Training camp is upon us and it will serve as a myth-busting season for several Dallas Cowboys storylines right before the 2026 regular season. From Caleb Downs to George Pickens and more. <\/p>\n
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\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tJun 16, 2026; Dallas, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys safety Caleb Downs (13) and linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (0) go through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas.
\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\tChris Jones-Imagn Images<\/p>\n
Dallas Cowboys training camp is days away, and with it comes the annual opportunity to separate fact from fiction. Every offseason, Cowboys coaches drop hints about how they plan to use certain players, and every year, some of those hints turn out to be a whole bunch of nothing.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Or at the very least, nothing compared to what Cowboys fans and media make them out to be. I\u2019m talking about when the Cowboys hinted fullback Hunter Huepke would evolve into a tight end. Or when wide receiver KaVontae Turpin was supposed to take running back snaps. And one of my favorites: when Tony Pollard was going to line up as a slot receiver. All of those storylines fizzled.<\/p>\n
But there have been many others that turn out to be true. Today, we\u2019re looking at three storylines that I wonder if they\u2019re true or myth.\u00a0Let\u2019s begin with the biggest name of the offseason\u2026\u00a0<\/p>\n
George Pickens as a slot wide receiver<\/p>\n
One of the biggest offseason talking points surrounding the Cowboys offense has been the plan to move Pickens around the formation. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said Pickens \u201cdoes not like\u201d to stay in one spot<\/a> and wants to be moved around. Last year, offensive coordinator Klayton Adams admitted the coaching staff didn\u2019t realize how dynamic Pickens could be with the ball in his hands until CeeDee Lamb went down with an injury last season.<\/p>\n The numbers paint a clear picture of just how different this would be. Among qualifying wide receivers, Pickens had the second-lowest percentage of snaps in the slot across the NFL, according to Pro Football Focus. Moving him inside would represent a dramatic shift in how Dallas deploys its top pass catcher.<\/p>\n If Pickens isn\u2019t lining up inside during training camp practices, expectations should come back down to earth quickly\u2014but it wouldn\u2019t be enough to lower the Pickens hype. <\/p>\n Caleb Downs playing everywhere on defense<\/p>\n The Cowboys have framed their plan for first-round pick Caleb Downs as a progression. He\u2019ll start at nickel before \u201cunlocking\u201d the rest of the defense. Some fans have taken that to mean Downs will eventually play everywhere, just like he did at Ohio State, which is what made him such an enticing prospect in the first place.<\/p>\n However, there\u2019s a real possibility the Cowboys simply use Downs as a nickelback and nothing more as a rookie. That wouldn\u2019t necessarily be a bad outcome. Look at what the Seattle Seahawks did with Nick Emmanwori, a rookie safety in 2025, who thrived as a nickel defender in his first year and became the key to Seattle\u2019s defense because the Seahawks could stay in nickel regardless of offensive personnel.<\/p>\n Dallas might view Downs in a similar light. Since the moment the Cowboys hired Christian Parker as defensive coordinator, it\u2019s been clear nickel was a priority. But the best version of Downs could be one who moves around the football field, playing in the box, at free safety, and in the slot. If training camp reveals a Downs who only takes the field in nickel packages and leaves during base defense, it will be telling.\u00a0<\/p>\n Tyler Guyton\u2019s left tackle \u2018competition\u2019<\/p>\n According to Schottenheimer, the Cowboys are holding an open competition at left tackle to protect Dak Prescott\u2019s blindside. The competitors: Tyler Guyton, a former first-round pick, and Nate Thomas, who was drafted in the seventh round of the same class.<\/p>\n Thomas didn\u2019t show enough last season to truly threaten Guyton\u2019s starting job. This feels like a motivation tactic from Schottenheimer, designed to light a fire under Guyton. And if it works? Good for Schottenheimer. But if Thomas isn\u2019t getting first-team reps at left tackle during camp, this isn\u2019t a real competition. It\u2019s Guyton\u2019s job to lose.<\/p>\n Honorable mention: the Cowboys TE2 battle<\/p>\n One more thing to watch. Cowboys fans have largely accepted Brevyn Spann-Ford as the No. 2 tight end behind Jake Ferguson, which would push former second-round pick Luke Schoonmaker to the roster bubble<\/a> alongside undrafted free agent Michael Trigg. But is that pecking order set in stone? If Schoonmaker is taking second-team tight end reps in Oxnard, the picture might not be as clear as everyone assumes.<\/p>\n Training camp is where offseason narratives go to live or die. For now, we wait.<\/p>\n \t\t\t Dallas Cowboys News<\/p>\n![\"May](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-tx\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/07\/USATSI_28855942-200x200.jpg\")
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