Dak Prescott commands an evolving offense in Oxnard, utilizing elite weaponry and refined chemistry to surpass last season’s benchmarks as the Cowboys launch high-stakes padded practices.
OXNARD, Calif. - The Dallas Cowboys' offense last season, by most metrics, was one of the best in football. But there's always room for improvement.
As we begin Week 2 training camp in Oxnard, the expectations for Dallas in 2026 are sky-high, thanks mostly to what many are projecting the offense to be.
And that's where we start today's Cowboys Training Camp Notebook as Dallas put on the pads on Monday - "I love this day!'' coach Brian Schottenheimer said ahead of the workout - for the first time at camp ...
THE STANDARD IS THE STANDARD: Dak Prescott, Javonte Williams, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jake Ferguson, and Ryan Flournoy will be tasked with driving this unit forward and reaching the height most envision for the group.
Of course, much of the optimism is centered around Lamb and Pickens, with Dak having perhaps the best receiver duo in football for the second straight season.
And he knows that having both at his disposal is helpful, and that in camp, it's all about drilling down on the details.
"It's exciting, they help me be comfortable, those guys are ridiculous in their ability to get open, their ability to win in one-on-one," Prescott said. "Right now it's just about continuing to communicate about the zones and where they need to be in certain timings."
But as we mentioned above, the offense isn't just CeeDee and George; there are other weapons that Dak has at his disposal.
Of course, Lamb and Pickens will take the defense's attention, but in doing so, as we saw last year with Flournoy, it creates opportunities for others.
And Dak knows that better than anyone.
"Understanding that teams can double them and they can push coverage and not take them away, but make it really hard to get the ball to them," Prescott added.
"Then you've got guys like Jake Ferguson, Ryan Flournoy, KaVontae Turpin, obviously a run game that's only blossoming. It's exciting. We know that last year's success doesn't just carry over to this year's success."
And it is here where Brian Schottenheimer and his offensive "evolution" have to take place, because we know that teams will be analyzing Dallas' offense from last season and figuring out ways to slow them down.
But if you thought Dak and his supporting cast were just going to roll out what they did last year, both on the practice field and in the classroom, well, you'd be wrong.
"It's just awesome to see these guys in meetings and just walk through, taking every moment, every rep serious because we've got to be better than we were last year, in our mind," Prescott said. "That's our standard, and we're going to push each other and hold each other accountable to do that."
It is also worth noting - not that Dak needs any reminding - but around here, "the standard'' at QB is also all about Roger Staubach and Troy Aikman ... if you catch our drift.
CRASHING PADS!: Biggest noise of the day? A collision initiated by DeMarvion Overshown, who rocketed into a gap and smashed lead blocker Hunter Luepke.
And the noise was so noticeable that assorted Cowboys were hooting and hollering after the play.
PRESEASON PLAN: I think it's smart. Critics think it's "not football.''
But Dallas has revealed its plan for playing time in the preseason games. And yes, the stars will sit.
“We’re not gonna play a lot of our starters during the preseason,'' Schottenheimer said.
The Cowboys won’t play the vet starters in the preseason, per the coach, who added that no decision has been finalized on rookie prize Caleb Downs.
Schottenheimer said that the roster will be broken up into four tiers for preseason playing time ...
-A group (Dak Prescott and company) - 0 snaps
-B+ group - 10-15 snaps
-B- group - 20-25 snaps
-C group - unlimited snaps
Schotty, you'll notice, is no dummy ... and therefore nobody is assigned to be in a "D group,'' let alone an "F group.''
FISHELLANEOUS: No, the Jones family is not planning to sell a piece of the Cowboys to Mark Cuban. Fun idea, though! (See above.) ... Cornerback Cobie Durant continues to stand out, as on Monday he picked off Dak Prescott in the end zone and also recorded a PBU vs. CeeDee Lamb ... And on this day, Shavon Revel joined him, moving confidently as he recorded a trio of PBUs. This may have been the second-year man's best day ever in a Dallas uniform ... Dak practiced with a sleeve on his left leg today, maybe a reminder of some offseason knee soreness - but not considered an issue. ... Tight end Princeton Fant was taken off the field and is getting an MRI on his knee. ... The Cowboys waived/injured Charles Snowden this week, but is he still in the mix? The Star-Telegram reports that he will return to the Cowboys’ roster while he rehabs, with Dallas retains his rights during this period as he cleared waivers. So maybe he's still in the Week 4 mix after he serves a suspension?
THE RED ZONE: In truth, there isn't much more that Dallas can be better at than it was last season. The red zone was probably the one thing that sticks in our craw, with the unit allergic to end-zone TDs in the final month of the campaign.
We know the offense will be the driving force for the Cowboys in 2026, and seeing how one of the NFL's best units improves over the course of camp and the regular season will be a fascinating watch. ...
And a big part of it is not having to rely on Brandon Aubrey to save everybody's bacon.
THE FINAL WORD: "We’ve gotta evolve. … I love the confidence (in the GOTI - "Greatest Offense Their Is'' - nickname), but we’ve gotta go out and do it ... We are too good to be kicking the field goals we’ve been kicking.” - Schottenheimer.
