Dallas Cowboys 2024 NFL Training Camp Preview

Dallas Cowboys 2024 NFL Training Camp Preview

It’s that time of year. The 2024 NFL season is officially upon us! The Dallas Cowboys captured their second NFC East title over the last five years, though got embarrassed in the Wild Card round at home against the Green Bay Packers, losing 48-32. Will they be able to rebound in search of their first NFC Title in nearly three decades? Let’s dive into their 2024 training camp preview and see!

Three Position Battles To Watch:

RB: Rico Dowdle , Ezekiel Elliott

I’ll go more in-depth on Dowdle later, but I am not completely sold on Elliott getting a bulk of the carries in the short- or long-term. He hasn’t been great in short-yardage situations each of the last two seasons and will be entering his age-29 season, which is old for a running back with as much wear-and-tear as Elliott does. Furthermore, if you owned Tony Pollard last year in fantasy, Dowdle getting as many snaps as he did was frustrating . That’s the modern-day NFL for you, but I think Dowdle’s in for even more usage this year.

C: Brock Hoffman , Cooper Beebe

The center spot will have arguably the biggest competition along the offensive line. Hoffman, a third-year center, has shown some potential in the past–but will now have a great opportunity to replace Tyler Biadasz , who left in free agency. Beebe, their third-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft, who primarily played guard at Kansas State, is kicking inside to center. He’s positionally versatile, but asking a guard–who doesn’t have much experience at center–to play it as a rookie isn’t a seamless transition.

WR3: Jalen Tolbert , KaVontae Turpin

Michael Gallup ‘s release leaves a void at the third receiver position for Dallas. Tolbert had 22 receptions for 468 yards with a pair of scores while Turpin, one of their primary punt and kick returners, got work in both the backfield and out wide last season. I think Tolbert has an edge at securing the nod, but will need to take a sizable leap in camp because this spot is wide open.

Rookie To Watch: Tyler Guyton, LT

Replacing Tyron Smith is going to be no small task. Guyton, the team’s No. 29 overall pick in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, is likely going to be the projected starter Day 1. He had limited experience at the tackle position at Oklahoma and he showed that he was still raw, but he’s got good length and feet to build off of. Should he start protecting Dak Prescott ‘s blindside, I’m interested to see how he does in pass protection against the best of the best. He’s going to have big shoes to fill right away–will he step up to the challenge?! We’ll see.

Breakout Candidate: Mazi Smith , DT

In Mike Zimmer’s defense, nose tackle is one of the most important positions. Pat Williams , Linval Joseph and Domata Peko were all excellent over the years in Zimmer’s 4-3 scheme, consistently eating up blockers to free up linebackers. Smith, Dallas’ first-round pick (No. 26) in the 2023 NFL Draft, is projected to be the starting nose tackle this season after tallying 13 combined tackles (three for loss) as a rookie. He could be in for a big breakout sophomore season if he can consistently eat up blockers, even if he’s not racking up huge numbers.

Fantasy Sleeper: Rico Dowdle, RB

Are we sure that Dowdle won’t have the starting job by the end of the season? He logged 4.8 yards per touch with four touchdowns last year, though now he will be taking carries away from Elliott instead of Pollard, who’s better at this stage of their respective careers. Dowdle seemed to have the trust of head coach Mike McCarthy in crucial moments in 2023. I expect his role to continue growing, thus I don’t understand why he’s RB44 in FantasyPros’ rankings .

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