Training camp is set to start for NFL teams this week, with the Dallas Cowboys gearing up to head to Oxnard, Calif., on July 25 with their first practice coming two days later. Position-by-position breakdowns for the roster the Cowboys will take to camp can be found here for the offense and here for the defense.
And here are training camp previews for each of the Cowboys’ NFC East cohorts as they prepare to start up the 2022 NFL calendar:
Philadelphia Eagles (9-8 in 2021)
With several big-name additions, the pressure will be turned up on coach Nick Sirianni this season as the Philadelphia Eagles clearly have the pieces to contend in the NFC East. With 19 starts under his belt, quarterback Jalen Hurts now has the experience. With A.J. Brown, he also now has a bona-fide NFL wide receiver that should allow Sirianni to open up his playbook in 2022.
Last season: The Eagles recovered from a 2-5 beginning to make the playoffs in coach Nick Sirianni’s first season and quarterback Jalen Hurts’ first as the full-time starter in his second year. A former offensive coordinator, Sirianni scrapped his preferred playbook after the shaky start and turned to the running game with great results. The Eagles finished with a league-leading 2,715 yards and 25 TDs on the ground in 2021, with Hurts having team-best totals of 784 rushing yards and 10 rushing TDs. Philadelphia’s promising season ended with a thud, though, in a 31-15 wild-card round loss at Tampa Bay in a game in which the Eagles gave up the first 31 points.
Important additions: WR A.J. Brown, LB Haason Reddick, CB James Bradberry, DT Jordan Davis.
Important losses: G Brandon Brooks, CB Steven Nelson.
Camp needs: With Sirianni choosing a light offseason workout schedule, the Eagles offense will be looking to develop needed chemistry in training camp. This is especially true of Hurts and his new high-priced playmaker, Brown. While Philadelphia had success running the ball in 2021, the Eagles’ passing game ranked near the bottom of the league in several major categories. Hurts was 22nd in the NFL with an 87.2 rating and 26th with a 61.3 completion rate. GM Howie Roseman gave Hurts help on the outside by trading the No. 18 overall pick and a third-rounder in the 2022 draft to Tennessee for Brown, a 2020 Pro Bowler, who had 185 catches for 2,995 yards and 24 TDs in three seasons with the Titans. Brown, who signed for four years and $57 million guaranteed, will pair with promising second-year pro DeVonta Smith, who set a club rookie record with 916 receiving yards last season.
Key camp competitions: Brown and Smith are set as Hurts’ top two playmakers, and Sirianni has several options for the No. 3 receiver. Third-year burner Quez Watkins had a solid season last year with 43 catches for 647 yards. Competing with Watkins will be free-agent signee Zach Pascal, who will reunite with Sirianni. The 27-year-old Pascal caught 150 passes for 1,888 yards and 15 TDs in four seasons in Indianapolis, where Sirianni served as offensive coordinator from 2018-2020. Also in the mix is former Waxahachie standout Jalen Reagor, the 2020 No. 21 overall pick whose subpar career has featured just 64 catches, three TDs and several game-changing drops.
Expectations: Hurts will need to prove to NFL defenses that he can beat them with his arm as well as his legs while improving on his 2021 passing performance when he was 265 for 432 for 3,144 yards with 16 TDs and nine interceptions. Pairing Bradberry, a 2020 Pro Bowl selection who has 15 interceptions in 92 games, opposite four-time Pro Bowl cornerback Darius Slay gives the Eagles a strong secondary. Adding Reddick, who had 231/2 sacks over the last two seasons, should provide a needed push up front after Philadelphia tied for 25th in the league with 31 sacks last season. Add it up and expectations are soaring for the Eagles.
Washington Commanders (7-10 in 2021)
New quarterback Carson Wentz will be the focal point when the Washington Commanders open training camp. Wentz will finally get a chance to build chemistry with Terry McLaurin after the top receiver missed offseason workouts while mired in contract negotiations. Wentz is supposed to stabilize football’s most important position after years of it being a revolving door with Washington. Coach Ron Rivera goes into his third camp with not even the illusion of a QB competition. That’s by design with expectations on Rivera and the Commanders to contend for a playoff spot this season after going 7-10 last season.
Last year: New quarterback Ryan Fitzpatrick injured his left hip in the season opener, pressing surprise playoff performer Taylor Heinicke into a starting role for the first time in his NFL career. The defense that came in with lofty expectations after ranking second in the league in 2020 struggled early and contributed to a 2-6 start. Despite losing pass rusher Chase Young to a torn ACL, Heinicke beat Tom Brady and the defending champion Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and Washington went on a four-game winning streak to jump into the playoff hunt. Injuries and virus absences took their toll down the stretch and contributed to four losses in a row that dashed any postseason hopes.
Important additions: QB Carson Wentz, DE Efe Obada, OG Andrew Norwell, OG Trai Turner, rookie WR Jahan Dotson, rookie DL Phidarian Mathis, rookie QB Sam Howell
Important losses: RG Brandon Scherff, WR Adam Humphries, S Landon Collins, DT Tim Settle, DT Matt Ioannidis, LB Jon Bostic
Camp needs: Wentz finally gets a chance to build chemistry with Terry McLaurin after Washington’s top receiver missed offseason workouts while mired in contract negotiations. Camp will be all about what Wentz can do with the offense that previous quarterbacks could not.
On the other side of the ball, Young’s comeback from his knee injury bears watching with an eye on him being ready for Week 1.
Key camp competitions: Very few, actually, in what could be seen as an evolution of the roster going into coach Ron Rivera’s third season. Most importantly, there’s not even an illusion of a quarterback competition because of Wentz, and most of the offense is pretty well settled. Who replaces Collins at the so-called buffalo nickel spot is a question, along with 2021 first-round pick Jamin Davis trying to establish himself as a starting linebacker in the pros.
Expectations: Rivera isn’t yet on the hot seat, but the organizational expectation is to make the playoffs in the first season known as the Commanders after the previous two as the Washington Football Team. There’s a reason the club traded for Wentz and drafted a handful of players who are more polished than other prospects but might have lower ceilings. Winning a weak NFC East at 7-9 in 2020 perhaps raised the bar too high too soon for Washington. But now there’s a concerted effort amid fan apathy and sagging attendance to at least earn a wild-card spot and start contending again.
New York Giants (4-13 in 2021)
Coming off five consecutive losing seasons, the New York Giants have gone to Buffalo to fix things. They hired former Bills assistant general manager Joe Schoen to run the front office and offensive coordinator Brian Daboll to lead the team. They take over a franchise that was 4-13 last season. Daboll needs to fix the offense and get quarterback Daniel Jones and running back Saquon Barkley going. He got a jump on it by adding big tackle Evan Neal with the No. 7 pick in the draft. New defensive coordinator Wink Martindale and linebacker Kayvon Thibodeaux, No. 5 overall pick, can make a good defense better.
Last season: The Giants have had five consecutive losing seasons during which they have gone through three coaches, an interim coach and two general managers. A four-win season led to the firing of second-year coach Joe Judge and veteran general manager Dave Gettleman. Injuries played a big part in the 2021 debacle. A weak offensive line was decimated early with the losses of C Nick Gates (broken leg) and LG Shane Lemieux (knee), while the defense lost inside linebacker and leading tackler Blake Martinez. Overall, the offense was bad, and coordinator Jason Garrett was fired in November. QB Daniel Jones was inconsistent and missed the final six games with a neck injury. With little daylight to run, RB Saquon Barkley struggled coming off an ACL injury. Neither top draft pick Kadarius Toney nor major signee and fellow WR Kenny Golladay caught a TD. The defense played surprising well at times, with rookie LB Azeez Ojulari getting a team-high eight sacks and S Xavier McKinney leading with five interceptions.
Important additions: Drafted edge rusher Kayvon Thibodeaux and OT Evan Neal with the fifth and seventh overall picks in the draft. In free agency, signed OLs Mark Glowinski, Jon Feliciano, Matt Gono, Jamil Douglas and Max Garcia; QB Tyrod Taylor, TE Ricky Seals-Jones, WRs Richie James and Robert Foster, DT Justin Ellis, RB Matt Breida, LB Jihad Ward, P Jamie Gillan.
Important losses: CB James Bradberry, S Logan Ryan, TE Kyle Rudolph, TE Kaden Smith, RB Devontae Booker and P Riley Dixon, TE Evan Engram, S Jabrill Peppers, DL Austin Johnson, G Will Hernandez, LB Lorenzo Carter and DB Keion Cross.
Camp needs: Daboll has to find a way to get the offense in gear. It means finding five linemen who can work together, give Jones time to throw and open holes for Barkley. New defensive coordinator Wink Martindale has promised an aggressive, unpredictable unit. WR Sterling Shepard (Achilles), Martinez (knee) and Gates (leg) are iffy heading into camp, as well as the talented Toney, who missed too much time with a assortment of injuries.
Key camp competitions: The O-line, tight end, the cornerback opposite Adoree Jackson. Maybe the quarterback job should be watched. Jones, who has yet to live up to being the No. 6 overall pick in 2019, is the starter at quarterback heading into camp. Veteran Tyrod Taylor may push him. The line seems to have bookend tackles in Andrew Thomas and Neal. Feliciano was signed to play center and Glowinski played well at right guard in Indianapolis. Lemieux, second-round draft pick Joshua Ezeudu, Max Garcia, who had 11 starts with the Cardinals last season, will compete at LG Daniel Bellinger and Seals-Jones are top picks to replace Engram at tight end.
Expectations: Teams with new coaches and general managers usually get a first-year bump with players being a little more motivated. That said, the only new coach to get the team to the postseason since the Giants won the Super Bowl in February 2012 was Ben McAdoo in 2016. Judge came close in 2020, his first year and the pandemic season. New York has talent on defense with Leonard Williams, Ojulari and Thibodeaux. The key is the offense.
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