FRISCO, Texas – This week, the Cowboys will get their final on-field work as a team before training camp in Oxnard, California.
Dallas' mandatory minicamp begins on Tuesday, June 16 and runs through June 18. It comes on the heels of the Cowboys' six voluntary OTAs practices that have taken place over the last two weeks.
It's an important time of the year, as Brian Schottenheimer and his coaching staff focus on installations of the team's offensive and defensive concepts that will set the table for a majority of the work done next month in the build-up to the regular season.
Here are some of the biggest things to watch over the course of the next few days:
What does George Pickens' participation look like?
Cowboys wide receiver George Pickens has been absent from all of Dallas' offseason activities this summer, which up to this point have been voluntary.
That is no longer the case, as Pickens is under contract after signing his non-exclusive franchise tag on April 29, making him subject to fines if he chooses not to attend this week's mandatory minicamp.
There has been no word from Pickens or anyone in his camp this offseason that indicates whether or not he will be at the Star on Tuesday. On Monday, Pickens was in the Cowboys' facility for his physical and will take part in Dallas' three-day minicamp.
Since April, the Cowboys have made clear to Pickens and his representation that they do not intend to negotiate a long-term contract with him this offseason. Jerry and Stephen Jones had a 5-10 minute phone call with Pickens' agent, David Mulugheta, that Stephen Jones said went "real well, super cordial" and was "very productive."
Pickens himself met with head coach Brian Schottenheimer and Jerry Jones back then as well, when the same message was communicated to him personally. During OTAs, Schottenheimer said that he and Pickens had been in communication, but there's been no assurances Pickens will be in the facility this week.
"I expect he'll be here, and I think he's in a good spot," Schottenheimer said. "I know he's handling his business, and I know he misses his teammates. We miss him, too. You guys know how we feel about him. We love him, and this is just part of the business."
Now that Pickens will be in attendance on Tuesday, then the question changes. What, and how much, will he do on the field?
Schottenheimer said last week that the team will be cautious with his workload in order to avoid injury.
"I have no questions he's working, but what you don't want to do is put a guy in here that you don't know exactly where he's at..." Schottenheimer said. "We'll be smart, but there's plenty of things he can do from the mocks to the walkthroughs to get him back into the system. If we're cautious, it's just because we want to be cautious. It's not because we don't think he's not working. We think he's putting in the work, preparing to have a hell of a year."
Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott, who understands the situation Pickens is in having been franchise tagged twice by Dallas, hasn't spoken with Pickens about his attendance this week. The two have held a few throwing sessions together this offseason, and of course Prescott hopes Pickens attends. If he is, Prescott also hopes he protects himself.
"Even if he's in, I doubt it's a full, he's going full go, jumping in the team," Prescott said. "I would hope not to be honest, just being protected and being smart. Just hope he gets in just to see some of the new guys, meet some of the new guys. I'm sure he'll be here."
On Tuesday, both questions regarding Pickens will be answered one way or another. That will lead to the question of what Pickens will or won't do during Dallas' training camp the following month.
Along with saying they won't sign Pickens to a long-term extension, the Cowboys have also said they don't intend to trade Pickens. Should the team decide to change their mind on an extension, the deadline to do so is July 15.
Who fills in for injured players?
Entering minicamp, the Cowboys had a couple of injuries already noted. Outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku is still recovering from hip labrum surgery and likely won't be able to practice until training camp. Cornerback DaRon Bland is also on the mend from a January foot surgery.
OTAs revealed a pair of new injuries, however. Safety Jalen Thompson is dealing with a minor pec strain and offensive lineman Matt Hennessy is undergoing neck surgery that will more than likely see him go on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list at the start of the year.
In their place, younger players benefit from getting a chance to play more reps that would've otherwise gone to them. Caelen Carson and Shavon Revel took first-team corner reps that Bland may have had instead. The same goes at safety for PJ Locke and Caleb Downs.
On the offensive line, Hennessy was a depth piece that had the ability to play both guard and center. In his absence, T.J. Bass earned some center snaps during OTAs, and the Cowboys also have Trevor Keegan who can handle those sorts of responsibilities. In the past, Bass has been a strong fill-in at guard, and was clearly valued by Dallas as they placed a second-round tender this offseason in order to keep him on the roster.
More plays from the defense?
Christian Parker's defense seems to have gotten off to a hot start this offseason, with wide receiver CeeDee Lamb even saying it was "annoying" to have to face up against them in practice.
In the final practice open to the media on June 9, cornerback Cobie Durant had an interception off of Dak Prescott, and fellow corner Caelen Carson and linebacker Dee Winters had pass breakups against him as well. Malachi Lawrence, Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams and Rashan Gary all were involved in getting pressure.
Can Parker's unit continue to give Dallas' offense some trouble in practice? Practice settings are not the overall indicator for how a unit will play, and Prescott was without both Lamb and Pickens last week, but it's still a positive sign given how poorly the Cowboys defense played in 2025.
