With just a few more weeks of vacation, the Dallas Cowboys "can't wait to play real football" at training camp later this summer.
The Dallas Cowboys wrapped up a week of minicamp at The Star in Frisco, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer is as enthusiastic as ever about where his football team lies in the weeks leading up to training camp.
"I could not be more happy about how the offseason went." Schottenheimer said.
From installations of the playbook to a new free-throw contest champion (shoutout Ryan Flournoy!) and even an emotional tribute to his wife as the couple's anniversary nears, Schottenheimer's post-minicamp press conference had all the feelings of a positive head space for the team.
The Cowboys now have a month of freedom before the team reconvenes again for the flight to Oxnard, where the second-year coach says the staff will begin to crack down on the nitty gritty of the 2026 preparation.
"I think you try not to get too far ahead of yourself," Schottenheimer said about managing his eager competitiveness in the early stage of the offseason.
"We're hopeful because we're confident. We feel like we're preparing the right way, we feel like we've made the changes that we've needed to make to fix the defensive side of the ball. There has not been a lot of changes on the offensive side of the ball other than the schemes that we're going to adjust and change. But I think the real preparation starts when we get out to Oxnard."
Schottenheimer expressed that new defensive coordinator Christian Parker, the most notable change to that porous 2025 defense, is known for his fire during practices. It's enough to rile up the squad and bring a different flair than what the team was used to.
"I would say the [trash] talking from Christian Parker is a little different than what we had last year," Schottenheimer said with a smile. "The guys feed off of it in a good way… It's been fun to watch that. He'll stir up CeeDee, George and Dak and those guys. I think we're in a really good spot."
It's not a surprise for Schottenheimer to be paying close attention to how Parker's introduction has began, as the head coach reaffirms that "defense wins championships." For Dallas, however, this year's offense could easily carry the load as one of the very best in the NFL.
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A large part of that is the return of George Pickens. The wide receiver finished third in the league in receiving yards and now enters a franchise tag year that, somewhat surprisingly considering the team's recent history, has not stirred up offseason drama in the press.
"I'm not going to say it's a bad thing, but no, I think at the end of the day we're in a good spot," Schottenheimer said about the apparent "drama-free" offseason. "I think we're very comfortable with the changes that we've made, and then getting the changes up to the standard, where they need to be right now."
With training camp around the corner, Schottenheimer outlined how he plans to attack the windows the team is allowed to practice fully. The Cowboys could have conducted a final practice at minicamp, but rather chose to get off-the-field trainings out of the way with league officials.
"It's just hard to practice with some of the rules that we're restricted under," Schottenheimer said. "I think we got a lot of really good things done. I've done more seven-on-seven than I ever want to do again in my life, but it's kind of what we need to do."
"It's a little harder to carry the pads later into the season," he added about adjusting to his job in Year 2. "I do think, talking with our sports science people, there's a different way to really build some calluses during training camp. And then when the season starts, we're going to have a hard type of week, medium type of week and a light type of week… I think that's all stuff that I've learned, and am using the people that are experts more than me on how the body works and how the body recovers."
At the end of the day, Schottenheimer is most excited about strapping on the pads.
"As I get past the Fourth of July, man, I'll be honest, my mind goes back to football," Schottenheimer said. "The excitement of getting to camp, the excitement of watching these guys compete, and getting a chance to play real football.
"I can't wait to play real football."
