The Dallas Cowboys training camp got started on Monday with some big changes for America's Team in 2025. Most importantly, the Cowboys have a new head coach in Brian Schottenheimer, a new WR2 in George Pickens, and QB Dak Prescott is back in the fold after his season-ending hamstring injury.
It's been many years of high expectations for America's Team, but every year they come up short, without an NFC Championship appearance since 1996. Could this year be different?
We'll break down several players and storylines to watch during the Dallas Cowboys training camp, and how they can impact their 2025 season, especially for fantasy football.
The top Cowboys training camp headlines include the return of QB Dak Prescott and CB Trevon Diggs, who each suffered season-ending injuries in 2024. Along with competitions at several positions and contract disputes, the Cowboys will have a lot to figure out in the next few weeks.
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EDGE Micah Parsons
Cowboys Owner/GM Jerry Jones pulled out his checkbook recently for QB Dak Prescott and WRCeeDee Lamb, and Parsons is next on the list to be paid. So far, Parsons has played nicely and has reported to camp, as the team is in talks with their star edge rusher, but we’ll see what happens if talks stall.
Parsons is one of the best pass rushers in the league and was seventh in sacks (12.0), despite playing only 13 games. We could see a holdout if a deal isn't done some time during training camp. Parson's sack projection is 12.75 sacks on NFLSZN on PrizePicks for 2025.
If they don’t have Parsons for this season — although it seems unlikely, that would be a huge blow to that defensive front.
WR George Pickens
With CeeDee Lamb manning the slot, George Pickens is the best outside wide receiver the Cowboys have had since Amari Cooper. Pickens will be important to the offense to help stretch the field from the sidelines, especially as the team lacks a strong running game.
With CeeDee Lamb controlling the middle in the field as the slot receiver, Dallas needed someone who could have the same impact lined up outside.
Pickens’ speed and excellent route-running abilities make him one of the most explosive receivers in the league, and he finished last season sixth with 15.3 yards per reception (minimum 50 catches). Now, he gets an upgrade at quarterback, from an aging Russell Wilson to Dak Prescott, who is in the midst of his prime years.
We need to pay attention to Pickens and Prescott to see if they can build chemistry during training camp. On Monday, they got off to a good start, as Prescott found Pickens on a deep ball. This offense will likely be pass-heavy, which means Pickens should be heavily featured.
CB Kaiir Elam
Cornerback is another position that could be wide open for the Cowboys going into the season. They are missing a few key players, which could be an opportunity for someone to step up.
Injuries have decimated the position going into training camp. Trevon Diggs will begin training camp on the PUP list as he continues to rehab a torn ACL. The same goes for third-round pick Shavon Revel, who experts believed would have been a first-rounder if he had suffered an ACL tear early in the 2024 season.
Elam is a former first-round pick that the Cowboys traded for during the offseason from the Bills, as they try to find healthy bodies to fill the position. After an excellent rookie season with two interceptions and four pass deflections, he was injured most of 2023, and in 2024, he ranked 70th among eligible CBs in pass coverage.
If he can regain that magic he had in his rookie year, he can fortify a spot in a secondary that was one of the league’s worst last season after it was decimated by injuries.
Cowboys Running Back Depth Chart
The Cowboys running back position will be the most talked about during the training camp. RB Rico Dowdle led the Cowboys by rushing for 1,079 yards in 2024, but he signed with the Panthers, just a year after RB1 Tony Pollar left for the Titans.
Now, the Cowboys need to find their new feature back, and the field isn't very promising. They currently have five running backs on their roster:
- Javonte Williams – He spent the last four seasons in Denver and never established himself as the top back in that offense. 3.6 and 3.7 yards per carry average over last two years. Williams is projected for 575.5 rushing yards on NFLSZN on PrizePicks, where you can predict More or Less to win real money.
- Miles Sanders – Coming off a 2022 season in Philadelphia where he ran for 1,269 yards, he signed with the Panthers. Early in his tenure in Carolina, he lost the starting job to Chuba Hubbard and was the backup for the last two seasons.
- Jaydon Blue - The fifth-round rookie out of Texas did well in his lone season as the feature back. The 734 rushing yards doesn’t pop off the stat sheets, but he did average 5.4 yards per carry.
- Phil Mafah - The seventh-round pick out of Clemson started to get a heavier role in the last two seasons. In that span, he averaged 5.3 yards per carry as a reserve back.
- Deuce Vaughn - The only returning running back on the roster, he did not play much in 2024 and only recorded 17 carries for 70 yards. Vaughn is only 5-foot-6, 170 pounds.
Williams and Sanders will get the benefit of being starters as veterans, but insiders believe the competition is wide open, though none of the options are very promising as lead backs.
HC Brian Schottenheimer
Brian Schottenheimer was not the popular choice to be the head coach of the Cowboys after they moved on from Mike McCarthy, especially with names like Bill Belichick and Deion Sanders being thrown around. However, the former offensive coordinator got the promotion and will head the team.
He is now part of a long list of coaches that will try to meet the high expectations of coaching the Cowboys, who have not appeared in a Super Bowl in three decades. It will be interesting to watch the training camp and the feelings going into the season.
With this team in a tough division, will they be able to rally behind their new coach and be in the hunt after finishing last season with a 7-10 record? The confidence and intangibles beyond the field around camp will be key with a new coaching staff.
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The Cowboys again have high expectations coming into the 2025 NFL season. With lots of changes also comes new players and storylines to watch as the Cowboys begin their hunt to return to the Super Bowl.
The NFL season hasn't started, but PrizePicks is already dissecting the 2025 fantasy football season. We will prepare you before kickoff — which begins with Cowboys vs. Eagles in Philadelphia — and continue all the way through the 2026 Super Bowl.
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