OXNARD, Calif. — The Cowboys continued to hit the practice field, yet without the pads. The intensity is still as high as the music being played throughout the practice - a new wrinkle by head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
But it doesn't seem to affect the play on, if anything, maybe creating more juice for the players on both sides of the ball.
Check out the most notable practice points as camp begins in California:
- Hooker's Highlight: Malik Hooker had one of, if not the play of practice with a one-handed interception in the endzone during a red zone drill. It was a strong day as a whole for the defense, who got two interceptions and forced a fumble. Hooker is reuniting with Matt Eberflus in Dallas after the two spent time together in Indianapolis earlier on in his career. At the end of practice, Brian Schottenheimer made sure to give Hooker his flowers as the team joined together in the huddle. - (Tommy Yarrish)
- Baby Watch: The Cowboys were without a pair of defensive starters on Thursday as both DaRon Bland and Kenneth Murray have left Oxnard to be with their families for the birth of a child. Both players have been excused for the time being. The absences opened the door for Caelen Carson to get more reps at cornerback and Jack Sanborn and Damone Clark got more first-team reps. Clark got a forced fumble in practice, creating another turnover for the defense. (Nick Eatman)
- Steele Sitting Out: Starting right tackle Terence Steele was out of practice on Thursday with an ankle injury. Cowboys team officials said Steele is getting his ankle evaluated. This is never the time of year to rush players back from injury so Steele will likely take plenty of time to make it back. In the meantime, veteran Hakeen Adeniji got first-team reps at right tackle. - (Nick Eatman)
- Ezeiruaku Shines Again: For the second day in a row, rookie second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku was constantly finding his way into the backfield. Brian Schottenheimer complimented Ezeiruaku earlier in the day during his press conference, and he showed up once again in a big way. So much so that Micah Parsons, who was still not participating in team periods and was behind the play, went up to him before one rep and was emphatically coaching him. The next rep, Ezeiruaku got into the backfield again and Parsons was jumping up and down with excitement. - (Tommy Yarrish)
- Hamstrung No Longer: Dak Prescott's hamstring looks perfectly fine. He is not only comfortable moving around the pocket, but he also unleashed a rare read option that saw him take off to the right side; and with impressive speed — all things considered. If this play makes it way into the regular season playbook, Brian Schottenheimer will have a lot of unpredictability to work with. (Patrik Walker)
- Built Ford Tough: The tight ends room is unequivocally Jake Ferguson's, but it bears mentioning that Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford appear to be ready to challenge passionately for the TE2 spot. Schoonmaker looks fast, and Spann-Ford's hands and routes are improved over his rookie season. Let the battle commence. (Patrik Walker)
