Pic 6: Daily Training Camp Notebook

Showing leadership

Growth as a leader is something that Cowboys owner/GM Jerry Jones has been very adamant that he wants to see from Micah Parsons before giving him a large contract extension. So, with Parsons potentially holding in at camp and not participating on the field, what does that look like?

"I want him popping those young guys on the butt, and rah-rahing and moving around out there, and showing good body language and just involved because he can be, and he is a leader," Jones said. "And those guys, he's going to have to count on them to get to the Super Bowl."

Parsons showed some of that presence during minicamp and OTAs, where he joined his teammates on the practice field and even participated in a couple drills. Now, the question is if he'll do the same thing in Oxnard.

Turning the corner?

It's justified to say that, at least at the beginning of training camp, that the Cowboys are in dire straits at the position. That's because Trevon Diggs and Josh Butler will both start out on the PUP list, while rookie third-round pick Shavon Revel goes to NFI at the moment; and then there's the reality that Caelon Carson is working his way back from a season-ending shoulder injury; but Brian Schottenheimer sees a silver lining there.

"I see it as a positive," the head coach said. "I can see where there are issues, but it gives you a chance to look at the younger players. Our objective to come out of these first two weeks, before we get into the joint practice with the Rams, is to see all these compete. We wanna see who is developing and who took the things we taught in the spring and will carry over.

"… You can look at it like, 'Oh, it's a negative for continuity.' We'll get that figured out. We need to figure out and make the right evaluation of these guys so that when it comes time to trim the roster, that we're keeping the guys that fit our football team — not just as a player, but as a person."

Frontrunner at RB, or nah?

Dating back nearly 15 years, you'd be hard-pressed to find many, if any, situations wherein the Cowboys entered training camp without at least an inkling of who their lead running back will be, but that is indeed the situation going in the 2025 version, and with four new faces in the group, no less.

JaVonte Williams and Miles Sanders are the longest-tenured NFL veterans of the bunch, true enough, but is there a glimmer of a frontrunner right now?

"They'll all get fair shots. The problem with OTAs, for a running back, is that the game is meant to be played very physically. The way you run through the holes differently when you're in pads is different than when you're running in shorts and t-shirts. They'll all get [first-team] reps."

He's the (Land) Man

The middle of Monday's opening press conference took an unusual turn, thanks mainly to a statement regarding Jerry Jones' cameo scene in the TV series "Landman," starring Billy Bob Thornton, Demi Moore and Jon Hamm on Paramount+. Just a simple mentioning, led to a few follow-up questions about Jones' Season 1 appearance in an emotional scene in which he plays himself, and tells a true-life story to Hamm's character, who is in the hospital.

Jones was asked directly if he felt he should've won an award for his performance, and after a playful back-and-forth, he discussed the show, which was ranked as the No. 1 series on Paramount+ last year.

"I will say this, it was a great pleasure to work with those guys that were there," Jones said, mentioning that Billy Bob Thornton grew up about 30 miles from Jones' household in Arkansas. "I spent about six or seven hours doing (the shoot). It was a really, really good experience."

It's not the first popular series Jones has been on. Back in 2010, Jones also played himself in the later seasons of Entourage on HBO.

Addressing Turpin's Situation

For the first time since his arrest on July 5, the Cowboys spoke publicly on KaVontae Turpin's situation and status with the team.

Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked to address Turpin, who was arrested in Allen, Texas on charges of unlawfully carrying a weapon and marijuana possession. He was jailed and released on the two misdemeanor charges.

"I spoke to Turp," Schottenheimer said. "He talked through a lot of things. He understands that there is a standard with how we conduct ourselves. He knows that he needs to be better, but we won't get into all of the specifics."

Schottenheimer wouldn't get into detail on a possible fine or if the NFL would be involved with any disciplinary action.

Turpin has made the last two Pro Bowls as a return specialist and signed a three-year, $18 million extension this offseason.

Eager to win

It's finally time for Brian Schottenheimer to get his first shot at an NFL head coaching job after nearly three decades of coaching experience. Inspired by his past and especially his father, legendary coach Marty Schottenheimer, he's more motivated than ever to bring a championship back to Dallas.

"The hunger I have now is for the young men in that locker room, its for the Joneses," Schottenheimer said. "When we win a Super bowl, my dad will get a ring. I can promise you that. But this is something where I grew up with a father that there was one goal, and he was very open talking about Super Bowls and winning the world's championship and he never did it…" Schottenheimer said.

"These guys over here [the Joneses] have Super Bowls. They've won rings. I don't have one, and I want one in the worst way."

That work begins on Tuesday with the first official practice at training camp, where Schottenheimer gets Dak Prescott back under center as the Cowboys begin installing their gameplans for 2025.