Mauricio Rodriguez talks about Dallas Cowboys OTAs, and the 3 biggest things to watch for during that stretch.
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00:00So the Cowboys are kicking off OTAs this week, and we are about to get early insight into perhaps the most overlooked question of the offseason.
00:10Hey, what's up, everyone? It's Mauricio Rodriguez here at ATZ Sports Dallas.
00:14As you know, the Cowboys are kicking off OTAs this week, and we are about to get into three storylines to be in the lookout for.
00:22And I think these are the three storylines, not only that are the most important, but that we are more likely to get answers from.
00:28Because people make a big deal out of OTA competitions, but at the end of the day, it's mostly individual drills.
00:35We don't get a lot of teamwork, and when we do, there's no live contact involved.
00:39So I don't think we really get into positional battles that early on in the NFL world.
00:44That has to wait until training camp, basically.
00:48But these are three stories that I think we'll get insight from OTAs, and let's get started.
00:54Number one, it's got to be Dak Prescott's health, right?
00:57I don't think we've seen anything to suggest that he's not going to be ready for the season.
01:01But the question is going to be, is he going to be 100% early on?
01:05We've seen videos of him throwing, moving around, and he looks good.
01:09We know he's putting the work in because he's Dak Prescott, and he's got one of the best work ethics in the entire league.
01:15But perhaps the workload that he's charged with in OTAs will be an early indicator of where he is in his rehab.
01:22But mostly, I think we'll find out from this through comments by players, coaches, and insiders that are going to be in the building.
01:30Maybe not watching every single practice, but they'll get some key insight that I'm sure they will share with us as soon as they find out.
01:38But Dak Prescott's health has to be at the top of the list.
01:40Now, we're going to get into the most overlooked question of the offseason.
01:44But first, let's dive into who is going to get first-team reps at cornerback.
01:49The Cowboys lost Jordan Lewis in free agency.
01:52Trevon Dix is still rehabbing from return AZL.
01:55And the question for me is, who's going to start alongside Deron Bland early on?
02:01Siobhan Revell Jr. is not going to be ready to go in OTAs.
02:04He's likely going to be back on the field until training camp based on early reports.
02:09But I would assume that we're about to get a ton of videos from Kair Elam, who is my bet to start outside early on.
02:17And maybe second-year player Kalen Carson, who I would see as a top option for the slot even in week one.
02:24And yet, we don't know because none of these guys are proven, right?
02:27They're not battle-tested.
02:28It's a new coaching staff in the building.
02:31So I'm wondering if in OTAs, we start hearing about guys like Izimu Kwamu getting some first-team reps.
02:37And maybe watch out for some of the UDFAs.
02:40How about Elijah Clark, the highest-paid undrafted free agent on the Cowboys?
02:45And though he played a lot of safety, he also played cornerback in college.
02:50And I think his versatility is one of the reasons why he got one of the highest deals in UDFA.
02:55Again, I don't expect actual competition taking place until training camp.
03:00But just seeing what the first team looks like, the second team reps, who are these reps going to, basically, is what we're going to be watching out for come OTA time.
03:09And last, but certainly not least, I think this is the most overlooked question of the offseason.
03:15How serious are the Cowboys about potentially shaking up the offensive line?
03:21One of the things that was very clear for me after the NFL draft is the Cowboys do look at Tyler Booker as a starting right guard immediately.
03:30I don't think it's going to be a competition between him and Brock Hoffman.
03:33Maybe so at the beginning, but expect Tyler Booker to start on that offensive line is what I'm trying to say.
03:40However, on the left side of things, the Cowboys have not ruled out just moving Tyler Smith to tackle.
03:46Now, you might have your opinion on that.
03:48I certainly have an opinion.
03:50I don't think the Cowboys should change Smith's position once again.
03:54Just let him do his thing at guard.
03:56He's an all-pro caliber player there.
03:58But what if Tyler Guyton's development just isn't going nowhere?
04:02And we're just speculating here.
04:04We don't have any sort of inside information about it.
04:07But we do know he was a first-round pick that was being rotated out of the lineup last year,
04:12even when the Cowboys were not competing for that playoff spot or not seriously doing so.
04:18That tells you a lot about how they felt about Guyton in that season.
04:23Now, again, it's a new coaching staff, and maybe they will handle things differently.
04:28But if Guyton's development isn't there, are they going to start getting maybe Smith some reps at left tackle?
04:35That is the kind of thing that I'm going to be watching out for as well in OTAs because I think it will tell us a lot about where they're standing right now.
04:43Now, I've said it before.
04:44I'll say it again.
04:45Training camp is where the competition is going to take place.
04:48However, if Smith is getting reps at tackle early on, it might give us a hint that that door is still open for Brian Schottenheimer's staff.
04:57We might not be talking a lot about it because we kind of have an idea of what the offensive line will look like when the season starts,
05:03but still one of the most overlooked questions, in my opinion, surrounding the Cowboys.
05:08Now, let me know in the comments what you're going to be looking out for during Cowboys OTAs,
05:13and I hope you have a great start to your week.