All Cowboys present as team begins three-day minicamp

All players were present and accounted for when the Dallas Cowboys opened their mandatory three-day minicamp on Tuesday. That’s certainly a welcomed sign for coach Jason Garrett and the rest of the staff.

The Cowboys had great participation in the voluntary organized team activities the past three weeks.

“It’s something we think is important,” Garrett said. “We are fortunate to have a lot of guys who live in Dallas, a lot of guys who like to be around the facility. A lot of guys who like to come to work and work together. I think it has benefited team. It has allowed us to lay a good foundation up to this point.”

Garrett has structured the minicamp like a regular practice week leading into a game. Tuesday was treated like a Wednesday, Wednesday will be treated like a Thursday and Thursday will be treated like a Friday. The team went through situational drills on Tuesday, something that Garrett and his staff implemented throughout OTAs.

“We’ve been working on those for the last three weeks, even more intense here over the next three days,” Garrett said.

With every player in attendance, it eliminated any off-field distractions for the coaching staff. Offensive coordinator Scott Linehan praised Garrett and Cowboys’ ownership for establishing this kind of culture.

“I really credit the culture that we have here cause it’s really driven by the players and they’re wanting to buy into what we’re doing,” Linehan said. “Really got some really good guys who work hard. I think every team has good guys, I’m sure great guys, but this is a great group of kids and it’s mianly because of how they work.”

This story was originally published June 13, 2017 at 6:46 PM with the headline "All Cowboys present as team begins three-day minicamp."