OXNARD, Calif.
The wait is over, as the Dallas Cowboys hit the practice field for the first time at training camp on Wednesday in preparation for the 2026 season.
With the pads not coming on until next week, the early practice sessions put more focus on technique and conditioning before the physicality ramps up on Monday. Still, though, there was a roughly 45-minute team period that saw the offense and defense go against each other in various situations.
Here were the observations form the first practice in Oxnard:
Jaydon Blue takes advantage of Mafah fumble
The backup running back role is up for grabs going into training camp, and Wednesday served as the first opportunity for the players behind Javonte Williams on the depth chart to make an impression.
After Williams started with the first team, Mafah was the first one to rotate in. He saw a few handoffs before a Rashan Gary punchout saw him drop the ball only for rookie Caleb Downs to recover. Just like your coach in middle school would do if a player turned the ball over in practice, Mafah was subbed out.
Jaydon Blue rotated in and immediately ran for a 45-yard touchdown that probably would have stood if the pads were on. It was a big play to set the tone for what is to come this training camp at the position.
Deeper in the room, Israel Abanikanda and Dominic Richardson both popped big runs with the third-team unit.
George Pickens generates crowd excitement
The crowd at the River Ridge Playing Fields wasn’t packed by any means in the middle of a weekday, but there were a good amount of youth groups and Cowboys fans on hand.
The ones who did make the trip to see the Cowboys were treated with some excitement in the form of wide receiver George Pickens during the team period. In one of the first plays of full 11-on-11 work, Dak Prescott found Pickens on the right side for a quick completion. Had it been in full pads, he most likely would’ve immediately been wrapped up by DaRon Bland, but he squeaked out and ran all the way down the field before falling on his back across the end zone.
The crowd loved it, and they cheered on Pickens while he ran back into the huddle. After the practice, he spent a good amount of time signing autographs with fans as well. For a player that has had a public eye on his contract situation this offseason, Pickens has been front-and-center with his mentality and approach in Oxnard so far.
First impressions of new defense
Again, it should be noted that pads not being on significantly limits what a defense can do in team periods. But still, there were some observations to pull from Wednesday’s first training camp practice under new defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
We’ll begin up front where Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary and Donovan Ezeiruaku were the main pieces with the first team (also worth noting that Otito Ogbonnia and Jay Toia saw first-team reps). Gary had the punchout on Mafah that served as the big highlight, but Ezeiruaku was moving with absolute ease off the edge in generating pressure on Prescott. Had it been a full-go situation in a game, Ezeiruaku would’ve probably had Prescott tasting grass multiple times.
At linebacker, Dee Winters and DeMarvion Overshown handled responsibilities with Overshown manning down the green dot communication responsibilities. Prior to the team period, Overshown spent a good amount of one-on-one time with linebackers coach Scott Symons on drop coverage technique.
In the secondary, DaRon Bland and Cobie Durant handled the outside corner responsibilities, and both held their own despite Prescott having mostly a pretty precise afternoon throwing the football. Shavon Revel Jr. saw a few reps himself and even banged his surgically repaired knee at one point and didn’t feel any pain. Call that a really good sign for his health moving forward.
Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they couldn’t stay completely healthy, as rotational safety P.J. Locke — who saw some work with the first team — walked off the practice field with the medical staff early after tweaking his knee. A team source says there isn’t any long-term concern. Expect the Cowboys to be cautious with his usage in the coming days.
Caleb Downs’ versatility on display
The prized rookie first-round pick of the Cowboys, defensive back Caleb Downs, has drawn high praise early in his tenure with the team, and it’s showing up in the responsibilities that the coaching staff is placing on him early on.
On Wednesday, Downs played in the slot, he played in the box, and he played as a deep safety in different variations of the first-team defense. His role will continue to be fluid, as the big intrigue around drafting him with the No. 11 overall selection was the flexibility he could give to the defense. That’s already being experimented with just one training camp practice into his career.
Other notable observations
The backup quarterback battle kicked off with Joe Milton receiving the second-team reps and Sam Howell working with the third-team group. They are expected to switch out as camp plays out, but Milton got the first crack at it.
Milton was composed and precise on Wednesday, finding receivers with accuracy in the short-to-medium range, something he struggled with during the preseason last year. On the final play of the team period, he found Jonathan Mingo down the left sideline for a big gain. Howell uncorked one deep to seventh-round pick Anthony Smith that fell just beyond his reach, but it was a good stretch of the arm for the newly acquired quarterback in the room.
Tyler Guyton worked exclusively as the starting left tackle, while Nate Thomas rotated in with the second-team group. Ezeiruaku got the better of Guyton on a couple of pass protection reps, as it will be increasingly important as camp goes on for him to eliminate those issues.
Ryan Flournoy is looking to follow up a breakout 2025 campaign with a training camp that can further cement his spot as the No. 3 wide receiver behind CeeDee Lamb and Pickens, and Wednesday’s practice was a good first step. He was active in the receiving game and put his nose down in run blocking. As the offense experiments with his usage, it’s become crystal clear that the confidence in Flournoy remains high.
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This story was originally published July 29, 2026 at 7:01 PM.
Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Nick Harris is the Dallas Cowboys beat reporter for the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. He has experience working on the beat for DallasCowboys.com and previous work experience at Yahoo Sports/Rivals and 247Sports.