FRISCO, Texas – The players were back at Ford Center at The Star for one last training camp practice. And yes, the names and numbers were back on the jerseys as well.
Now, the Cowboys certainly aren't done practicing and preparing for the first game on Sept. 13 but in terms of actual training camp, Monday was the final practice before they get into a regular-season type schedule.
And this practice was intense once again with standouts on both sides of the ball.
Here are today's camp stars:
In what was the final training camp practice before the team hits a regular-season schedule, we look at the standouts on both offense and defense of Monday's practice.
Dak Prescott
Kyle Youmans: Another day, another surgical performance from Dak as he carved up the defense in a simulated game situation. On his first drive, he went 6-for-8 for 84 yards and what would have been 3 touchdown passes (they reset and continued the drive after each score). He had a notable connection with Cedrick Wilson on a bullet over the middle that broke for a 40-yard score that was the first scoring play of the drive.
Trysten Hill
Kyle Youmans: It's not an every-day thing to see Zack Martin labor against anyone, but he had to work against Trysten Hill throughout Monday's practice. There were at least three snaps, borderline four, that I saw Hill in the backfield and putting Martin on his heels. I don't think this is any cause of concern for the Zack Martin faithful. Instead, I believe this is the continuation of what we saw from Hill earlier in camp, and the consistency the team has been waiting on.
Tony Pollard
David Helman: We always say it's hard to judge running backs in practice, but Pollard made it easy on Monday. I charted him with three touchdowns on the day – a nifty reception, a short dive from the 4-yard line and a nice 20-yard run where he bounced the ball outside. The guy has obvious big-play potential and showed it off.
Francis Bernard
David Helman: I might as well stick to the theme. It's also tough to evaluate linebackers in practice, but Bernard made a play that jumped out at me. During the team run period, he shot his gap perfectly and absolutely blew up the ball carrier before he got to the hole. He laid a pretty nice lick on him, too. The guy just seems to have really impressive instincts for a rookie.
Blake Jarwin
Ambar Garcia: I've picked Jarwin before but I'm going to pick him again. He's just the full package. I've seen him block guys before but never a guy like D-Law, and today he did that. He didn't take him to the ground or anything but the fact that he was able to stop him from getting to the QB was impressive. Shows great arm strength and his ability to plant his feet on the grown.
Leighton Vander Esch
Ambar Garcia: Vander Esch truly gave it his all today. It's always impressive when a guy brings the full energy on every single rep. I thought he did a really good job against the run. I had my doubts about the neck injury, and I know they're not really tackling yet but he's been able to move around really well.
Blake Jarwin
Mickey Spagnola: This is a long overdue selection, but judging from his impact during Cowboys Night and a continuation during Monday's practice, Blake Jarwin is the guy today. And maybe the best compliment for the tight end would be how much Dak Prescott is trusting him and going to him on routes down the field.
Antwaun Woods
Mickey Spagnola: Somewhat forgotten with all the big-name free-agent signees during the off-season, Woods has been earning more opportunities with the top line combinations. He's healthy, and doing a nice job in the middle taking up blockers and showing the experience of a guy that now has started 25 of the 26 games he's played for the Cowboys over the past two years. Like he doesn't take a backseat to anyone, no matter their experience.
Cedrick Wilson
Nick Eatman: He's been good all camp so why not one more really nice outing from Wilson, who is probably the most surprising camp standout. Wilson was sharp again on Monday, hauling in a couple of nice catches over the middle in traffic. Wilson just looks so smooth in and out of his breaks and darts up the field with ease. I can't see any way he's not on the roster next week.
Trevon Diggs
Nick Eatman: He just competes. Every ball, every rep … Diggs thinks it's his to get. And why not? His brother makes a nice living in the NFL catching passes. This younger brother Diggs wants to catch passes as well and he had a couple of nice plays on the ball Monday. Those long arms are always in the way. I think he's making a case to get plenty of snaps on game days.
Cole Hikutini
Rob Phillips:The second-year tight end had a nice touchdown catch from Andy Dalton on third-and-goal in team drills, finding space in the back of the end zone and just getting both feet down in front of the official.
Bradlee Anae
Rob Phillips:The fifth-round draft pick had a couple pressure plays in team drills, getting to the backfield quickly to chase down a Rico Dowdle carry and then pushing the pocket against veteran offensive tackle Cameron Erving.
