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The Dallas Cowboys were back out on the grind today for the third day of their OTA practices. Here’s a recap of everything that occurred in these practices including quotes from coaches and players.
Without a shadow of a doubt, everyone recognizes who’s the leader out on the field as DeMarcus Lawrence is looking at his young quarterback:
DeMarcus Lawrence: "Dak is taking a lot of control over that offense. He’s trying to take his game to the next level and be one of the elite quarterbacks in this league. You can see it every day in how he works."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 24, 2018
Speaking of Tank Lawrence, he got pretty great praise from Rod Marinelli about his place among elite pass rushers:
Is DeMarcus Lawrence now one of the NFL's premier pass rushers? Rod Marinelli: "In my opinion. Just watch the tape. I don't care about the numbers as much as the tape."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 24, 2018
Newly acquired receiver/ web-back, Tavon Austin really looks forward to working with Prescott and had some observations about his new quarterback:
I asked Cowboys WR Tavon Austin on his impressions of Dak Prescott before his arrival in Dallas: "I always knew he had some juice to him, some swag to him and when I finally get here and meet him it’s definitely a whole different ballgame because it was to even another level."
— Brandon George (@DMN_George) May 24, 2018
More from new Cowboys WR Tavon Austin on QB Dak Prescott: "And the way he throws the ball, he has touch. He just ain’t one of those quarterbacks where everything is going to be a dart, so he understands, and that’s a lot different from the past quarterbacks who I’ve played with."
— Brandon George (@DMN_George) May 24, 2018
Allen Hurns wasn’t to be left out as he had a few things to say about Prescott’s leadership on the field:
Allen Hurns: “When I first got here, what surprised me a lot was Dak’s leadership. He’s only in his third year, but he’s a very vocal guy. He runs things. I was very surprised by that. … I don’t think we’ll have a problem with leadership.”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 24, 2018
Players weren’t the only guys high of Prescott as Scott Linehan has seen some growth from year to year as he sees his quarterback leading these men:
#DallasCowboys offensive coordinator Scott Linehan discusses how Dak is stepping up in year 3, the new additions at receiver and more!
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) May 24, 2018
https://t.co/TLdFZQaaqZ pic.twitter.com/rOGiiPbEFN
And speaking on Tavon Austin, Dak believes that he and the offensive coaches will get plenty of use out of him:
Dak Prescott on Tavon Austin: "Coaches have a great plan, whether it's getting him out of the backfield, lining him up at X, lining him up at Z, putting him in the slot. He's a guy we get the ball in his hands, he'll score some points and get a bunch of yards in this offense."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 24, 2018
Tavon Austin: "At the end of the day, I'm a playmaker. That's how I describe myself. I don't really care where I'm at on the field. I just want the ball and a little bit of space. Let me create and I'm going from there."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 24, 2018
Austin isn’t the only player around that is receiving some buzz as folks are pretty excited about a fully healthy Jaylon Smith roaming the field:
Dak Prescott said he thinks Jaylon Smith is going to have a special year. "To see him practicing out there without the brace, to see him running around, flying, making plays in the passing game ... He’s showing up and it’s going to show up this fall."
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 24, 2018
Sean Lee cleared up some confusion, he’s being monitored and received a veteran day off yesterday. It’s no different than how they have monitored him in the past:
Sean Lee is not dealing with any injuries. Not practicing yesterday is just part of the offseason plan for him. "I get the governor put on me, and have to be smart this time of year…I think we have a great gameplan to try to keep me out there [during the season].”
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 24, 2018
Ezekiel Elliott is looking to be a bigger voice in the locker room in his third season and as one of the best players on the roster, he should be:
#DallasCowboys Ezekiel Elliott talks about being more vocal as a leader with Jason Witten and Dez Bryant gone.
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) May 24, 2018
https://t.co/KmoxnyTO9Z pic.twitter.com/ItTFhsENEQ
New offensive line coach, Paul Alexander, is having a blast being the coach of the Cowboys juggernaut of an offensive line:
New Cowboys O-line coach Paul Alexander on Dallas' group: "It's like I've gone to Heaven. It's the most beautiful football situation I've ever been in. They're smart, they're good, they want to get better...I told them after the 1st day: 'Guys, thank you for letting me coach u.'"
— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) May 24, 2018
Other than lots of news about Terrance Williams’ weekend arrest, today was a pretty quiet day of practice at the Star in Frisco.
Stay tuned for any updates on these OTA practices as the second week starts on Tuesday, May 29th.