Dallas Cowboys: Training Camp Preparations Under Way

With a few weeks until the Dallas Cowboys start training camp, preparations are under way for both camp and everything that goes with it.

So, I got a chance to go to The Dallas Cowboys headquarters at the Ford Center in Frisco this week and was taking a group for a tour around the facility. I had been on the tour before with my group just before the draft this year.

We were able to go up to the scouting department hallway during that tour. This trip however, we were not going to one of the cooler parts of the tour. Only part of the scouting department was available.

Instead of just brushing it off I started asking questions to a few of the staff. Lo and behold, there was a meeting going on between Stephen Jones and the scouting department. Now, the staff didn’t know much more than the meeting going on and who was there. I started to think about it, and it all made sense.

With training camp a few weeks away, the scouting department is starting to look at a few things:

1. The first would be the OTAs that just occurred and is evaluating the talent they currently have. This should allow for the coaching staff to find the best role for players and identify what strengths and weaknesses they have. One could assume that right after OTAs most staffs do this, or at least should be.
2. The next thought that came to mind is the staff is probably already talking about the first few opponents the Cowboys will face. It really isn’t that big of a surprise who will be starting in those games for Giants and the Broncos, respectively. Studying game tape of last season is probably already happening for this season. Again, it should probably be no surprise the staff is already talking about this.

However, there was a bigger question in my mind. Why is Stephen Jones there? I could assume that he wants to know what the scouting staff things of players that are looking for extensions. I could also assume he would want to know what the rookies they signed looks like and if they could make the team.

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Then I had an epiphany.

What usually happens during this time of year is players are released, signed, moved to practice squad, in fact rosters are constantly churning.

What I could only guess was part of this meeting that went well past our last tour of the day, was there were discussions of who could be available, who is available, and what moves the Dallas Cowboys could make.

So while the players are off until training camp (although Joe Looney was there) and the coaching staff is preparing to fine tune the playbooks and players, Stephen Jones was preparing.

Next: Cowboys: History Suggests Patience with Xavier Woods

Stephen Jones was preparing to maybe churn the bottom of the roster. Stephen Jones is preparing for players to be released. He is preparing for contracts to be talked about. Yes, the Dallas Cowboys are preparing for training camp and everything that goes with it.