback has somebody in his ear telling him the play calls.
“Just a sense of calmness and confidence,” Prescott said on what he likes to hear from his offensive coordinator. “I get that from Kellen. I’ve gotten that from him every year. You got that when he was playing the game. … Now to have him as a coach, you know when he’s calling the plays, he believes in it, he’s very convicted about it, and you could feel it.”
On the field, this is the first time Prescott is able to develop a focused rapport with receivers Amari Cooper and Randall Cobb. Prescott and Cooper did a good job hitting the ground running when Cooper arrived in a midseason trade, but there were games to be won at that time so the focus was split. Now, the two have a chance to get a feel for each other’s tendencies and take the connection to a different level. Cobb is a veteran receiver with a quarterback background, so his adjustment into the Cowboys’ offense has been seamless. He’s the primary receiver expected to fill the void left by Cole Beasley, who signed with the Bills this offseason.
OTAs also allow for a more relaxed approach from the coaches, relative to what happens in training camp and during the season. This helps distinguish the leadership voices on the team. While the Cowboys are an overall young team, they have leaders at pretty much every position group.
“We’re fortunate. If you look at every position on our team, we’ve got great leadership at every spot,” head coach Jason Garrett said. “Some guys have played a long time, some guys haven’t played quite as long, but we have an outstanding leadership, and we really try to build our team that way with those kinds of guys.”
Running through the roster, it’s easy to see what Garrett is talking about: Prescott for the quarterbacks; Ezekiel Elliott for the running backs; Cooper and Cobb for wide receivers; Jason Witten for tight ends; Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Tyron Smith on the offensive line; a strong linebacking core led by Sean Lee; DeMarcus Lawrence and Tyrone Crawford on the defensive line. The secondary might be the spot with the least clear situation, but Byron Jones is a quality leader and Kris Richard’s leadership might be the strongest of any position coach on the team. His approach is one that’s also preached throughout the organization.
“We’re all in it together, but ultimately, at the end of the day, the coaches are responsible for the necessities of it all,” Richard said. “The more our guys start to see that and understand that, eventually they start to police themselves. More and more, as you start to see that as a coach, you start to step back and step back and step back and allow those guys to walk forward and take that leadership role.”
Wins and losses aren’t at stake during OTAs, so there is more leeway in allowing players to demonstrate their leadership within a group. With as many returning players as the Cowboys have, leaders evolve in their approach, even in some of the subtle ways that come with experience.
“I’ve always been vocal,” Prescott said. “I could probably say this year, I’ve been more stern. Not necessarily mean or whatever, I’m not nagging, but I expect a lot from these guys, especially guys that have been here.
“I want them to expect the same from me, and I’d be pissed if they weren’t calling me out for it or if a guy blows a route or something like that. I’d be mad as hell if they don’t call me out for it, so shit like that, maybe back in the day I’d just be kind of, ‘Hey, come on now.’ Maybe it’s because I know my teammates better where a certain guy, yeah, I still might do that, and some guys like, ‘Hey, what are you doing? You all right? What the hell is going on? You don’t do that; you’re better than that.’ It’s as simple as that and it’s been great — a great response from it.”
There has been a lot to take away from OTAs the past few weeks, from new relationships on the field and the sideline to leadership and general team camaraderie. It’s worth it to note that while there are a number of star players awaiting contract resolutions, everybody has been present and doing what they can or what is being asked.
Maybe what basically amounts to indoor touch football seems insignificant right now, but the little things add up. This is the first step to what the Cowboys hope is a season that extends far into 2020.