Who tops the list of biggest surprise newcomers at Dallas Cowboys training camp?

The Dallas Cowboys broke training camp in Oxnard, Calif., on Friday and headed back home for Saturday’s preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals.

They will resume camp on Monday at the Star in Frisco and still have a long way to go before finalizing the roster for the 2018 season.

But impressions were made during the past three weeks on the West Coast.

Here is a list of the top newcomer performances:

1. WR Tavon Austin was acquired from the Los Angeles Rams on the cheap and was billed as a web back in a role similar to Lance Dunbar and Lucky Whitehead in the past. Austin is leaving camp drawing comparisons to Hall of Famer Michael Irvin for his energy and leadership. He has also proven to be much more than a gadget guy. He surprised the Cowboys abilities as a receiver in what he calls his best camp ever. He credited receivers coach Sanjay Lal with teaching him the nuances of the position.

2. DT Antwaun Woods was picked up in May after being released by the Tennessee Titans after two seasons on their practice squad. He opened camp on the fourth team but if the season started today he would be an opening-day starter at nose tackle. He gave Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick fits all camp, not to mention a two-piece in a fight. Woods has to keep it going but Rod Marinelli calls him a disrupter.

3. LB Leighton Vander Esch probably won’t open the season as a starter but that has more to do with Jaylon Smith’s strong play than any disappointment with the first-round pick. He will play in rotation with Smith and Sean Lee as weak side and middle linebacker. He has already shown that he can potentially be an impact player in the nickel defense because of his ability to cover backs and tight ends. He is getting better and better against the run.

4. OT Cam Fleming is the swing tackle the Cowboys had hoped Chaz Green would develop into. There is talk that if Fleming at been on the team last year, the Cowboys may have won a couple of more games. He is easily an upgrade over Green and Byron Bell from a year ago. The former starter for the New England Patriots has given the Cowboys confidence the offense won’t derail if Tyron Smith goes down with an injury again.

5. LB Joe Thomas was signed as a special teams option to replace the departed Kyle Wilber. He has proven to be so much more. He is arguably the team’s fourth-best linebacker behind Lee, Smith and Vander Esch. And, if not, he is in a dead heat with strong side linebacker Damien Wilson. Thomas is more versatile than Wilson and can play weak side. More importantly, he is another example of why the linebacker corps is as deep as it’s been in years and arguably the team’s second-best position group behind the offensive line.

6. DE Dorance Armstrong was impressive through camp. He started making himself known by taking advantage of the backup offensive linemen but ended camp on high with a win against Pro Bowl tackle Tyron Smith. Armstrong, a fourth-round rookie from Kansas, has had a better start than former first-round pick Taco Charlton did a year ago. He also will be a reason why veteran Kony Ealy is currently on the cut list and why Charles Tapper is a long shot to make the roster.

7. WR Michael Gallup was billed as a sleeper ever since the Cowboys drafted him in the third round out of Colorado State. He didn’t get some of the attention of the more high-profile receivers in the draft but those who watched tapped him as a player who could blossom. Injuries to a number of veterans like Cole Beasley, Noah Brown, Allen Hurns, Terrance Williams and Tavon Austin in camp has allowed him to get a lot of time with quarterback Dak Prescott and the first offense. Prescott and Gallup developed some chemistry, allowing him to make plays throughout camp.

This story was originally published August 17, 2018 at 4:13 PM.