OXNARD, Calif. – The Cowboys had a rather lengthy practice session on Tuesday that lasted over two hours as they count down the final days here in Oxnard before breaking camp.
The team will depart for Arizona on Friday for the second preseason game, but before that, they held their last full practice on Thursday, which might have been one of the hottest days of camp so far. That might be a good thing as they not only head to Arizona but then back home to Texas, although the Cowboys will likely have a few indoor practices at The Star.
But before then, let's break down some of the things that stood out from Thursday's practice in Oxnard. Here are some practice observations from the staff writers:
- An Expensive Practice: Following several skirmishes and fights in Tuesday's joint practice against the Saints, both New Orleans and the Cowboys received $500,000 fines from the NFL. Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones said the team will appeal the fine, but that it is "understandable" why a punishment was handed down. Additionally, Jones said the Cowboys would fine the individual players that were involved in the incidents. - (Tommy Yarrish)
- Von the Way: For the first time since joining the Cowboys after signing with his hometown team a few days prior, Von Miller took the next step in his ramp-up for Dallas as they conducted their final practice in Oxnard. He wasted no time proving he could "roll out of bed int eight sacks" when he got a pressure on Dak Prescott in his first team rep that led to a PBU by rookie first-round pick Caleb Downs. More, please. - (Patrik Walker)
- Hard to Run: Thursday's final training camp practice in Oxnard was a good one for Dallas' run defense, which continued to make things difficult at the line of scrimmage. Donovan Ezeiruaku having a tackle for loss and DJ Withers having a run stuff on Israel Abanikanda were two of the big plays that stood out, but the defense as a whole was able to plug up the middle well as they've done for a majority of camp, albeit difficult to figure out truly how good a run defense is until live tackling is allowed in a game setting. - (Tommy Yarrish)
- Leaving Early – A few players left the practice early, walking off with the training staff. One of them was pass rusher James Houston, who was able to walk off on his own power. Also, linemen Jay Toia and Kevin Gilliam Jr. also left practice on their own power.– (Nick Eatman)
- Still Shining – One of the bright spots since we got to Oxnard has been receiver Camden Brown, who keeps getting better and better with each rep. Not only did he take his success from Oxnard with him to Seattle, where he scored two touchdowns – but Brown also brought it back with him to Oxnard this week. On Thursday, Brown had several more big catches, including a couple in the 1-on-1 drills and then another down the sideline in team drills, when he hauled in a long pass from Joe Milton, and held onto the ball as he hit the ground. – (Nick Eatman)
- Raising the Bar: Jaishawn Barham, the Cowboys' rookie third-round pick, returned to practice this week after battling through a minor groin injury. He participated fully in the team's joint practice against the Saints, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer expects the rookie to make his preseason debut when Dallas travels to face the Cardinals on Saturday — Barham also practiced in the team's full padded practice. - (Patrik Walker)
