OTAs will take place over the next three weeks, here are some players who could rise from obscurity.
The Dallas Cowboys have the day off on Wednesday, as they work through their first Organized Team Activities (OTAs) of the 2025 campiagn. The team worked Monday and Tuesday with on-field drills, the first time most of the veterans have been able to work with the coaches through drills since last year. Of course, it’s a brand new coaching staff implementing new schemes on both sides of the ball, as Brian Schottenheimer no longer has to play second fiddle to Mike McCarthy.
With the change of system as well as the calendar, there stands to reason some players who might not have been thought highly of, could surprise starting this week. Perhaps they weren’t a fit for the roles they were given in previous years or previous spots. Perhaps the new staff finds a way to motivate the player in a way previous coaches couldn’t. Perhaps there’s just a new level of physical, mental and or emotional maturity.
Whatever the reason, there’s going to be someone who stands out this spring who fans will start to hear about over the next several weeks. Here are five candidates to be that guy on offense.
Jonathan Mingo
The assumption, with the trade for George Pickens, is that the Cowboys’ top four wideout slots are locked in. Of course Pickens is playing the X receiver while CeeDee Lamb dominates as a play-anywhere, primary slot option. Kavontae Turpin is the WR4-slash-offensive weapon and most think that Jalen Tolbert and his seven touchdowns can be a perfect WR3 at this point in his career. But Mingo doesn’t have to be a wasted trade acquisition from 2024. He only got to play with Cooper Rush, no one has any idea what he could be in an offense with Dak Prescott, much less what the new scheme looks like under Brian Schottenheimer. Perhaps Mingo is the surprise of the camp and if he is, the Cowboys offense could soar in 2025.
Deuce Vaughn
What if the change in the run game under Klayton Adams and Conor Riley, who coached Vaughn at Kansas State, unlocks the way to utilize Vaughn for new head coach and former offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer? Vaughn has been a disappointing aftershot, and this is likely his final chance as an NFL pro.
Will Grier
The Cowboys made a trade to acquire Joe Milton III from New England. The second-year player had an intriguing debut in one game for the Patriots and it’s assumed he’ll win the backup job to Dak Prescott. But what if Grier has made leaps and bounds under new quarterbacks coach Steve Shimko? Grier is now 30, and perhaps his experience around the game leads him to an understanding of what works for him and he’s a competent option as a backup QB.
Matt Waletzo
The Cowboys had a ton of high hopes for Waletzko when drafted, but injuries his first two seasons placed him at the back of the depth chart and he hasn’t done much to persuade them to change their minds. But again, what if he takes to the instructions from the new coaching staff? The Cowboys don’t have a ton of depth at tackle and both of their starters are not above reproach for different reasons.
John Stephens
Stephens has had the absolute worst luck in his first two years in the league. A shocking performer in 2023 training camp, Stephens tore his left ACL in preseason that year. He was able to fight his way back and was on the roster to start 2024, only to tear the same ACL in practice in mid-October. He’s not ready to go, but hopefully there could be some good news about his progress in rehab and word that he may be able to suit up this season.
#forgotten #Cowboys #watch #OTAs #Offense #Edition