FRISCO, Texas — Dreams are officially coming true for the Dallas Cowboys' 2026 NFL Draft class. With the draft now in the rearview mirror and pen having been put to paper for most of the rookie class, they all reported to The Star in Frisco on Thursday to begin their three-day rookie minicamp — headlined by 11th-overall pick Caleb Downs.
Downs joined fellow first-round pick Malachi Lawrence, and the list of other rookies, both drafted and undrafted, in being fitted for their equipment on Thursday, also getting their initial jersey numbers assigned in the process.
On Friday, they made their way to the practice field for the first time, something that excited defensive coordinator Christian Parker and his newly-formed defensive coaching staff to no end, as head coach Brian Schottenheimer excitedly bounced around injecting his usual brand of energy and motivation to rookies and coaches alike.
"[We want guys] that are really good football players, that are smart and play the right way and play with intensity," Parker said of his obvious demand for players to be extremely versatile, including rookies. "Those are naturally gonna be personal players. … Everybody's gonna have to play multiple spots.
"You want guys to get good at one spot, and if they can do multiple jobs and wear multiple hats, that is what it is."
This weekend serves as the first time assistant and position coaches get to put their respective rookies through some of the paces of individual drills, seeing as they're not allowed to fully practice just yet. They'll soon join the veterans in voluntary OTAs but, first, it's about locking in on listening to the coaching staff so that they can acclimate to what's expected of them — before veterans are inserted into the on-field mix in a few weeks.
The Cowboys' front office has thrown a lot of firepower at the coaching staff and roster to try and turnaround a team that's suffered two consecutive seasons in which they've missed the playoffs, and the journey toward figuring out if the added artillery will pay off has now begun.
