Cowboys news: Micah Parsons joins team for OTAs at The Star

Cowboys’ Micah Parsons joins team for first day of OTAs - Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire

Micah Parsons is attending the voluntary phase of the offseason.

The Boys are back… on the practice field.

Tuesday marked the first on-the-field work for the Cowboys- both rookies and veterans- of this year’s offseason program. No pads or live contact yet, but 7-on-7, 7-on-9, and 11-on-11 drills are once again on the schedule.

And a key member of the Dallas defense is present and accounted for.

Linebacker Micah Parsons had been working out on his own several hours away in Austin, but said he would report to The Star in Frisco for OTAs, even though all participation is still voluntary for this phase of the offseason program.

David Moore of the Dallas Morning News reported Tuesday that Parsons made good on his promise and was on the field with the team for the first session.

Future HOF player looks to continue winning ways vs. Cowboys in a different jersey - Mario Herrera Jr, Inside the Star

The Cowboys have seen success against some 2023 opponents, but against others, not so much.

Projected starter: Aaron Rodgers

W/L record vs DAL: 8-3 (2-0 in playoffs)

When it comes to the newest quarterback for the New York Jets, Stephen A. Smith’s famous words come to mind. “Aaron Rodgers is a bad man.”

The Cowboys have had regular season success against Aaron Rodgers while he was still a member of the Green Bay Packers. The playoffs are where he is still undefeated, handing the Cowboys and their fans two losses in heartbreaking fashion.

Luckily, the only way Dallas can face Rodgers in the playoffs now is if they meet in the Super Bowl.

Cowboys fans should be glad to have one of the top defenses in the NFL when Rodgers comes to town in Week 2.

Rodgers is a sure-fire first ballot selection for the NFL Hall of Fame, and has excellent stats versus most teams in the NFL. His stats against Dallas are astounding, and cement him as the biggest Cowboys killer of them all.

5 Key Position Battles For Cowboys Offense - Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

There are a few key position battles to keep an eye on throughout training camp.

Running back: The decision to part ways with Ezekiel Elliott creates a gargantuan void that needs to be filled somehow opposite Tony Pollard, and the first nod there likely goes to Ronald Jones, a two-time Super Bowl winner signed this offseason. Enter rookie dynamo Deuce Vaughn though, who will make it insanely difficult to keep off of the field in RB2-focused situations, but who’ll also have to try to hold off a promising talent in Malik Davis and veteran Rico Dowdle. This will easily be one of the best position battles this summer, especially when tossing in rookie fullback (flexback) Hunter Luepke.

Wide receiver: Let’s kick the tires and light the fires, folks. This battle will undoubtedly be one of the more fun to watch, especially with the addition of Brandin Cooks. Expect Cooks to hit the ground running this summer in tandem with CeeDee Lamb, but questions regarding Michael Gallup’s readiness to regain stride are abound. There’s no reason he shouldn’t get back to top form in 2023, and assuming he does, it’s the battle for WR4 that takes center stage — Jalen Tolbert finding himself going head-to-head with Simi Fehoko and nine other bodies at WR (including 2022 camp star Dennis Houston). Maybe KaVontae Turpin gets in on the party as well, but since there’s only so many passes to go around, this fight should get hot-and-heavy.

Tight end: This time last year, it was Dalton Schultz as the unequivocal TE1 of this unit, but the youth movement has officially taken over the position in Dallas. Jake Ferguson and Peyton Hendershot both got off to hot starts as rookies in 2022 and, as such, helped fuel the decision to wave goodbye to Schultz, and the addition of Luke Schoonmaker as a second-round pick in April further solidifies it’s all about the up-and-comers for the Cowboys. But does Ferguson own the throne by default, or will Schoonmaker force him into more of a 1B role? Can Hendershot’s fantastic ability to stretch the field and deliver YAC unsettle the others, and how will Sean McKeon factor into this year’s version of the Four Horsemen? I fully expect the Ferguson vs. Schoonmaker vs. Hendershot clash to deliver fireworks on a regular basis.

Third-grade wish comes true for Cowboys rookie DeMarvion Overshown - Todd Archer, ESPN

The Cowboys third-round pick is looking to cash in on his childhood dream.

DeMarvion Overshown was like a lot of Texas boys in the third grade. He wanted to grow up and play for the Dallas Cowboys. Put it out there in the yearbook for everybody to see.

When the Cowboys selected him in the third round of this year’s draft, he went to social media, proving that his dream was now a reality.

The funny thing is, I wasn’t even like a big, huge Cowboy fan growing up, but I knew if I was going to play at one place and I had the choice, it was going to be the Cowboys,” Overshown said. “It’s the hometown team.”

Overshown grew up in East Texas. He attended Arp High School, a little more than two hours from AT&T Stadium, the Cowboys’ home in Arlington, Texas, off Interstate 20. It is the typical small Texas town where high school football rules.

“I tell you what, if we were [playing] out of town, the last person had to turn the lights off and lock the store door,” said Overshown’s coach, Dale Irwin, who spent 19 years as the Tigers’ coach. “Sports is the community. Our town’s not real big. We have about two, three stores right on the railroad tracks. A major road runs through it, but the town has sports. They’re a big part of it.”

NFL.com ranks Dallas Cowboys inside of top 5 of ‘most complete’ teams across league - RJ Ochoa, Blogging the Boys

The Cowboys are labeled one of the most complete teams in the NFL.

There are a lot of talented teams in the NFL but some have talent in different ways. One unit may be a bit more top-heavy and led by a great quarterback for example, whereas another may have the underlying pieces but lack the true straw that stirs the drink (shout out Stephen Jones).

Whatever the case, Eric Edholm put together a ranking of the ‘most complete’ teams in the NFL over at NFL.com and the Dallas Cowboys came in at number five.

5. Dallas Cowboys

Dallas is pretty loaded on defense and could definitely field a top-five unit. The Cowboys addressed a need at defensive tackle with first-round pick Mazi Smith. When you factor in the pass-rushing duo of Micah Parsons and Demarcus Lawrence, and some good depth outside, the ‘Boys boast a deep, talented front.

Linebacker and the secondary also are well stocked. Depending on preseason injuries, there could be some tough cuts in the back seven. The addition of Stephon Gilmore at corner, along with the late-season emergence of linebacker Damone Clark and defensive back DaRon Bland, make this unit deep and dangerous.

On offense, however, there are at least depth concerns at almost every spot. Dak Prescott is coming off a challenging season, and the Cowboys probably can’t afford him missing another five-game chunk in 2023. Cooper Rush ably replaced Prescott and is back, but is he truly a top-tier backup? That’s about all they have at QB.

The depth is better at receiver following the trade for Brandin Cooks, who should diversify the offense. But Dallas really could use Michael Gallup, Jalen Tolbert or someone else stepping up. Running back took a hit with Ezekiel Elliott’s release, which looms larger with Tony Pollard coming off a broken leg and high ankle sprain. Perhaps rookie Deuce Vaughn can carve out a role, but it feels like there’s a void here.

Tight end is in solid shape with the addition of second-rounder Luke Schoonmaker, but the offensive line remains partially unsolved. There might be some shuffling among last year’s starters, and the depth appears so-so right now.

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• Monday: 1st and 10 with Tony Catalina & Aidan Davis
• Monday: Hidden Yardage with Mark Lane and Sean Martin
• Tuesday: The Writer’s Block with Jess Nevarez and Brandon Loree
• Tuesday: BTB Roundtable with various BTB Staffers
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