Complete Guide to Dallas Cowboys' Training Camp

The Dallas Cowboys officially start training camp on July 30^th in Oxnard, California with their first practice scheduled for 2:30pm.

Finally fans and pundits will receive their opportunity to see the fruits of the team’s labor during the offseason. As we quickly approach the time of players stepping on the field to begin a hope-infested trek to the playoffs, we should take a peek at a few key storylines and things to keep our eyes on before camp starts.

Training Camp Schedule

For any fans looking to attend any days of training camp, a schedule of morning and afternoon practice days and times are listed below:

Monday, July 30th 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Tuesday, July 31st 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Wednesday, August 1st 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Thursday, August 2nd - No practice

Friday, August 3rd 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Saturday, August 4th 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Sunday, August 5th 2:30 p.m. – Blue-White Scrimmage

Monday, August 6th 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Tuesday, August 7th 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Wednesday, August 8th - No practice

Thursday, August 9th 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Friday, August 10th 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Saturday, August 11th 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Sunday, August 12th TBA - Walk-Thru

Monday, August 13th

No practice - Preseason Game - Dallas @ Oakland

Tuesday, August 14th - No practice

Wednesday, August 15th 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Thursday, August 16th 2:30 p.m. - Practice

Friday, August 17th TBA - Morning Walk-Thru
Break Camp

Camp Battles

Training camp is always exciting to watch because of the emerging storylines and potential position battles. The Cowboys are no different and will have their fair share of players who will compete for starting roles.

Dan Connor versus Bruce Carter will be a key battle to watch. Connor was signed in the offseason to add depth and compete with second-year player Bruce Carter. Dallas wants to know that Carter is going to step up and keep up with star linebacker Sean Lee.

Connor was a great pick up for Dallas but more than anything we will get to see just how much of a competitor Bruce Carter may be.

Mike Jenkins and Orlando Scandrick will compete for the third cornerback position. Newly signed corner Brandon Carr and rookie Morris Claiborne have the top two positions locked and Jenkins is just trying to find his way.

I still believe and like Jenkins a lot and having him as insurance or even as the team’s third best cornerback should add some peace to defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s mind.

The slot receiver position will probably not find a winner until possibly post preseason. Kevin Ogletree is the leader in the clubhouse, but that isn’t really saying much. Dwayne Harris and Danny Coale are two names that fans should keep an eye on but this race is wide open.

I believe that this will be Coale’s job before the end of the year but watching a bottleneck form because of the competition surrounding this position should be fun.

Storylines

Paging Dez Bryant…paging Mr. Dez Bryant. This is your year, good sir. It is finally time for you to step up your game and show the team and the world what you are fully capable of doing on the football field.

His maturation and improvement on and off the field should be notable to watch. How he grows within the offense and if there are any mall incidents, we will wait and see. But this is Bryant’s year and if he fails to take a step forward, we may be left wondering if he’s mostly wasted talent.

The Cowboys offensive line is fluid and it may be the way until midseason. I’m sure that Garrett and team owner Jerry Jones hope that things come together before then but with injuries and a few new moving parts, it may take a while for them to jell.

Secondary issues have dogged the Cowboys for the past couple of seasons and now that Brandon Carr and Morris Claiborne are on board, Dallas is hoping for new fortunes.

Carr and Claiborne will be the team’s one-two punch in the defensive backfield with Orlando Scandrick or Mike Jenkins playing nickel. Depth and skill escaped this Cowboys team last season and they shouldn’t have a big problem filling holes and providing stability and consistency in 2012.

Note: A more in-depth guide to the Cowboys 2012 training camp will be released in the very near future.