Three questions going into Dallas Cowboys minicamp

Last week ended OTAs for the Dallas Cowboys and today begins their mandatory three day minicamp. What can we expect to see from minicamp that we haven’t already seen at OTAs? The only real difference between the two is that there will be team meetings after practice to go over video.  There are, however, some questions that will be answered by the three day camp.

Will David Irving show up?

The defensive tackle missed all of OTAs because he was dealing with personal issues regarding the contentious relationship with the mother of his child. Last week, he traveled to California to pick up his daughter and bring her back to Texas. Due to all the drama going on in his life, Irving is reportedly out of shape which is another reason he wasn’t at OTAs. This week, he risks being fined $84,435 if he misses the entire three days. If he misses Tuesday, he’ll be fined $14,070; Wednesday will be $28,150, and Thursday $42,215. Last week coach Jason Garrett stated he didn’t know if Irving would attend minicamp. Today we will get our answer.

How are the wide receivers and tight ends connecting with Dak Prescott?

Since this camp is only consisting of jerseys and helmets, we’re not going to really be able to judge how defensive and offensive linemen are performing. There’s not going to be any tackling either which won’t help us determine how the running backs are running. Same thing goes for linemen. What we will be able to see is how guys are running their routes and how their hands are. There are 12 wide receivers and any one of them could step up during camp. As for tight ends, Geoff Swaim has been making an effort to step it up, and be on the lookout for Blake Jarwin who stood out during OTAs.

How are all the new coaches and players meshing with the team?

We have a lot of new coaches this season; secondary coach Kris Richard and receivers coach Sanjay Lal to name a few. In addition, we have a lot of new players integrating with the team and making up almost half of the roster. During this camp, we’ll get to see how it’s all coming together. Last week, Garrett stated:

“Obviously there are a lot of new guys on our team, just like there is every year…You’re teaching them how we do things every day. …You’re trying to get them integrated to the guys who have been here. You’re starting to build the 2018 team.”