Cowboys news: Dak Prescott on boot photo, contract talks & age

Dak Prescott on boot photo, contract talks & more - Nick Harris, Dallascowboys.com

The Dallas Cowboys quarterback had a lot to say at his Youth Football Camp.

It’s not his first youth camp, as it’s become a ritual of his in early July to spend time with the youth and teach them some football along the way. Even for him, it’s an opportunity to be young again despite the busy life his football career has put in front of him.

“I don’t think my approach has really changed,” Prescott said. “I like to be present wherever I am. When I’m out there, I turn into a kid again. When I go to the eight-year-olds, I’m eight. When I go to the 13, I’m 13…I want to make sure they leave this camp excited and be fulfilled in their purpose that they came for.”

In football news, a picture of Prescott vacationing in Mexico last week did the rounds on social media as he was seen wearing a walking boot around his right foot. In his first public addressing of the photo, he attributed it as precautionary for his surgically repaired right ankle that he broke in 2020.

“Honestly, I’m getting older,” he said. “Same ankle that I snapped and had a nasty surgery on four years ago, so a couple of hard days of training, you get a little sore. I went on a fishing trip and wanted to protect it so it didn’t get worse. Literally, it’s absolutely nothing. I’m getting older and having to take care of my body.”

Michael Irvin To Open Dallas Cowboys-Themed Sports Bar - Carly May Gravley, Dallas Observer

The Cowboys Hall of Fame wide receiver is looking to score in the restaurant business.

Irvin’s new upscale sports bar, Playmakers88, is set to open in The Colony on July 12. Based on photos of the 7,000-square-foot space, it looks like heaven for Cowboys fans. The place is adorned with photos of memorabilia from Irvin’s time on the team as well as tributes to the 22 members of the Dallas Cowboys Ring of Honor, players whose contributions earned the Cowboys the title of “America’s Team.”

“I am truly honored to create an upscale sports bar and restaurant where sports fans can cheer on their favorite teams and athletes while enjoying great food, cocktails and company,” said Irvin in a press release. “My hope is that each person who visits Playmakers88 feels the excitement, energy and love that I have for the entire sports community and the overall DFW area.”

There was no mention of what patrons are to do if their favorite team isn’t the Cowboys, but it feels like a safe assumption that they won’t be hanging out at this blue-and-white shrine to Dallas’ football legacy.

In addition to a specialty cocktail menu and over 20 beers on tap at the bar, Players88’s menu will offer dishes created by local Chef Rassaun “RJ” Johnson that combine “traditional family recipes with modern-day delicacies.” Crab cakes, burgers, pasta and seafood entrees are just some of the dishes that will be available.

Dallas Cowboys breakout candidates for 2024: No. 4 S Juanyeh Thomas - Michael Gehlken, Dallas Morning News

Juanyeh Thomas has an opportunity to follow up on his breakout 2023 season.

4. Juanyeh Thomas

Position: Safety

Draft class: Undrafted free agent, 2022

2023 season: Blocked a Week 1 field goal during the first quarter of his first career game, which a teammate returned for a touchdown. Logged 315 snaps on special teams and 190 on defense. Totaled 22 tackles and four passes defended.

Outlook: The arrow continues to point up here. During his rookie season, Thomas developed on the Cowboys’ practice squad, a potential diamond they hoped another NFL club wouldn’t sign after he flashed brilliance on special teams in the preseason. There was no stashing Thomas last year; he made the roster and, in a nod to his offseason development and increased playbook comfort, started a Week 1 win over the New York Giants.

Role Call: Journey continues for former 1st-round pick Gareon Conley - Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com

The Cowboys hope to resurrect the career of this former first-round pick.

How He Got Here: The Cowboys have added a few players from other professional leagues in the last two years, but Conley is the only former first-round pick of the bunch. After three stellar seasons at Ohio State, which included a second-team All-Big 10 selection in 2016, Conley was a first-round choice of the Raiders in 2017. Conley has 26 career NFL starts with Oakland and then Houston before being out football for three years from 2020-22. He came back and played for the DC Defenders of the UFL this past year, doing enough on the field to get a tryout with the Cowboys, who signed him a few days later.

What’s Next: The Cowboys are in a good spot at cornerback overall, especially with the return of Trevon Diggs (ACL injury) to pair up with DaRon Bland and veteran Jourdan Lewis. But Conley has plenty of experience to add to the table and he could compete for one of the backup spots with the likes of Nahshon Wright, Eric Scott Jr. and rookie Calen Carson.

Did You Know: In 2018, Conley started 14 games for the Raiders, finishing with a career-high three interceptions, including a 36-yard touchdown return in a game against Cleveland for his only professional touchdown.

2024 NFC East race: Reasons why both the Cowboys and Eagles can win division - Gary Podell, CBSSports

Could the NFC East see a repeat champion for the first time in 19 years?

The Cowboys’ hopes to repeat as NFC East champions hinge on their big three — Prescott, Lamb and three-time All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons — replicating their 2023 production in 2024 despite having to “get it done with less” in the words of Jones.

Prescott became the first Cowboys quarterback to lead the NFL in passing touchdowns outright after throwing for 36 in 2023, McCarty’s first season calling the offensive plays in Dallas. Entering Year 2 with McCarthy on the headset, Prescott feels he and the offense are able to reach new heights in 2024 after being able to focus on content beyond the fundamentals during the team’s spring offseason program.

“You’re on the 500 level now,’’ Prescott said at Cowboys minicamp. “You’re talking these plays and particular game situations, down and distances, not just the breaks, the alignments and things like that. We’re getting into the nuts and bolts ... being in Year 2, everything is faster.”

New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, the former Minnesota Vikings head coach who previously held this same role in Dallas from 2000-2006, will look to make some minor tweaks to an already successful unit.

“It’s like I told the defense the first day I got here,” Zimmer said in May. “‘This is a different deal for me. Usually when I come in, the defense is not good.’ And they’re pretty darn good. ... We have to advance some of the things they were doing good and try to improve on the things they weren’t doing as good.”

As long as the Cowboys can maintain the status quo despite some changes around the margins, Dallas possesses a path to repeat as NFC East champions.