Dallas Cowboys OTA observations: Joe Milton, Miles Sanders have strong days
The Dallas Cowboys welcomed in the media for the second of three availabilities during the offseason team activities (OTAs) on Thursday, as they hit the grass for what was their fifth total practice as a team in 2025.
The practice featured roughly 40 minutes of individual and position drills before both sides of the ball lined up and competed in an 11-on-11 and 7-on-7 format. On a humid day in Frisco, here were the observations and notes from the roughly 75-minute practice session in front of the media.
Don’t forget about Miles Sanders
When talking about the offseason additions at the running back position, it’s been common practice to mention Javonte Williams or rookie Jaydon Blue at the top of the list. But veteran Miles Sanders has also earned some praise early on from his coaching staff, and that showed on the field on Thursday.
Alongside Williams, Sanders saw a healthy amount of burn with the first-team unit today. He hauled in two receptions on a screen and a swing pass from Dak Prescott, and he turned a busted inside run into a sizable gain after he bounced it to the edge.
When considering his six seasons in the NFL, Sanders could have the excuse of looking a little weathered with his running style, but that isn’t the case. He showed off a spring in his step and runs fluidly for his mileage of over 1,000 career touches.
Maybe Sanders shouldn’t be an afterthought after all. Shame on me.
Dak Prescott, Joe Milton work in quick game
The offense remained very vanilla in front of the media on Thursday, as the new offensive system under Brian Schottenheimer is mostly being kept under wraps through the first two practice availabilities.
On Thursday, almost all of the throws during team drills were on short routes including screens, swings, hitches and curls. A healthy amount of targets went to the running backs, which is something Schottenheimer has spoke on over the offseason as a layer to his passing game that will be used a good amount.
For Prescott, he finished the day 14-for-18 passing, but his highlight of the day actually came on an incompletion. Early in team drills, Prescott stepped into a throw that carried over 40 yards downfield right into the hands of CeeDee Lamb who couldn’t haul it in. Lamb returned to the huddle to do pushups for missing the completion, and new addition George Pickens joined him.
Backup quarterback Joe Milton looked a lot more consistent in the second media availability than he did in the first last week, as he finished 7-for-8 passing with one incompletion coming on a throw that fell behind tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. His highlight came on a touchdown pass to wide receiver Ryan Flournoy that carried roughly 45 yards in the air.
Third-string quarterback Will Grier completed all three of his passes working in the short game.
Trevon Diggs not among large rehab group
A product of having so many injuries during the 2024 season is that a lot of those players will be rehabbing over the offseason. On Thursday, six players worked off to the side with the rehab group including linebacker DeMarvion Overshown, cornerback Josh Butler, tight end John Stephens Jr., defensive end Sam Williams, cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. and safety Donovan Wilson.
Not present with that group for on-field work was cornerback Trevon Diggs who is spending his second consecutive offseason rehabbing a knee injury. Now, Diggs could have been inside getting treatment, but to not see No. 7 on the field in both media availabilities while other rehab players have been present is notable.
For Williams, he is recovering a torn ACL suffered in the first week of training camp last season. He is nearing a return to full participation as he flashed his athleticism in movement drills off to the side.
For Wilson, he is recovering from a knee scope procedure that he had done after the 2024 season. It’s viewed as minor and not something that will prevent him from being on the field as a full participant for training camp.
The weekly Micah Parsons attendance check
Odighizuwa? Present. Overshown? Present.
Parsons? Room stays silent.
Pickens? Here.
The attendance roll call did not see Micah Parsons with a checkmark next to his name on Thursday, as he continues to wait on a new contract extension with the team. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked about his attendance throughout OTAs and mentioned that the two had lunch last week.
“He was here last week, had lunch with him,” Schottenheimer said. “Actually bumped into him in the airport. He was going to do some traveling. I have not seen him yet this week. Again, my big thing with all the guys whether they’re here or not, you can get great work in and you can get ready and be mentally prepared.”
Schottenheimer has been accepting of the voluntary aspect of OTAs and has not expressed any concern or disappointment in Parsons not being present for periods of time during the offseason so far.
Other brief observations
- Rookie running back Jaydon Blue worked with the kickoff return team in addition to his role with the second-team offense.
- Rookie defensive end Donovan Ezeiruaku worked in coverage during 7-on-7 drills, covering the flats.
- In individual drills, DaRon Bland, Kemon Hall, Israel Mukuamu and Zion Childress all worked together as a slot corner group. Juanyeh Thomas and others also saw reps during team drills.
- Wide receiver Jonathan Mingo hauled in a diving grab across the middle on a throw from Joe Milton that got pushed a bit too far out in front of him. The reception drew some noise from both sidelines.
- Owner and general manager Jerry Jones made an appearance at practice and had a brief conversation with Schottenheimer afterward one-on-one while the team ran inside.
This story was originally published May 29, 2025 at 6:29 PM.
