OXNARD, Calif. – At long last, the Cowboys can finally practice against players that aren't on their own team.
The Los Angeles Rams will make the short drive down to Oxnard on Tuesday for a joint practice with the Cowboys ahead of their preseason opener against one another on Saturday in Inglewood.
Here's five things to keep an eye on during Tuesday's joint practice:
Brian Schottenheimer's "debut"
For the first time, Brian Schottenheimer will call plays as a head coach against an opposing defense on Tuesday. Sure, the Cowboys aren't going to dive deep into the playbook in a joint practice, but it's the first time we'll see Schottenheimer dial up offensive playcalls for the Cowboys.
Schottenheimer hasn't served as a full time play caller since 2020 when he was with the Seattle Seahawks. The last time the Cowboys had a first time head coach call plays was in 2012 with Jason Garrett. Will it be a seamless transition, or can the preseason serve as some time to knock the rust off?
There may not be anything definitive about what Schottenheimer wants to do offensively from Tuesday's practice or even Saturday's preseason opener. Still, it serves as a peak behind the curtain into how Schottenheimer wants his offense to run ahead of his real debut as Cowboys head coach on September 4.
Battle in the trenches
The Cowboys have invested a lot of capital into their offensive line, with their last two first round picks coming at tackle and guard in the form of Tyler Guyton and Tyler Booker. Guyton is out with an injury, but the rest of Dallas' unit will face a tough test on Tuesday to see where they stack up as a unit.
If Dallas needs to lean on Nate Thomas to start for a while at left tackle with Guyton injured, he'll get his fair share of quality reps as Jared Verse, Byron Young and Kobie Turner come to town. The same goes on the opposite side for Terence Steele, who is in need of a bounce back season. The Cowboys' pass rushers have kept Thomas and Steele's hands full during practice already, and they won't see any drop off with the Rams' playmakers off the edge.
On the interior, Braden Fiske and Poona Ford will work against the Cowboys' trio of Tyler Smith, Cooper Beebe and Tyler Booker. Those three may be the strongest portion of the Cowboys' offensive line, as Booker gets his first NFL action against an opponent, and some quality ones at that. We'll see if Tyler Smith gets reps at practice, as he was limited in Monday's team practice.
Handling the passing game
Still decimated by injuries, the Cowboys will have to face two of the better wide receivers in the league on Tuesday in Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, albeit without Matthew Stafford throwing them the ball. It'll be a telltale sign of where Dallas' cornerback room is at with Trevon Diggs, Shavon Revel and Josh Butler all sidelined.
One of the stars of the offseason has been Kaiir Elam, who the Cowboys acquired in a trade from the Buffalo Bills. He's consistently made plays on the back end, can it carry over against some of the better technicians the NFL has to offer?
Elam has solidified himself on the outside up to this point, but what will Dallas do around him? Will DaRon Bland play mostly outside or slide in to the nickel spot? Regardless, the Cowboys will need one of their other corners like Andrew Booth and Troy Pride to show something, as the two have had their ups and downs throughout camp.
Dallas' dynamic duo
The Rams aren't the only offense taking the field with a strong wide receiver pairing Tuesday, as CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens get a chance to open things up for one another against a different defensive look.
Dallas' corners have already had their hands full in practice with Lamb and Pickens, and things may not get any easier for the Rams' unit either. Their cornerback room wasn't one that recorded many interceptions last season, rather their safety pairing of Jaylen McCollough and Kamren Kinchens, who had four interceptions a piece.
With two safeties that can take the ball away, how does Dak Prescott want to attack in the passing game? If the deep shots that have shown up more in recent practices are taken off the table, Prescott may need to get Lamb and Pickens more involved in the short to intermediate game.
Can the Cowboys plug up the run?
One of the staples of a Matt Eberflus defense when they're working at their best is being able to stop the run. Eberflus' defense will face their biggest challenge yet on Tuesday with Kyren Williams, fresh off of back-to-back 1,100 rushing yard seasons and a new $33 million extension.
The Cowboys have struggled to stop the run consistently for quite some time, so their defensive front will be tested especially on the interior. Mazi Smith's status is up in the air after he left practice with an injury yesterday, so how do Osa Odighizuwa, Solomon Thomas, Jay Toia and the rest of the group hold up?
A level back, Dallas' linebacking core of Kenneth Murray, Jack Sanborn and camp standout Damone Clark will also be tasked with cleaning things up should the backs get to the second level. Another staple of Eberflus' defense? Forcing turnovers, and the Cowboys have been violently pursuing the football in practice. Can they get a couple more of those on Tuesday?
