OXNARD, Calif. — The Cowboys have yet to put the pads on at practice but the intensity is still high.
On Wednesday, the offense had a strong performance, although the defense had its share of big plays.
If there was a theme to the practice, it was the big plays made by players recently traded for - both this offseason and last year.
Check out the most notable practice points as camp begins in California:
- Joe Milton: In Milton's second practice, he had some of the throws of the day. Milton layered a pass to Brevyn Spann Ford on a crossing route, dropped a pass into a bucket for Jonathan Mingo, and made the right read on a read option for what would've been a solid gain. He still needs time to develop, but the flashes are there and he proved that today. - (Tommy Yarrish)
- Pick Party - For the second straight day, the defense was finding the football, especially with the interceptions. The biggest pick came from cornerback Kaiir Elam, who made a diving grab right off the ground, got up and ran towards the end zone, igniting the rest of his defensive teammates to get into the celebration. The Cowboys are counting on Elam to be a big playmaker, as he is one of the starters along with DaRon Bland in what has been a depleted cornerback group. - (Nick Eatman)
- M-I-N-G-O: Jonathan Mingo is stringing together good reps and, overall, good days as the Cowboys start training camp — his first with the team. The young wideout impressed in both of the first two practices and not simply with his ability to separate, but to also elevate in traffic and come down with the ball, as evidenced by a deep sideline pass he caught over a defender that was draped all over him. With George Pickens having secured the spot opposite CeeDee Lamb, the battle for WR3 is off to the races, seeing as Jalen Tolbert isn't backing down. - (Patrik Walker)
- Eberflus with LBs: During individual drills, Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus spent most of his time with the linebacker room, the position he coached for the Cowboys in his first stint with the team. With a lot of younger players like Kenneth Murray, DeMarvion Overshown and Marist Liufau in the room, Eberflus' past with developing linebackers will be crucial if he can do the same for Dallas' group. - (Tommy Yarrish)
- KaVontae Turpin vs Deuce Vaughn: Well what do we have here? It's no secret the Cowboys have a lot to figure out at the running back position, but no one could've guessed it would involve Kavontae Turpin. The All-Pro returner has taken quite a number of handoffs as a halfback in addition to making plays downfield as a receiver. What the former could mean for a player like Deuce Vaughn, who himself had some "ooh, ahh" moments in the second practice, is to-be-determined but what's for certain is that the battle is on. - (Patrik Walker)
- Thumbs Up: Rookie offensive linemen Ajani Cornelius had a few painful minutes inside the medical tent towards the middle of Wednesday's practice. Cornelius went over with a thumb injury that had to be re-taped and possibly even re-aligned by the team doctors and trainers. But after some intense pain, Cornelius was back out on the field and returned to practice. - (Nick Eatman)
