One of the best things about an NFL training camp is seeing the rookies on the field for the first time. It's the first opportunity teams have to see them in real, padded work and fans start to get some answers.
Starting next week , the Dallas Cowboys will get a look at multiple potential starters, including projected starting left tackle Tyler Guyton.
Here's one thing each Cowboys rookie has to do to make an impact in the upcoming 2024 regular season.
OT Tyler Guyton: Survive the Micah Parsons experience
Talk about a trial by fire for the Cowboys' first round rookie. The team is banking on him to be ready to start by Week 1 despite being perceived as a raw prospect with a long ways to go coming out of college.
Hand placement is the big question mark for Guyton but going up against Parsons (and DeMarcus Lawrence, of course) should only sharpen his technique. Otherwise, he'll be put through hell and back during the summer. If he progresses by facing arguably the best defender in the league, he'll at least be ready to face a dangerous eight-week gauntlet of top tier pass rushers , including Myles Garrett in the team's season opener.
DE Marshawn Kneeland: Prove he can be a bully in the NFL
When you watch Kneeland's film from Western Michigan, one thing stands out: He's a violent and strong puncher that likes to bully offensive linemen.
Kneeland's power was a big part of his game at college. He'll face better athletes in the pros. With a small pass rush repertoire going into his NFL career, the second round rookie will need to lean on his brute power to make an impact early on.
OC Cooper Beebe: Set the tone run blocking
Beebe is locked in on a battle versus Brock Hoffman for the starting center job. Although there's many things that go into playing the center position, the biggest thing for the 2024 Cowboys should be boosting the running game.
Beebe, who boasts a nasty and violent style of blocking, possesses the play strength to generate movement at the point of attack. If he proves he can be the tone-setter the Cowboys desperately need, it will be his job.
LB Marist Liufau: Show off his football I.Q.
It's been made clear by Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer and teammates that Liufau's' biggest calling card is his smarts. It will be tough for him to earn a starting role in his rookie year and those shouldn't be the expectations we set for him.
But as somebody who could earn a middle linebacker role later on in his career, he'll have to show off his high football IQ to get on the field. In the meantime, it'll be more about his athleticism as he's likely to be called upon on special teams.
CB Caelen Carson: Back up his versatility comments
Caelen Carson had one of my favorite quotes of the offseason when talking about the differences between playing inside and outside, both of which he did while at Purdue.
"Not really," he said when asked if playing outside and inside was very different . "Because you're covering somebody regardless and then you're in zone (coverage), you're in zone regardless. Not too much a difference."
It's up to Carson to back this up once the pads come on. If he does, he might just be CB4 on the team.
WR Ryan Flournoy: Translate athleticism into highlights
Flournoy scored an elite 9.88 Relative Athletic Score via his draft testing numbers, suggesting he's an elite athlete. However, that doesn't necessarily show up on film that consistently.
However, Flournoy seems to shine on contested catches and in getting yards after the catch. If he's able to show improvement on the field, he could be in for a bigger role than expected as a rookie. He might be in the mix for WR4-5 snaps.
OL Nathan Thomas: Prove G/T versatility
The Cowboys got a mauler on Thomas and one that can play inside or outside the offensive line. It's a loaded group of linemen when it comes to the depth chart though and versatility can be Thomas' biggest reason to have a role as a seventh-round rookie.
DT Justin Rogers: Eat all of the gaps
As long as Rogers can plug the run and eat gaps as a nose tackle, he has a shot at legit playing time considering the Cowboys have virtually zero depth behind Mazi Smith at nose.
Rogers can make the most out of his circumstances in 2024.
UDFA Spotlight: Brevyn Spann-Ford has to prove drop problem was nothing but a slump
There are many UDFAs worth talking about ahead of the 2024 NFL season but we already know Spann-Ford has a legit shot at making the 53-man roster after the Cowboys gave him one of the largest guaranteed money sums for any NFL UDFA this year.
Spann-Ford looks the part of an NFL tight end and is a mean blocker. The question remains if he can solve his significant drop problem from 2023? The good news for him is he didn't have such issues prior to last year so it might've been a slump and nothing else.
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