{"id":68806,"date":"2019-07-20T19:30:39","date_gmt":"2019-07-20T23:30:39","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lwosonnfl.ms.lastwordonsports.com\/?p=68806"},"modified":"2021-05-30T15:29:03","modified_gmt":"2021-05-30T19:29:03","slug":"dallas-cowboys-training-camp-storylines","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lastwordonsports.com\/nfl\/2019\/07\/20\/dallas-cowboys-training-camp-storylines\/","title":{"rendered":"Dallas Cowboys Training Camp Storylines"},"content":{"rendered":"

The Dallas Cowboys<\/a> rookies and veterans will be reporting for training camp on July 26th, 2019. There are several positional battles and interesting storylines<\/a> that most pundits will be keeping a close eye on.<\/p>\n

Top Storylines From Dallas Cowboys Training Camp<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Dak and His New Coordinators<\/h3>\n

Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott<\/a><\/strong> will be coming into the 2019 season with a new offensive coordinator, Kellen Moore<\/a><\/strong>, as well as a new quarterback coach, Jon Kitna<\/a><\/strong>. Both Kitna and Moore<\/a> should be names that are familiar to most Cowboy fans. The duo were both backup quarterbacks on the team as recently as last season. One of the most exciting training camp storylines will be what Moore’s offensive gameplan is going to resemble.<\/p>\n

This will be the first time in five years that the offense will not be under Scott Linehan<\/strong>. Under Linehan, Dallas ranked 22nd in both total offense (343.8 yards a game) and scoring (21.2 points a game). They have often been criticized as an offense that at times stagnated and stuck to the same concepts.<\/p>\n

Moore comes in with new concepts and a new offensive gameplan. The early word seems to be that he wants to introduce more before the snap movements to try to confuse opposing defenses. As a southpaw signal-caller for the Boise State Broncos at the turn of the decade, Moore was a trend-setter. Recently, Matt Miller<\/a><\/strong>, who was one of Moore’s receivers at Boise State, had this to say about his former quarterback:<\/p>\n

\u201cHe\u2019d get up in the front of the room, and everyone\u2019s going to be locked into what he\u2019s saying,” Miller said. “He\u2019s so clear and concise with what he\u2019s saying that you\u2019re totally engaged. It\u2019s not what you say, but how you say it, and he has a way of giving you words that simplify things, so it\u2019s, \u2018All right, this is the plan. Let\u2019s go execute the best we can.\u2019\u201d<\/p>\n

Besides Moore, fellow new coordinator Kitna already has a good relationship with Prescott, and it has generated positive results. According to Kevin Sherrington<\/strong>, sports columnist for SportsDayDFW.com and The Dallas Morning News, Prescott seems to be making more of an effort during practices than prior seasons. He enjoys working with Kitna and putting in that extra time under his guidance.<\/p>\n

The combination of Moore and Kitna should do nothing but improve this Cowboys offense in 2019. Training camp will give us a better idea of what Moore can do with his trio of young weapons Prescott, Cooper, and Elliot.<\/p>\n

Positional Battle for Strong Safety<\/h3>\n

One of the most interesting positional battles is for starting strong safety. Xavier Woods<\/a><\/strong> looks to have the free safety position locked down, but at strong safety, longtime Cowboy Jeff Heath<\/a><\/strong> and free-agent acquisition George Iloka<\/a><\/strong> are vying for starting snaps. Heath has started all 33 games of his career with Dallas but has yet to leave much of an impression at the position.<\/p>\n

Iloka has been in the NFL for the last seven seasons, six of which were spent with the once terrifying Cincinnati Bengals<\/a> defense. Last year, he was part of the disappointing Minessota Vikings<\/a> team. Dallas clearly felt like they had a need at the strong safety position paying Iloka a decent salary to join the team<\/a>. Heath missed 19 tackles in 2018, per Pro Football Focus, the second-most among all safeties.<\/p>\n

Ezekiel Elliot Potential Holdout<\/h3>\n

Reports have recently arisen about star running back Ezekiel Elliott<\/a><\/strong>. According to sources, Elliott is privately planning to holdout from all training camp activities until he receives a new deal. The Cowboys are amid a busy off-season, having multiple vital players in need of new contracts. Among the names are Prescott, wide receiver Cooper, corner Byron Jones<\/a><\/strong> and of course, Elliott. All were Pro Bowlers a year ago.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys have already picked up the fifth-year option of Elliott’s rookie deal, meaning they have him signed through the 2020 season. Elliot is the Cowboys most crucial piece of their offense. Last year, Elliott<\/a> had an enormous workload with 304 rushes, 77 catches, and over 2,000 yards from scrimmage.<\/p>\n

It is no secret that NFL teams have decided to approach the running back salary differently than most positions. Running backs have one of the steepest drop-offs in their careers when they hit \u201cthe wall.\u201d Teams are hesitant to tie up big money in the position because once the back begins to decline, they are quickly replaced.<\/p>\n

The Cowboys can technically hold off on giving Elliot a new deal to try to get two more solid years out of their back and then reevaluate.<\/p>\n

Cowboys COO Stephen Jones<\/strong> recently told reporters:<\/p>\n

\u201cWe certainly want to get him done. He\u2019s the straw, if you will, that stirs our drink. He\u2019s a key part of what we\u2019re about. They don\u2019t happen overnight. Certainly, he\u2019s a priority in terms of ultimately getting him signed. There hasn\u2019t really been a timetable put on this.\u201d<\/p>\n

It doesn\u2019t seem like the Dallas Cowboys are ready to give Elliott the significant contract extension he is hoping for this year. All eyes will be on training camp to see whether he holds out or not. Rumor has it that if he doesn\u2019t get an extension, the holdout could even trickle into the regular season. Something that might remind fans of what Le’Veon Bell<\/a><\/strong> did last year.<\/p>\n

Embed from Getty Images<\/a>