After a season where they may have deserved a better fate, the Dallas Cowboys haven’t been afraid to make changes this offseason. The latest set came last weekend when the Cowboys welcomed seven new players to their rookie minicamp.
The camp usually serves as a “Welcome to the NFL” moment for players who are getting to know their new team. But according to Cowboys team writer Tommy Yarish, the team isn’t wasting time putting more on their plate, especially as offensive guard Drew Shelton and defensive end LT Overton got work at new positions.
The Cowboys confirmed that they tried out Shelton at guard and Overton at defensive tackle during last weekend’s minicamp, and, if anything, it shows that Dallas isn’t afraid to try something new as they look to get back into contention next season.
Cowboys Being Proactive to Solve Depth Issues During Rookie Minicamp
Dallas’s first experiment in its rookie class will come on the offensive line. Shelton, a fourth-round pick by the Cowboys in the draft, has mostly played left tackle during his career at Penn State. But Yarish noted that Shelton will be getting “looks on both sides of the line and even at guard, a spot on the offensive line that Shelton has never played before.”
“It will be new but I’m willing to do it,” Shelton said. “It doesn’t matter to me. I’m going to get work at both and we’ll see where we take it.”
Fellow fourth-round pick Overton also was primarily an edge rusher during his time at Texas A&M and Alabama. But the Cowboys defensive coordinator told Yarish that he’ll be a defensive tackle, “whether it be a three-technique, four, or five-technique” as he begins his NFL career.
"[I’m] definitely just getting those good eyes and ears from our vets," Overton told Yarish when asked how he’ll prepare for his new role. "That's what I've always been accountable on, especially coming out early out of my high school career, going into college early. Early dealt with the dudes older than me that's been through it all them years, seeing how they go through their everyday life, just trying to pick up off that."
While a position shift is always a risky idea, it can pay off in a big way as the regular season takes its toll. The Cowboys’ offensive line took a massive hit early in the year when 2025 first-round pick Tyler Booker and Cooper Beebe both suffered injuries. Things then took another turn for the worse when Tyler Guyton was placed on season-ending injured reserve in December after suffering a high ankle sprain.
The injury bug didn’t bite as hard along the defensive line, but Overton’s move could be part of new defensive coordinator Christian Parker’s scheme. Bringing over some of the concepts from Vic Fangio’s 3-4 following his stint with the Philadelphia Eagles, bigger linemen could be working on the inside more, while quicker, agile edge rushers could be moved to outside linebacker.
The key here is that the Cowboys are willing to do it from the moment the rookies walk into the building instead of waiting for disaster to strike. While Overton and Shelton may not succeed in those roles, it’s best to find out what they can do from the start and use it to their advantage when the regular season begins.
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