Five players who have stood out at Dallas Cowboys training camp
One week has passed at Dallas Cowboys training camp, and while the six practice sessions have seen 10 players suffer injuries, it has also seen a handful of players get off on the right foot.
From rookie standouts to early leaders in position battles, here are five players that have stood out in Southern California.
Kaiir Elam
The health of the cornerback position has been dire as the team lost yet another to a knee injury on Monday with Caelen Carson expected to be out for 4-6 weeks. Fortunately, newly acquired Kaiir Elam has shined in a starting role early on in camp.
Elam, who was acquired in a trade with the Buffalo Bills in March, has had two interceptions in training camp and has provided reliable coverage on the outside against the Cowboys’ array of offensive weapons.
“He’s playing with a lot of confidence,” head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “You watch him and the way he’s reading splits, he plays the game the right way. He does things that a veteran player does. He’s playing at a high level, and that’s obviously good for us.”
CeeDee Lamb
Not being in Oxnard last season as he held out from the team before getting his mega extension weighed on CeeDee Lamb throughout the course of the last year. This time around, he’s been taking full advantage.
Whether it’s making difficult grabs over the middle of the field or making defenders miss with his shiftiness in the open field, Lamb has commanded a lot of defensive attention in the first week of camp, even with George Pickens also on the field.
“When you’re able to move him around, it’s obviously an advantage to us,” Schottenheimer said. “He was so excited to be back. I just think he’s in a really good spot mentally.”
Cooper Beebe
Heading into his second season, there is a lot less crash-course learning that center Cooper Beebe is having to experience this year as opposed to last year. Moving from guard to center in his rookie training camp, Beebe wasn’t even running with the first-team unit at this point in camp in 2024, but now he’s dominating with the starting group.
Whether it’s paving run lanes or creating a front depth of pocket for quarterback Dak Prescott to push the ball downfield, Beebe has been an early camp standout among a consistent offensive line group.
“One area he’s really grown is communicating and commanding the communication within the group,” offensive coordinator Klayton Adams said. “The guy is strong. He’s got good balance. He’s tough and very consistent.”
Donovan Ezeiruaku
Even in a room with a ton of defensive end talent, no edge rusher has been as disruptive as rookie second-round pick Donovan Ezeiruaku. Whether it’s displaying gymnast-level flexibility on the edge in pass rush, setting the edge in the run game or even covering running backs coming out of the backfield, Ezeiruaku has been flying around the field in his first training camp in the NFL.
“The reason we drafted Donovan is what we’re seeing now,” defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus said. “The work ethic, talent, balance, power, speed. That’s what we see. He’s a wonderful teammate and he’s grinding every day.”
In a room that features veterans Dante Fowler and Payton Turner and young talents in Sam Williams and Marshawn Kneeland, opportunities could come few and far between, but Ezeiruaku is showing that he can make the most of them when given.
Jaydon Blue
The running back room still has a lot to sort out with just two padded practices under its belt, but the player that has shown the most on the field so far is rookie fifth-round pick Jaydon Blue.
“Jaydon’s been awesome. He’s fun to be around, he’s got a bubbly personality. He loves football, extremely competitive. When the ball is in his hands, exciting things happen.”
With Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams competing alongside Blue for the starting job, mistakes have to be at a minimum for the rookie to win the job. And while he might not have been in the driver’s seat when camp began, he now has his foot in the door as the preseason lurks.
This story was originally published July 29, 2025 at 5:37 PM.
