The Cowboys faced the Rams in a joint practice to gear up for the preseason, with the defense coming out on top.
"We'll see y'all down the road!'' some member of the Dallas Cowboys roster hooted at the Los Angeles Rams after Tuesday's joint practice in SoCal - a sign of cockiness on the part of "America's Team.''
In many ways, lots of eyes were on rookie coordinator Christian Parker and his defense, and little wonder why.
Going up against Matthew Stafford, Puka Nacua, Davante Adams, and Sean McVay, it was going to be a test to see exactly how far the defense has come under Parker.
After all, as Dallas linebacker DeMarvion Overshown conceded, reflecting back on a year ago when these two clubs worked together, "They had a field day against us.''
How about this time around?
Here are our top takes from the Cowboys' joint practice against the Rams.
1 - Defense wins the day:
Perhaps the biggest thing to come out of this was Parker's defense made life hell for Matthew Stafford and Company, and in particular linebacker Justin Barron, the practice-squadder who grabbed three interceptions.
Yeah, you read that right.
Not only that, but the would-be sacks from the defensive line and the almost countless PBU's forced by Parker's unit were exactly what fans and the coaching staff wanted to see.
Yes, it's practice, but it's a good sign.
2 - Pickens being Pickens:
It was another day, and another good outing for the Cowboys receiver, with George catching multiple passes from Dak Prescott as he got open routinely against the Rams' defense, with his play over the middle seeing No. 3 race into the end zone.
Again, it is practice, but George - whose celebrations irritated some Rams to the point there was a kerfuffle or two - is in mid-season form already and his outing against L.A. only proves that the receiver is as locked in as ever.
"George is being George," a smiling Prescott said of Pickens' day. "That's what I expect from him, what he expects from himself."
Oh, and as long as we're praising receivers, a hat-tip to undrafted free agent wideout Camden Brown, who continued to be on a roll with a receiving touchdown from Sam Howell.
3 - Schotty's culture takes center stage:
Running after practice has been a key emphasis for the Cowboys in Oxnard, with Brian Schottenheimer making it clear it's not a punishment ... but is needed for conditioning.
Well, after the Cowboys finished up their practice, they didn't go off the field; instead, led by DeMarvion Overshown (and maybe by Quinnen Williams) and Dak, the entire roster decided to run.
The player-led standards are high.
Schotty stated it was the player's idea, and Dak backed that up.
"Guys are taking pride in it," Dak said. "It was a simple D-Mo [Overshown] came up to me and asked me. Coach said, 'It's on us. Do you want to run?" I'm like, "Yeah, if y'all want to run." I didn't see y'all's field and what it was doing, but I know we've got it in us over here. So, yeah, it was just like a normal practice. Let's go and get our runs in and get better."
The Rams didn't quite understand what Dallas was doing, and sort of made fun of the fellas for "having'' to run.
That's when the "cocky Cowboys'' responded with their "See 'y'all down the road'' response.
And they aren't just talking about the slated Week 15 matchup.
4 - Defense "trusts" training:
It was the first time this offseason the defense faced a different unit, and for a Rams offense that uses a lot of shifts and motions, it can be difficult to get a grasp of what they are trying to do.
But for Overshown, going against McVay, the defense leaned on Parker's training in the offseason.
"It was really more so about trusting our training," he said. "We know they do a lot of 'eye-candy' stuff. (Rams coach) Sean McVay, he's one of the best in the business, so it put a lot of different fits for the defense that we probably we ain't seen in a minute. So, it was just about trusting our training today than trying to do the extras."
5 - Tackles have mixed day:
Tyler Guyton had himself a good day against the Rams defense, but Terence Steele struggled.
With the tackle positions being a big storyline to watch over the course of the offseason, the practice against the Rams showed that while Guyton is progressing in the way Dallas wants, Steele left a lot to be desired, matching up against Byron Young, who got consistent pressure.
"I thought what I saw was really, really good," Schottenheimer said of Guyton.
Of course, the success came while Rams superstar Myles Garrett sat out, so there is that.
6 - Shavon Revel Jr. continues to impress:
Perhaps the best thing to come out of the joint practice was the work of Revel Jr.
Forcing a fumble after a big hit, he played physically, had a couple of PBU's, one against Nacua, which will have Cowboys Nation excited.
He's beginning to make a name for himself as he bids to beat out Cobie Durant - the former Ram - for a starting job.
7 - Oh, no, Jaydon:
Jaydon Blue fumbled. The last time he did that, early in the 2025 season? He landed in the doghouse for months.
Don't do that, Jaydon!
8 - Run-stoppers!:
The starting defensive front (when Dallas used four down-linemen) of Donovan Ezeiruaku, Quinnen Kenny Clark and Rashan Gary created an impressive wall against the run.
Sacks are sexy. But somebody has to plug the run, or else.
A lot of somebodies did that here.
9 - Downs Duties:
Rookie first-round pick Caleb Downs is starting to show off his versatility, as he didn't just play slot corner. Here, he also worked as a centerfielder safety, with Durant holding down slot responsibilities.
The faster he can learn it all, the closer the Dallas D will come to not being awful.
10 - The Final Word:
“I thought it was a battle. They had their plays, we had our plays, it’s what a joint practice should look like.” - Coach Brian Schottenheimer.
