FRISCO, Texas — Go ahead and grab a calendar and your favorite blue pen, folks, because it's officially time to mark your dates for the 2025 Dallas Cowboys training camp. The offseason has sped by like KaVontae Turpin in the nation's capital, the peak of NFL free agency having given way to the draft, and then OTAs and minicamp.
And, now, it's time for the Cowboys to take their annual trip to Oxnard, where the rubber will most certainly hit the road for newly-named head coach Brian Schottenheimer, his shiny new coaching staff and a roster that has undergone major changes. Needless to say, there is a lot to be sorted through over the course of training camp and throughout the preseason in August, and there's at least one battle at every position that demands a gluing of your eyes to it.
Check out all of the pertinent practice dates and times below:
Training Camp Calendar
[Note: Practice times are in Pacific Time, Preseason games are in Central Time]
July -
- July 20: Team arrival in Oxnard
- July 22: Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- July 23: Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- July 24: Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- July 25: Oxnard Fan Night hosted by Visit Oxnard (4-6 p.m.)
- July 26: Opening Day Ceremony (doors open 9:15 a.m.) + Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- July 27: Open practice (First padded, 11:45 a.m.)
- July 28: Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- July 30: Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- July 31: Heroes Appreciation Day presented by USAA + practice (11:45 a.m.)
August -
- August 2: Open practice (10 a.m.)
- August 4: Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- August 5: Joint open practice with Rams (2 p.m.)
- August 7: Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- August 8: Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- August 9: Preseason - Cowboys visit Rams (7 p.m. CT)
- August 12: Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- August 13: Open practice (11:45 a.m.)
- August 14: Break camp, team departs for Dallas
- August 16: Preseason - Cowboys host Ravens (7 p.m. CT)
- August 22: Preseason - Cowboys host Falcons (8 p.m. CT)
- August 26: Deadline to reduce rosters to 53 players
- August 27: Deadline for waiver claims on released players
- August 27: Clubs can begin forming practice squad
Dak Prescott looks fully healthy once again, and with no Cooper Rush as the security blanket behind him, it'll be Joe Milton and the familiar face of Will Grier clawing for the chance to backup the All-Pro and former MVP runner-up.
From the competition at running back, with no clear frontrunner(s) and a ton of young talent, to a room full of wide receivers that now features George Pickens in tandem with All-Pro record-setting wideout CeeDee Lamb — creating a traffic jam for the right to become the definitive WR3 between Jalen Tolbert, Jonathan Mingo, Jalen Brooks and several others that include newcomer Parris Campbell.
The offensive line is rebuilt in the wake of Zack Martin’s retirement, and as the Cowboys prepare to take the field without the future Hall of Famer on their roster for the first time in more than a decade, they'll look to rookie first-round pick Tyler Booker to make a name for himself, and quickly, at the NFL level in conjunction with new-look, former first-round pick Tyler Guyton manning left tackle beside All-Pro left guard Tyler Smith.
And to the right of Smith is Cooper Beebe, looking to improve upon his impressive first season as an NFL center, as Terence Steele works to prove he’s back in top form for 2025.
The defensive side of the ball has its own list of questions, beginning on the defensive interior behind Mazi Smith and beside Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas — the latter serving as a high-ceiling backup to the former — and extends to the edges where Sam Williams is working desperately to have a breakout season after being lost for the entirety of the 2024 season following a torn ACL suffered early in last year's training camp.
Dante Fowler has returned to help solidify the position behind Micah Parsons and second-year edge protector Marshawn Kneeland, and throwing former Boston College terror Donovan Ezeiruaku into the mix should make for some fireworks.
When will DeMarvion Overshown be ready to rejoin and lead the linebackers, and when will All-Pro cornerback Trevon Diggs return to the field to join fellow All-Pro defensive back DaRon Bland in stabilizing a secondary that has the most questions of any unit on the roster — one that traded to acquire Kaiir Elam before later using a third-round pick on Shavon Revel?
It's almost time for those questions, and many, many more, to be answered, e.g., who'll become the surprise breakout camp star in Oxnard, seeing as there always is one … or several … that few saw coming??
It's going to be a hot summer in Southern California, and not because of that glowing ball in the sky, but rather from the pulsating heat of intense competition provided by a Cowboys' team that desperately needs to hit the ground running for Schottenheimer.
