Last year, Jimmy Garoppolo and Stetson Bennet IV looked like Pro Bowlers against the Cowboys defense in the Ranms scrimmage. It would be a sign of things to come for Dallas’ historically bad unit.
Fast forward 12 months later, and it feels like an entirely different defense headlined by newly extended Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, a healthy DeMarvion Overshown, and Caleb Downs. Tuesday’s scrimmage was certainly a step in the right direction for Christian Parker’s unit.
Second-year players Donovan Ezeiruaku and Shavon Revel looked really good against the Rams.
> Every day, every rep, the Dallas Cowboys’ defense is being put to the fire in Oxnard by the high-powered offense. So far, they’ve looked great in those battles, but the first real test arrived by way of a joint practice against Sean McVay’s offense and the Los Angeles Rams, led by former Super Bowl champion and reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford.
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> They passed with flying colors.
Justin Barron looked like Fred Warner in his best day of training camp.
> **Young linebacker hauls in three interceptions**
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> However, the star of the show for the defense was Justin Barron. A second-year linebacker out of Syracuse who spent most of his rookie year on the practice squad recorded three interceptions during Tuesday’s practice — one on reigning NFL MVP Matthew Stafford and two on Stetson Bennett IV. After practice, Barron received a ton of praise from his defensive teammates.
Brian Schottenheimer let Klayton Adams get comfortable with calling plays in the scrimmage.
> Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams called plays during Tuesday’s practice. It was a decision that’s been reflective of what Schottenheimer’s done in his second season. He’ll be the play-caller on game day, but he’s also wanted to be more involved with the defense this year. Schottenheimer said he’s spent more time in defensive personnel rooms and with [first-time defensive coordinator Christian Parker](https://archive.md/o/n07P9/https://www.dallasnews.com/sports/cowboys/article/dallas-cowboys-christian-parker-training-camp-22379150.php). That’s also given more responsibility to Adams, who hasn’t been a full-time play-caller in the NFL yet.
Even though the offense had a good day, Dak Prescott is still looking for ways to improve.
> **Dak Prescott**
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> **On how the practice went from his perspective:**
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> “First time going up against another jersey, another team. I thought it was good. Is it quite where we want to be? No, not necessarily, but we started off hitting some runs, being physical. It’s hard being able to tell what exactly a gain is when guys aren’t going to the ground. But then as it developed, getting into the red zone and in the two-minute, getting called down where it looked like it was right at the sticks, that’s part of practice. I felt good about it.”
The first unofficial depth chart highlighted a few position battles happening in training camp.
> **Tight end and running back offer early storylines**
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> On offense, the depth chart holds few surprises, but the tight end order stands out. Brevyn Spann-Ford is listed ahead of Luke Schoonmaker, who in turn sits above undrafted free agents Michael Trigg and DJ Rogers. Spann-Ford has been viewed as the favorite for the TE2 role thanks to his contributions in the run game and his development as a pass catcher. Him being listed behind Jake Ferguson fuels those suspicions.
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> Meanwhile, Schoonmaker remains listed as the No. 3 tight end, though Trigg in particular is expected to continue competing for that spot on the 53-man roster.
The Quinnen Williams extension has been praised across the NFL, which is a win for the Jones family.
> **Reason #1 - immediate cap relief, roster flexibility**
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> Before the extension, Williams was carrying base salaries of $21.6 million and $25.5 million, respectively, over the next two seasons. With a new deal, the team now has immediate salary cap relief, freeing up roughly $35 million over the next two years. This immediate cap savings gives the front office the flexibility to keep the roster loaded with talent as they continue to maximize the window with Dak Prescott. This could mean a lot of different things.
**_Daily discussion question:_ Who do you predict will shine on Saturday night?**
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