FRISCO, Texas – About that time, finally. Wheels up Monday afternoon, the Dallas Cowboys heading to training camp in Oxnard, Calif., the official beginning of this once-1960 NFL expansion franchise's 67th season.
And for a change, and not trying to jinx anything because this happens to be a rare occurrence for these Cowboys at this time of year, there should be no extenuating issues to deal with. Again, for the sake of second-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer, knock on whatever you can get your knuckles on to knock. Wood counts.
All players are expected to be at the River Ridge Sports Complex by Tuesday's official reporting time, and don't act like that's not an accomplishment because in this my 41st Cowboys training camp to attend. Can recall a bushelful of late arrivals, counting Randy White, Tony Dorsett, Emmitt Smith (twice), Michael Irvin, Ezekiel Elliott, Darrin Smith, Jessee Solomon, Marcus Spears and Steve Pelluer, just a few off the top of my head. And if you can believe this, include 2000 fourth-round draft choice Kareem Larrimore, who didn't even have the sense to phone in with an excuse for his late arrival.
All players are signed, under contract and would think happy, including the franchised wide receiver George Pickens, who after staging a brief offseason protest for not receiving a long-term contract extension, did show up for the mandatory minicamp. With a smile on his face, he insisted he would deal with playing for the one-year, guaranteed $27.3 million tag.
And as for another rarity – knock on wood again – all 91 players figure to be healthy enough to start practice from the get-go, which is Wednesday, July 29, for the first scheduled workout in Oxnard. That means, in all likelihood, save for some unforeseen occurrence taking place on Tuesday, there shouldn't be any players placed on either the Physically Unable to Perform list or the Non-Football Injury list.
On top of that, all the guys spending the offseason rehabbing from surgery, such as cornerback DaRon Bland and outside linebacker Donovan Ezeiruaku, are expected to be cleared to practice, even if eased in during those first few ramp-up workouts since they did little to no football activity during the OTA and minicamp practices.
Plus, unlike last season when QB1 Dak Prescott was resuming football activity after spending the offseason still rehabbing and recovering from the hamstring ligament surgery that ended his 2024 season after eight games, the 2025 Pro Bowler is ready as ever to begin camp.
Now again, just to cover myself, Tuesday, July 28, still is four days away, and as we know in the imitable words of the late SNL star Gilda Radner, "It's always something."
For the start of training camp, the 20th here at River Ridge and 47th in the state of California (27 in Thousand Oaks), about the only cloud hovering overhead in the normally cloudless Oxnard skies until the late afternoon marine layer comes rolling in is the Cowboys' haunting history. The ghosts of the glorious past and those of the agitating present. You know, not having advanced past the second round of the NFL playoffs over the past 30 seasons, let alone appearing in an NFC championship game or a Super Bowl.
Remember, once this franchise finally got its feet on solid ground in 1966 and through 1995, Cowboys fans figured it was their inalienable right to reach the playoffs, to reach NFC title games, heck, Super Bowls. During those 30 years when the Cowboys produced an NFL record 20 consecutive winning seasons, they reached two NFL Championship Games, eight Super Bowls, winning five, and 17 conference championship games, be they Eastern or National. That included nine straight from 1967-75 and 14 in 16 seasons from 1967-1982.
Then came the Jerry Jones-Jimmy Johnson era beginning in 1989 that would include those three Super Bowl titles in a four-year span, four consecutive NFC title game appearances (1992-95) and seven winning and playoff seasons in eight years from 1991-98. Plus, the .500 season of 1999 (8-8), although they had only one playoff victory over those final four years before the turn of the century, maybe an ominous omen of things to come.
Because brother, did the history ever turn. From 2000-25, just 13 winning seasons, nine losing seasons and four more 8-8 records over the past 26 years. Only four playoff victories in 10 tries but never more than one in those four one-playoff-win seasons.
And that brings us to 2026, as if the past 30 frustrating efforts should burden this year's group embarking on training camp next week. Of course, some have ownership of the past two losing seasons, 7-10 and 7-9-1, the first consecutive losing seasons since 2000-02, but they are now charged with preventing three consecutive losing seasons for the first time since this century's first three.
Plus, get this: After the franchise-opening five consecutive losing seasons (1960-64), followed by 7-7 in 1965, the Cowboys have only one other time in their 66 years suffered through another streak with as many as five consecutive losing seasons that included no playoff appearances (1986-90). The only other lengthy playoff drought occurred from 2010-13, though that encompassed one losing season followed by the three straight 8-8s.
Now look, not exactly gosh awful, but by preceding standards not near good enough with those past ghosts of better days glaring down.
But none of this, especially not the past two years, is diminishing the current goal, and Schottenheimer has not shied away one iota from exclaiming several times the goal this season "is to be playing on Feb. 14, 2027," a not-so-veiled attempt of saying "in the Super Bowl."
So come Tuesday when the Cowboys stage their sort of State of the Union camp opening press address, with Jerry and Stephen Jones and Schottenheimer on stage, no doubt the first question and maybe the second, third and fourth will be about the 30-year Super Bowl drought.
As in, Jerry, have you done enough this offseason to at least reach an NFC Championship Game?
As in, Jerry, have you changed how you do things?
As in, Stephen, what positions do you still need to address?
As in, Jerry and Stephen, is George Pickens good to go playing on the tag?
As in, Jerry, what do you think of what new defensive coordinator Christian Parker has been doing?
As in, Schotty, will this defense greatly improve over last year's disastrous performance?
As in, Jerry, your thoughts on Prescott proclaiming the 2026 goal is to win the Super Bowl, as it should be every year?
And for the umpteenth time, you watch: Jerry, do you need a new general manager? And to think WFAA-TV's retired Dale Hansen won't even be there.
That all becomes the residue when falling short of the past lofty standards.
So here we go camping, leaving the 100-plus degree heat out here for three miles east of the Pacific Ocean. Where Tuesday's predicted high in Oxnard is 78, but by Friday heating up (he says with a smile on his face) to a sweltering 82, with a shivering overnight low of 66.
And for me, for this camp, knowing what is on the line to reestablish winning ways, have said it before and will say it again: This will become "Camp Compete." Come see.
