Cowboys 2018 OTA updates: Jason Garrett press conference recap

Jason Garrett spoke to the media on Wednesday before the Cowboys got ready to begin practice. Here are the highlights from his press conference.

The Cowboys are kind of not old

Garrett noted early that the Cowboys have experienced a renaissance of youth. Of all the members on the 90-man roster, only three of them are in their thirties. This is wild.

There are 87 members of the Cowboys that are in their twenties. This, of course, means that they’re all hovering around prime athleticism, but it does mean that they could have less experience than others. Let’s hope for the best.

Dallas isn’t expecting anything from David Irving today

When asked specifically about David Irving, Jason Garrett said the Cowboys aren’t expecting anything from him on Wednesday.

Irving showed up to the voluntary portion of offseason practices out of shape. This isn’t ideal, but it’s not the end of the world either. Here we are in the second week, and it seems like that is still the case.

The case of Rico Gathers appears to be ongoing

Hype around the third-year basketball-player-turned-tight-end has started to dissolve a bit. Rico Gathers has a lot of potential, but him realizing it all in the NFL may not ever happen.

Garrett talked about how Rico still has a lot of room to grow. He said that they weren’t discussing him making the 53-man roster at this point (he also said they weren’t talking about any player in that capacity), and that he (as well as other “younger players”) could practice five times a day and that it wouldn’t be enough.

Jaylon Smith seems to be as on track as he can be

There’s been much said and discussed about the GodBacker known as Jaylon Smith. No longer wearing the brace on his foot is a positive step, but will it translate onto the field?

Garrett noted that Jaylon isn’t necessarily moving any different than before, but he used a particular word. Garrett noted that Jaylon is moving more “spontaneously” than he had which definitely bodes well.

Apparently Charles Tapper has a concussion

When asked who wouldn’t practice on Wednesday Jason Garrett named DeMarcus Lawrence, Sean Lee, Maliek Collins, Terrance Williams, and Charles Tapper. The first four names on this list aren’t surprising, but Tapper certainly is.

Garrett explained Tapper’s absence from Wednesday’s practice by acknowledging that he suffered a concussion during Tuesday’s practice. This isn’t ideal for one of the Cowboys pass rushers who hasn’t exactly been on the field a lot. Hopefully Tapper heals up.

The passing game might be better but not necessarily the way you think

There’s no doubt that the Cowboys seriously overhauled their passing game this offseason. They’re obviously hoping the passing game will be better, so theoretically they believe these moves will do that. Right? Bueller?

When discussing how the passing game might be better, Garrett discussed how they might not necessarily throw for more yards or see more aerial touchdowns. He said that they envision doing things “better” and that that doesn’t always translate into the way you perceive.