OXNARD, CA – The Dallas Cowboys had their first padded practice on Monday morning here in Oxnard, California. Things started to heat up and some players got physical, after all this is their first time since the loss against the 49’ers in the playoffs last season that they got to hit each other and play with almost full force.
Some players really stood out in Monday’s practice on offense; rookie Deuce Vaughn, Jalen Tolbert, Brandin Cooks, and KaVontae Turpin.
Deuce Vaughn had multiple one-handed catches and continues to show his speed and mobility in camp. He went viral on Twitter in the first week of camp because people couldn’t get over how fast and quick he was at breaking away from the defense. Obviously his size doesn’t go unnoticed, he is extremely little compared to the other players sitting at 5’5 and 176 lbs. He’s hard to find but at the same time stands out because of his speed.
Jalen Tolbert looks like a completely different person this year than he did at this time last year. This is Tolbert’s second camp and he looks so much more comfortable with this offense. During the off season he really opened up about his struggles his rookie year, I think everyone had expectations for him that he didn’t meet and he didn’t see as much playing time as he wanted. This year he went back to the basics and got a better mental approach to the game and you can clearly see that in his play. He had multiple great catches today from QB Dak Prescott and continues to have an impressive camp.
Brandin Cooks is new to this Dallas Cowboys team but he sure is fitting right in. If there is one thing that this team added in the offseason it’s speed. Cooks is literally cooking the DB’s on every play and getting wide open for Prescott to throw a deep ball down field that he has no problems catching because he usually is wide open. The connection that Prescott and Cooks have is already showing and is impressive. Cooks had an incredible day while doing 11-on-11 and beat his defender everytime.
KaVontae Turpin obviously adds to the conversation of speed in this offense. Last season he was the Cowboy’s punt returner and will still be for the Cowboys this season. The one thing that is changing is seeing him in more wide receiver drills. Last season Turpin came midway through camp after the USFL so this is his first full camp with the Cowboys. He had a leaping catch today that was a head turner for the fans and he continues to get better. Expect to see him getting more involved with this offense this season.
The kicking competition is finally underway at training camp. The Cowboys currently don’t have one after cutting Brett Maher after the season ended last year. Right now the battle is between Tristan Viscaino and Brandon Aubrey. Both kickers went 3-for-3 with wind hitting at 38, 44, and 48 yards.
Day six of camp will resume tuesday.
