FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys began their first voluntary OTAs on Monday, as Brian Schottenheimer and his staff finally get a look at their full roster for the first time with Dallas' 18 rookie newcomers joining the rest of the team.
The media will be allowed to be in attendance for three practices on May 20, May 29 and June 3 with a plethora of storylines heading into the next few weeks.
Here are five questions to monitor as the Cowboys convene at the Star in Frisco this week:
Will Micah Parsons participate on the field?
All-Pro Micah Parsons is the latest Cowboys star to enter OTAs awaiting a contract extension as he heads into the last year of his rookie deal. All indications from Parsons and the Cowboys are that a deal will eventually get done, but nothing has happened up to this point. Parsons reported to the team's voluntary workouts in April, but will that continue into OTAs?
"I'll still be around," Parsons said in April when asked if he'd report to training camp if no deal is done. "For me, I've still gotta learn a playbook and I'm not so much of an iPad person where I can just keep learning. I've gotta walk through it. Maybe it's so much I might not be on the field part of it, but I'll be there learning, so that way I'm at least getting prepared to be ready for Week 1."
Training camp in the summer at OTAs are two separate things, but the end of that quote makes it sound like there's a possibility Parsons could hold out of participating on the field in OTAs but still take place in meetings and other team activities as both sides try to reach the finish line on a new contract.
How involved will Dak Prescott be?
As the Cowboys' starting quarterback heads into his 10th NFL season, he'll do so on the heels of a season-ending hamstring injury he suffered in Week 9 of the 2024 season. Prescott has played just two fully healthy seasons in the last five years, and the Cowboys will certainly be cautious with their approach to getting Prescott ready to go.
"I'm getting close to where I want to be, I don't want to put a percentage on it," Prescott said of his recovery in April. "I know we've got team activities coming up, imagine myself being involved in some sort if not all. Then again I just understand my age, what I've had, what I've went through, it's about being my best in the fall. So I'm not rushing anything, but I'm where I want to be."
Over a month has gone by since Prescott said he was getting close, and several videos of him throwing to his teammates on air have surfaced which are positive signs going forward. Now, the question is if there will be any limitations on what Prescott can do in practice settings and the number of reps he gets as he continues to nurse back to full health for a crucial 2025 campaign.
What does the CeeDee Lamb/George Pickens dynamic look like?
Just about two weeks after acquiring WR George Pickens in a trade with the Steelers, Pickens will take the field for the first time with his new teammates as he heads into the final year of his rookie contract. It's a "prove it" year for Pickens, who now gets to line up opposite CeeDee Lamb and settle into a role that's different from his first three years in the NFL: not always being the number one option. That said, he and Lamb are both capable of being "WR1" type producers on any given night.
"CeeDee is a super dynamic receiver, super dynamic person, player," Pickens said of his new running mate earlier in May. "I just feel like schematically you won't be able to double everybody, so that'll be a great thing for me and him."
Both Lamb and Pickens' play styles seem to be a great mesh on paper, but how will it look on the field? If the answer to that is positive for the Cowboys, the offense has a chance to take a massive step in the right direction in Brian Schottenheimer's first year.
Can Tyler Guyton, Mazi Smith show flashes of taking the next step?
Speaking of taking steps in the right direction, two key young players that could use a breakout year are left tackle Tyler Guyton and defensive tackle Mazi Smith. Both are getting new coaching this season with strong track records of developmental success at their respective positions.
Offensive coordinator Klayton Adams and offensive line coach Conor Riley have specialized in development up front, something that Guyton will benefit from after an up and down rookie season in his first year playing left tackle.
Defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton has gotten a lot out of his former players like Quinnen Williams in New York, and the Cowboys are hoping he can do the same with Smith, who has shown flashes but not necessarily consistency in his play since being drafted in the first round out of Michigan in 2023. The spotlight is only getting brighter on the two young players early in their careers.
Who can rise to the top in running back, cornerback rooms?
For different reasons, the Cowboys have a lot to figure out in their running back and cornerback rooms going into OTAs, especially in regards to how the depth chart will shake out and how much they'll have to dip into their depth.
At running back, the Cowboys signed Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders in free agency, and added Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah through the draft. The running back by committee approach didn't work as well as Dallas wanted it to last season, but do the Cowboys have a clear-cut bell cow running back that can handle a majority of the workload, or will they have no choice but to resort to a by-committee look? Schottenheimer has placed a heavy emphasis on running the football, so it'll be an important position to watch given the expected use of the running backs in his system.
The cornerback room for the Cowboys has plenty of talent, but also a lot of injuries that have stacked up dating to last season. Trevon Diggs is still recovering from his season-ending knee injury, and third-round draft pick Shavon Revel Jr. is also still nursing a torn ACL injury. Revel is expected to be ready for training camp while Diggs is expected to miss the beginning of the 2025 season, leaving two less bodies on the field during important reps. DaRon Bland is a given to start on one side, but who can the Cowboys rely on to play opposite him and in the slot? It's a vital question that needs to be addressed for Dallas, and the competition begins in OTAs for a coveted role.
