Monday marked the first day of padded practices for the Cowboys, and as is usually the case, the addition of pads caused a few players really stand out compared to previous practices.
Here are some notes from Monday’s practice:
*The star of the day was rookie 7th round pick Jalen Brooks. The 23-year old wide receiver out of South Carolina showed toughness, efficient route running, and a “my ball” mentality. Brooks’ willingness to fight for the ball was something that flashed on his college tape, and it was on display again today. Dak Prescott could be heard praising Brooks several times throughout the practice.
*Speaking of Prescott, this was probably his best practice of camp, highlighted by a well-placed pass to Brandin Cooks on a deep over route during 9-on-7. Cooks had gotten behind the corner and safety, and Prescott was able to place it perfectly over the defensive backs and into Cooks’ hands.
*Prescott was extremely vocal with rookie tight end Princeton Fant at practice. Prescott directed Fant to show more urgency in his routes, and at one point told him to use “two hands” when catching the football, noting “that’s how you start bad habits.” Prescott has been more vocal during practices this offseason and training camp than in years past.
*The Cowboys pass rush had some trouble breaking through early, but the last several reps of team period were dominated by the defensive line. Micah Parsons in particular was disrupting almost every dropback, including one rep that saw him put Tyron Smith into the ground almost immediately at the snap of the ball.
*There was a brief dust-up in Monday’s padded practice, which isn’t totally unusual for NFL teams. Matt Farniok and Juanyeh Thomas were shoving each other and exchanged a few colorful words during team period.
Dante Fowler and Tyler Biadasz were also in the center of the pushing, although Fowler appeared to be playing more of the peacemaker than anything else
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