Dallas Cowboys Training Camp Update
Training camp in Oxnard is finished. That doesn’t mean things will immediately change for the Dallas Cowboys in how they operate. The schedule, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said, will continue for a little while. That means night meetings and other details that made the California location really feel like a different home away from home.
“Why?” Schottenheimer asked rhetorically on Wednesday, “I think we’re still in the process of evaluation.”
The evaluation period for an NFL team truly never ends. As Jerry and Stephen Jones have often said, player acquisition is a 365-day process. With that in mind, let’s look at players who have seen their stock rise and others who have seen their stock drop since the Cowboys started training camp.
Stock Up
Nickelback Zion Childress has been one of the standout players in training camp. In today’s NFL world, the base defense for most teams is nickel, meaning a defense that includes five players in the secondary rather than a standard front seven. It’s because of the increase in passing leaguewide and the use of three-receiver sets.
It’s made having a good nickel corner essential. In Matt Eberflus’ defense, that’s no exception. He wants them to be physical, communicative and good in coverage. So far, the best at doing that might be undrafted Kentucky rookie Zion Childress.
Childress has quickly climbed from the depths of the depth chart to working with the starters. He earned the majority of starting nickel snaps in the final two practices in California. Childress is battling with former undrafted free agent Kemon Hall to see if one of them could start in the nickel, allowing DaRon Bland to play outside.
Would the Cowboys actually start an undrafted free agent at nickel corner on opening night against the Philadelphia Eagles? It’s trending that way.
Running back Phil Mafah is another player who has seen his stock rise. Schottenheimer indicated earlier in training camp that both of his rookie running backs didn’t pick things up during minicamp and OTAs as fast as he might’ve hoped. It was evident that Jaydon Blue hit the ground running in Oxnard. Mafah may have done it a little more under the radar, but it’s now evident he did, too.
Mafah had 10 carries for 36 yards in his first preseason game, though his longest carry was taken off the board because of a penalty. The numbers don’t jump off the page, but the way Mafah ran told a different story. Schottenheimer said earlier in camp that he was starting to “feel” Mafah’s running style. Saturday, and the last few practices in Oxnard, showed that too.
“He’s another one of those guys that when the pads come on, you see something,” Cowboys offensive coordinator Klayton Adams said. “He’s certainly got some instincts and plays fast. He’s got a little bit of a slasher [style]. I thought he did a lot of good things.”
Dallas Cowboys linebacker Marist Liufau (35) takes down Los Angeles Rams running back Blake Corum (22) as quarterback Stetson Bennett IV (13) releases a first half pass in a NFL preseason game in Los Angeles, California, August 9, 2025.
Tom Fox / Staff Photographer
The linebacker depth is also a position group that has improved its reputation. The Cowboys had a lot of changes in their linebacker room this offseason. They signed Jack Sanborn from Chicago to reunite with Eberflus. They traded for former first-round pick Kenneth Murray. Those two have had good camps.
The depth behind those two has also looked good. Marist Liufau added to a good offseason with a physical preseason debut. He brought a tone to the Cowboys’ defense that wasn’t replicated often in the 31-21 loss to the Rams. Rookie Shemar James has looked good, too. He nearly had an interception in his preseason debut. Even Damone Clark has seemed to benefit from the change in coaching staff.
Heading into camp, linebacker looked like a question mark for the Cowboys. Now, its depth looks like a potential strength.
Stock Down
The cornerback room has been a concern for the Cowboys. The Cowboys entered training camp with an interesting corner room, to say the least. They were caught in a bind — a place where their potential starting group looked good, though it wouldn’t fully be ready to start the season. Things got worse for the Cowboys in Oxnard.
Second-year corner Caelen Carson — a starter early last season — suffered a knee injury that will likely keep him out early. External optimism about the potential for rookie third-round pick Shavon Revel Jr. to return faded quickly.
Add those to the timelines for Trevon Diggs and Josh Butler and the Cowboys are looking at potentially four corners who could miss time early in the season.
The Cowboys hoped that other players would step up. There’s been some mixed results, to say the least — especially on the outside. Robert Rochelle and Andrew Booth started against the Rams. Troy Pride Jr. has rotated in outside. Even Israel Mukuamu has played both inside and outside, just as Bland has.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked earlier this week if they need to make an addition.
“It’s probably hard to make an addition at this point in training camp,” Jones said, ”but certainly the numbers, as we start the season, are ones that we’ve got a very close eye on.”
The interior defensive line is another area of concern. Let’s first give former first-round pick Mazi Smith some credit for candor. He went out of his way earlier this week to say that he wasn’t thrilled with how he played in the first preseason game.
“I just didn’t do anything. You’ve got to do something,” Smith said. ”I’m a first-round pick. There are expectations and all that. This is my third year.”
There was hope — perhaps unfairly — that Smith could turn that corner earlier in camp. That hasn’t happened yet.
