Cowboys practice recap: Maliek Collins shines, Joe Looney pranks
The Dallas Cowboys had their second-best attended practice of training camp on Tuesday.
An announced crowd of 7,555 were on hand at the Ford Center, just shy of the 7,671 fans who attended the July 30 practice in Oxnard, California.
Plenty happened on the day –
1. As expected, Cooper Rush got more work with the second-team. He has raised questions about the backup position and appears ready to give Kellen Moore a run for his money. Rush threw an interception in red-zone drills, as a ball intended for Brice Butler was batted up and linebacker Kennan Gilchrist came down with it. But Rush responded on his next series, finding Rod Smith for a TD.
2. Defensive tackle Maliek Collins continues to impress in training camp. The second-year pro out of Nebraska ran over offensive lineman Kadeem Edwards. Literally. Collins had the leverage and simply pushed Edwards over.
3. Speaking of the D-line, DeMarcus Lawrence kept the highlights coming after Collins. He beat All-Pro left tackle Tyron Smith in a one-on-one rep, with a hard fake inside before going back outside. Additionally, Cedric Thornton (who has been slowed with a hamstring injury) returned to working with the first-team at defensive tackle. Stephen Paea is dealing with a sore knee.
3. Tight end Jason Witten continues to get it done going into his 15th season. During a compete drill, Witten made a move that left safety Kavon Frazier on the turf and Witten running free in the middle of the field.
4. Chaz Green continues to fight injuries early in his career. He exited the field with what appeared to be an injury to his leg/ hip area. Green had been in the mix for the starting left guard job, but simply has struggled to stay on the field. He missed his rookie season with a hip injury, and played in only four games last year with foot/ back issues.
5. Props to reserve offensive lineman Joe Looney and his sense of humor.
No one has more fun and enjoys his lot in life more than Joe Looney. That man is a joy. Give him the big piece of chicken https://t.co/HYGNLOP4UN
— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) August 22, 2017
Looney, the 315-pounder, entered practice wearing Ezekiel Elliott’s No. 21 jersey and showed off his midriff much like Elliott does. Even though Looney has a gut compared to Elliott’s six-pack, some fans still fell for the joke. Looney did a similar stunt on Monday, taping Dak Prescott’s No. 4 over his No. 73 jersey.
This story was originally published August 22, 2017 at 6:21 PM with the headline "Cowboys practice recap: Maliek Collins shines, Joe Looney pranks."