Rounding Up Latest Dallas Cowboys Pre-Training Camp Buzz

The Dallas Cowboys are down to their final few days before they report to training camp. But as usual with the Cowboys, there is always news coming out of Dallas.

Most of the updates at the moment are negative, although that is typical for mid-July.  

It's not all doom and gloom, though: There is some positive buzz coming out of Cowboys headquarters.

Without further ado, here are the latest rumors and notes surrounding the team two weeks before training camp.  

Damien Wilson's Arrest

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On July 4, Damien Wilson was arrested and charged with two counts of aggravated assault with a deadly weapon. According to the Dallas News, Wilson "intentionally" backed his truck into a woman and then showed his gun to a man outside Toyota Stadium in Frisco, Texas.

The arrest happened over a week ago, and the Cowboys have yet to act on it.

According to senior vice president of public relations Rich Dalrymple, the Cowboys are "aware of the situation" and are still gathering facts. 

Wilson was projected to be the team's starting linebacker after starting six games in 2016. He recorded 23 tackles and was one of the best linebackers in coverage last season, according to Pro Football Focus. It seems unlikely as of now that Wilson will be on the field early on in the season, if at all. 

The Cowboys already had a lot of questions at the linebacker spot, with the health of Jaylon Smith among other issues. If nothing else, a potential loss of Wilson would hurt the Cowboys' depth chart at linebacker. This will be a situation to watch in the upcoming days before training camp. 

Dak Prescott's Trading Card Scandal

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On July 6, ESPN's Darren Rovell reported that a trading card company accused Dak Prescott of using a machine to sign autographs. According to a principal authenticator at Beckett (a trading card grading service), the cards had a "very machine-like feel" to them.  

However, on July 7, the trading card group Panini cleared Prescott and announced that they had signed him to a long-term extension. Here is the company's press release announcing the deal and acknowledging that some signed cards may not contain authentic signatures.

In the end, it was much ado about nothing. Prescott is about as clean as it gets off the field, so the (albeit minor) accusations likely would have come as a surprise to the Cowboys.

Damontre Moore's Maturity

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Defensive end Damontre Moore has always been a talented player. But his lack of maturity is what caused this first-round talent to free fall on draft day and bounce around the league in his short four-year career.

Teams typically don't let sack artists leave town very often unless there is a problem with the player's personality. And that's exactly what Moore is trying to correct this offseason. 

Head coach Jason Garrett said that Moore "has matured over the course of his career" and that he "recognizes the opportunity that he has here and is embracing it," according to Kevin Casas of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram.

Moore has impressed this offseason and has worked hard to become a reliable pass-rusher for the Cowboys. Earlier in the month, Moore went to Von Miller's "Pass Rush Summit" to hone his skills. The fact that Moore is using his downtime in the offseason to work out with some of the league's best rushers at least shows that he cares about his craft. 

If Moore does buy in to Rod Marinelli's coaching and the overall Cowboys philosophy, he could be one of the steals of free agency. As of now, Moore is doing all of the right things in order to earn a spot on the Cowboys' 53-man roster come September. 

Ezekiel Elliott's Investigation Still Open

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Another week has passed, and we still don't have a decision about Ezekiel Elliott's possible punishment. The NFL has been investigating Elliott since he entered the league for a domestic violence allegation from before he was drafted fourth overall by the Cowboys. The case has been open for nearly a year-and-a-half and there has been no resolution. 

The NFL could be dragging a ruling out for a few reasons. The biggest being that they are afraid of a situation similar to what happened with Ray Rice from a few years ago.

The NFL somewhat cleared Rice, and then a video surfaced that forced them to suspend the running back indefinitely. ESPN's Adam Schefter confirmed that the Rice issue is "no doubt" part of the league's thinking. 

There's always a chance that the league could hand down a fine or a one- or two-game suspension as a warning, but I will go with my gut and say that he will be on the field in Week 1 of the season.  

Maleik Collins' Breakout Season

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The Cowboys' desperately need one of their defensive linemen to break out and reach another level if they want to improve their pass rush in 2017. The one player that I have the most hope for is defensive tackle Maliek Collins. 

After breaking his foot in late-May, Collins missed all of training camp and most of preseason in his rookie season. But Collins managed to come in when the season started to rack up five sacks in his first year. He's one of only five defensive tackles to ever record five or more sacks before his 22nd birthday.

Collins has been training in Phoenix this offseason to improve his overall quickness. He's posted videos to show the types of workouts he's been doing this summer. If Collins can become an ever more dominant force inside for the team, it wouldn't be surprising if the Dallas pass rush actually improves in 2017. 

At just 22 years old, I expect a big jump in Collins' play this season. Outside of Sean Lee, he might be the second-most important Dallas defender. It's a big year for the second-year defensive tackle out of Nebraska. 

Dak Prescott Criticizes Ezekiel Elliott

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Before you start to panic, it's important to remember Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott are close friends who like to jab one another in the media. This time, it was Prescott who took a shot at Elliott in a recent interview with Sports Illustrated.

Prescott was asked about Elliott's photo shoot for ESPN The Magazine's Body Issue. Prescott responded by saying that Elliott should be doing things for charity, rather than doing naked photo shoots.

Knowing Prescott, this was all said in a joking manner to make fun of his teammate and friend. There is certainly no bad blood between the two. 

However, it does show that Prescott recognizes how popular he is and that using his time to help the community and charities around him is what the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys should be doing. Nevertheless, it's just friendly banter between the two teammates.