OXNARD, Calif. – After a padded practice on Thursday and a player day off Friday, the Cowboys were back on the practice fields Saturday.
There were no pads for Dallas to start the weekend, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer rounded up his team about 20 minutes into practice to let them know the intensity that he wanted to see on the practice field.
From highlight plays in the red zone from players like George Pickens and Caleb Downs to strong work in the trenches from Quinnen Williams, there were plenty of highlights from Saturday's practice.
Let's get into some of them from the lenses of the DallasCowboys.com staff:
- Right on Q: Plenty of names are being said in a very positive way on the defensive side of the ball, and it often takes eyes off of Quinnen Williams. That said, whenever I keyed in on the All-Pro on Saturday, he was moving bodies like traffic cones. On one play, he bullrushed through a double team to get his bear arm around the running back behind the line of scrimmage on a handoff; and that's all I needed to see to remind myself that Williams is not from this world. - (Patrik Walker)
- CAMp Standout – If there's one person who has made the media and fans look at their roster the most, it could be Camden Brown, the rookie receiver from Georgia Southern. He's moved beyond the No. 6 status, which is a good thing because if he makes the team, he won't have that number, considering Donovan Ezeiruaku will wear it on the defensive side. But Brown continues to make great catches, including another in the red zone on Saturday. At 6-2, 205, Brown has ideal size, matched with good speed and an ability to make plays in the clutch. The receiver room is crowded at the bottom but early on, Brown is showing out. – (Nick Eatman)
- GP, TD: Last season, the Cowboys struggled to find pay dirt when they got into the redzone on offense. Brian Schottenheimer and his offensive players haven't shied away from the fact that it's a point of emphasis going into 2026. In Saturday's practice, one potential solution came to the forefront: Throw a goal line fade to George Pickens. Even with good coverage from second-year CB Shavon Revel, Pickens was able to go up and find a way to catch Dak Prescott's pass for a touchdown during Dallas' red zone period. - (Tommy Yarrish)
- Clark Bar - Quinnen Williams wasn't the only starting defensive tackle having his way on Saturday, or throughout training camp to this point. Kenny Clark is performing magnificently in both stopping the run and rushing the passer, having several would-be sacks to his name in camp, if he were allowed to touch the red jersey. Clark and Williams are one hell of a one-two punch that will anchor the Cowboys' defense in a way it's not been in ... decades? - (Patrik Walker)
- Malachi's best day? – While it has been somewhat of a slower start of Malachi Lawrence, especially considering Caleb Downs and Jaishawn Barham have been so good here at camp, the rookie pass-rusher had a nice day off the edge, getting through to the quarterback on several occasions. He also batted down a pass in team drills, showing his length and quickness. Brian Schottenheimer said Lawrence is "getting better and better each day" and it showed here Saturday. – (Nick Eatman)
- Lock Downs: There has been quite the battle between CeeDee Lamb and Caleb Downs thus far in training camp, with both having their moments over the other and the veteran usually being the one to come on top, at least early. On Saturday, Downs knocked the ball out of Lamb's hands in the back of the end zone to break up what would've been a toe-tap touchdown, one of the more standout plays that the rookie first-round pick has made in Oxnard thus far. - (Tommy Yarrish)
