The Dallas Cowboys enter training camp with a handful of exciting position battles that are sure to captive Cowboys Nation. The fight to replace Amari Cooper at WR will be thrilling to watch. As will the battles across the defensive line. Even CB will be exciting with so many young unknowns ready to challenge the veterans.
But what about the boring battles? What about the forgone conclusions? Which are the three worst position battles to watch when the Cowboys go to Oxnard, CA?
Three position battles stand out as the worst competitions in training camp for the Dallas Cowboys
Channeling my innate Gen X ability to find futility in everything, I’m taking the untraditional route here and instead of focusing on the highlights, I’m going full-speed to the lowlights. Not every competition will be a fun one this year, and those are what we’re looking at today.
Quarterback
This one is a stinker. Dak Prescott is the undisputed franchise QB and no one on this roster even has a remote possibility of changing that. Unless a radioactive spider gets involved, the delta between Dak and everyone else is mammoth.
QB2 could be up for grabs. Sure, Cooper Rush is the odds on favorite but so was Garrett Gilbert at this time last year. Only after a horrible training camp did that change and Cooper Rush won the top back-up job by default.
But winning by default is no fun and that’s likely the only way Ben DiNucci and Will Grier can beat out Rush.
Running back
Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard are the one-two punch and that’s all there is to it. Zeke is the heart and soul of the franchise and Pollard is one of the most explosive and efficient running backs in the NFL. I’d saying “barring an injury nothing is going to change” but even that wouldn’t change things. The Dallas Cowboys continued to feed Zeke with a torn PCL last season.
The back-up jobs aren’t going to go to the guys who produce the highlight runs and amazing catches. Nope. The jobs will go to the guys who are best on special teams and can pass protect. It’s what the Dallas Cowboys do at RB3 and RB4.
Safety
The Dallas Cowboys haven’t been better situated or more invested in the safety position this decade. Jayron Kearse and Malik Hooker are locked into the top two spots and that’s not going to change. Even if Donovan Wilson outperforms them, his fragility will likely keep him in the SAF3 role (where he’ll get plenty of snaps in his own right).
Really, the battle at safety is all about SAF4 and while that will be interesting to watch, it’s bottom of the roster and comparably speaking, low on the hype list. Will I enjoy watching Tyler Coyle, Markquese Bell, and Israel Mukuamu duke it out in camp? Sure, but I’m sick in the head and will watch long-snappers battle if given the chance, so that’s not saying much.
Did I miss one? Is there a position battle (other than on the O-line) that’s worse?