Cowboys to return to Oxnard in 2018, but will have more camp at The Star in Frisco
The Dallas Cowboys will conduct their last practice of training camp in Oxnard on Thursday morning before breaking camp and heading back to Texas.
They will resume practice at the team’s headquarters at The Star in Frisco and have six practices open to the fans at the Ford Center.
Cowboys vice president Stephen Jones said the team will return to Oxnard for at least a couple of weeks in 2018 but also have more practices at the Star.
The Cowboys are under contract with Oxnard for one more year but also have an option for a two-year extension.
“As long as we keep having a good experience and the people of Oxnard have been great, I don’t see that changing,” Jones said about continuing to train in California.
Barring something unforeseen, Jones said the Cowboys will be back but he is also excited about practicing in Frisco for the first time.
“A lot of fans who don’t get see us play at AT&T Stadium will get the opportunity to come to The Star and be a part of what our team is all one about,” Jones said.
Here are some sightings from a spirited practice Wednesday:
1 Safety Byron Jones is eager to improve and you can tell in the 1-on-1 drills as he fearlessly went up against tight end Geoff Swaim, receiver Brice Butler and slot receiver Cole Beasley. Jones embraces the challenge as an opportunity to get better.
2 Suspended running back Ezekiel Elliott is showing no letup in practice. He straight embarrassed linebacker Damien Wilson in a 1-on-1 drill and then did a little LaDainian Tomlinson ball flip in the end zone to celebrate.
3 Right tackle La’el Collins got worked over in the pass rush drill on back-to-back plays by defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence. Collins is left-handed and still punching with his right hand, as he has to do at right tackle.
4 Butler continues to excel with contested catches, an area he struggled in last season. He hasn’t dropped a pass all training camp. He high-pointed a reception over Duke Thomas in 1-on-1 drills, then hauled in one from Dak Prescott in tight coverage during team drills.
5 The competition was pretty intense all the way up to the final play when a scrambling Prescott hit Terrance Williams for a touchdown in the back of the end zone against the first-team defense. Williams then caught the 2-point conversion with a toe-tap reception against Leon McFadden in the left corner to end practice, resulting in a wild celebration on offense.
Quote of the day
“We got 90 guys on a given day practicing and it’s just fun to see their development. What we try to do as a coaching staff is put them in competitive situations all throughout practice and you said it’s the one-on-ones, it’s the challenge period, it’s the 7-on-7, it’s the pass rush, it’s 11-on-11, it’s the game situations, all of that stuff. You want to see how they respond and we have a number of matchups on our team, probably like most teams around the league, that are really interesting to watch.” — Cowboys coach Jason Garrett
Injury report
DT Cedric Thornton (hamstring): Day-to-day
QB Luke McCown (shoulder): Day-to-day
TE Rico Gathers (concussion): Day-to-day
WR Ryan Switzer (hamstring): Day-to-day
LB Sean Lee (hamstring): Day-to-day
CB Chidobe Awuzie (ankle): Day-to-day
CB Marquez White (hamstring): Day-to-day
DE Tyrone Crawford (ankle): Undetermined
CB Anthony Brown (hamstring): Day-to-day
CB Jourdan Lewis (hamstring): Day-to-day
OL Joe Looney (toe): Day-to-day
This story was originally published August 16, 2017 at 10:31 PM with the headline "Cowboys to return to Oxnard in 2018, but will have more camp at The Star in Frisco."