Reporter Explains Why Cowboys Seem so Calm This Preseason
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0 Share Newsweek is a Trust Project member See more of our trusted coverage when you search. Prefer Newsweek on Google to see more of our trusted coverage when you search. The Dallas Cowboys are experiencing a calm preseason camp, especially by their standards.
Yes, they've added well-known players like pass rusher Von Miller and completed contract extensions with stars like Quinnen Williams .
But gone are the days of stars like Ezekiel Elliott holding out during camp.
Wide receiver George Pickens is playing on a franchise tag, and there doesn't seem to be the animosity that would've accompanied such salary issues in the past.
So what changed? According to Cowboys beat reporter Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram, it's owner Jerry Jones.
"It's something that I've drawn back to a quote Jerry had around Super Bowl time in San Francisco," Harris told Ari Meirov of the " NFL Spotlight" podcast. "He was mentioning, 'Things that I've done in the past, I'm not going to be doing the same way moving forward.' That's a quote that has been sitting in the back of my mind throughout this offseason and now in training camp."
Instead of "contract drama" and "Jerry saying some outlandish things at times," Harris explained that "we haven't necessarily gotten that, at least in the volume that we have in the past.
Instead, reporters have largely been focused on the on-field product, something that many fans likely feel is a "breath of fresh air," Harris said.
"It's been unusual to only have to talk about football at a Cowboys training camp, but yeah, that's what it's been," Harris said.
It helps, of course, that the product on the field is exceptionally strong this year. Pickens is paired with fellow elite wideout CeeDee Lamb, and both will be catching passes from Dak Prescott.
Furthermore, the defense is stouter than it has been, and not just because of Williams, one of the league's premier defensive linemen.
The Cowboys drafted superstar safety Caleb Downs, an Ohio State and Alabama product, and he's also gotten rave reviews .
Jones was full of praise speaking about Downs with Kay Adams of "Up & Adams."
"He doesn't shy away from the expectation of him being a player, and Nick Saban was correct. This guy is one of the best players all around that any of us have ever seen," Jones said.
He added that Downs will likely play in the nickel position, making him the fifth defensive back on the field.
"That guy right there has elevated his presence in all defenses, but especially ours. He plays that, and he can be a difference maker," Jones said.
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