Dallas Cowboys Training Camp Preview

The Dallas Cowboys make their first steps towards defending their NFC East crown and their search for even more hardware when training camp begins two days from now. The Cowboys will start on Friday in San Antonio and remain there until August 6th.

After the Hall of Fame Game against the Bengals on August 8th, they'll go to Oxnard, California to conclude their camp schedule. The Cowboys had a quiet offseason and now things will start to finally get loud as the pads and air horns come out in the heat. Here are some story lines going into camp. 

Camp Cupcake or Camp Contender?

Last season, Wade Phillips promised the days of camp cupcake were over and came through, as even Rowdy, the Cowboys Mascot, was thrown out of camp for being a distraction. 

However, with the Cowboys' injuries before camp, and with guys having to miss OTAs, Phillips may be compelled to run camp cupcake once again. 

One thing we know for sure is that Phillips will occasionally give his veterans the first part of two-a-days off. Expect Bradie James and Keith Brooking to be in that group, as Phillips will want to keep his 30-plus year old linebackers fresh for the beginning of the season. 

Training camp battles

The Cowboys have most of their starters set, but everyone will be looking at left tackle and free safety. Those spots have Doug Free and Alan Ball penciled in, but not inked with pen. 

In Free's way stands Alex Barron, an underachieving lineman with a tendency for Flozell-like penalties, but also flashes of brilliance and the body to compete with the rest of the Cowboy's offensive line. 

In Ball's way is Mike Hamlin, a young athletic ball hawk, who missed most of last season due to injury and is still learning the game. However he has the size (6'2", 213 lbs), the physical gifts, and he's not afraid to throw himself in the running defense.

While the spots are Free's and Ball's to lose, expect these guys to push them for some serious playing time.

Another key battle is for the fourth cornerback spot between Cletus Gordon and Jamar Wall. Gordon finished last season with the Cowboys, but saw little playing time, as Ken Hamlin recovered from his ankle injury, moving Alan Ball back to the fourth cornerback spot.

Wall is the Cowboys sixth round draft pick out of Texas A&M. Wall has good size and athleticism, but lacks pure speed and tends to whiff on a tackle or two.

There's also the battle between Sean Lee and Brandon Williams for the nickel and dime spots, vacated by Bobby Carpenter. 

Lee, the Cowboys second round pick, has dazzled the coaches with ability to rush the passer and sniff out just about every play. Williams was injured most of last season, but the Cowboys still view him as a starter in the future. 

David Buelher

Special teams wasn't an issue last season, except when it came to field goals. Nick Folk lost his confidence and Shaun Suisham didn't have any after coming to the Cowboys. It was a huge burden on the Cowboys by the end of the season.

Now Buehler, who broke the Cowboys record for most touchbacks last season, will try to step in and kick his way to the job. While there hasn't been much news on Buehler's kicking this offseason, many analysts have said it hasn't been consistent enough for the Cowboys to go into camp without another kicker to push him. If he gets off to a bad start, you can bet Jerry Jones will be looking at the waiver wire.

Receiver watch

The Cowboys have 99 problems and receivers are at least 30 of them. Miles Austin is the only one who no one is worried about, but will his outstanding season, new-found fame, and relationship have a negative effect on him this season? 

Meanwhile, this is Roy Williams's last chance to prove that he's worth keeping around, and he might not get much of a chance if Dez Braynt outshines him.

Bryant has been nothing short of a model citizen since coming to Dallas and should show more of that, provided that he doesn't hold out for a outrageous contract. Negotiations started on Monday, and reportedly have been going well. 

Patrick Crayton is still around and, although he's stopped complaining, how long can the Cowboys pay him to sit on the bench as the fourth receiver? Also how much longer will Crayton sit around quietly while his career passes him by?

Behind them is Sam Hurd, who's a training camp Pro-Bowler, but has never gotten it done during the season. Jesse Holley (the winner of Michael Irving's 4th and Long ) and Manuel Johnson all trying to get a spot on the team. 

Running back mix-up

Jerry Jones and Wade Phillips are both confused as to who will be the starter at running back next season. At the end of last season, it was apparent that Felix Jones was the starter, but during the offseason it was discovered that Marion Barber had been playing with a torn quad.

Barber has lost weight during the offseason and will try to change how hard he runs this season. Meanwhile, Jones has had a quiet offseason, but the memories of his late-season heroics may propel him into the No. 1 spot. Then there is Tashard Choice, who is just sitting around waiting for someone to get hurt (which is bound to happen if the last two seasons are any indication). 

One thing is for sure—the Cowboys will make sure all three see the field, as they love mixing things up and confusing defenses. We may even see Jones and Barber in the backfield together—something that barely happened last season.  

Preseason playing time

The Cowboys have an extra preseason game, giving them five for the season. This gives the Cowboys coaching staff a better chance to see what backups can contribute to the team. It'll also give the Cowboys a chance to get a better look at everything I mentioned above.

However, there are negative sides. The Cowboys have the third-hardest schedule this season, so another game added to the slate could hurt them. Also, another game means an increased chance to for players to get hurt, something the Cowboys avoided for most of last season. 

Conclusion

Dallas Cowboys camp should be interesting, especially considering the expectations for this season's team and some of the personalities on the team. I'll be giving more updates once camp starts on Saturday.