Cowboys Camp: Can Two Rookies Become Immediate Starters?
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys may have gotten away with highway robbery in the 2020 NFL Draft. An expected top-10 selection, Oklahoma wide receiver CeeDee Lamb was still available at No. 17. And Alabama cornerback Trevon Diggs, who had first-round buzz, was still on the board at No. 51. The Cowboys grabbed both potential stars, Jerry Jones smiled a mile wide from his yacht and fans began the countdown to their rookie debuts. ...
Maybe rookie debuts as first-teamers.
“Having an opportunity to stand in front of my 14th rookie class, this is an impressive one,'' new coach Mike McCarthy said last week. "They’ve really grabbed a hold of this opportunity, you can see it in the classroom segments. There is confidence in the group, I really liked the way they’ve bonded together. The biggest challenge is to make sure they have the right opportunity, because we obviously know just how this thing is set up, it’s not a normal year. It’s a good class, it has a lot of promise.”
The promise starts at the top of the draft.
The Cowboys are expected to make three-receiver sets the norm under McCarthy to best utilize possibly the best trio of receivers in the NFL in 2020. Lamb is penciled in next to Amari Cooper and Michael Gallup, who both amassed 1,000 receiving yards in 2020.
READ MORE: Cooper 'Expects' Rare Success From Amari/Gallup/Lamb Trio
Cooper's expectation' for the Cowboys offense this season? For Lamb to join the club and have three 1,000-yard wide receivers in 2020.
"I think he's a quick learner,'' Cooper said to the DFW media in a training camp conference call from The Star. "He already has a good foundation. He's fundamentally sound in his route-running. It's very small, nit-picky things that I help him with that I may see with him being a rookie, but I think he has a really good foundation.''
But is there another rookie who will win a starting role to make an immediate impact? Enter Trevon Diggs.
The younger brother of former Minnesota Vikings and current Buffalo Bills star receiver Stefon Diggs, Trevon is a potential replacement for for free-agent loss Byron Jones.
Also vying for snaps is the Cowboys top two remaining cornerbacks Chidobe Awuzie and Jourdan Lewis, who are entering the final year of their contracts.
Diggs combination of size, speed and ball skills makes him a constant takeaway threat for opposing offenses. And when McCarthy last week talked of the "position flex'' of Awuzie and others, it seemed to open the door for the idea of Diggs winning a top spot.
Diggs recorded 37 total tackles, three interceptions and eight pass deflections for the Crimson Tide in 2019, on his way to being a First Team All-American and First Team All-SEC pick. His maturity, which shined through in his first Cowboys press conference, is also a major asset.
Bonus: Center Tyler Biadasz. With Travis Frederick retired, the rookie could challenge for the starting job if he performs well in the offseason. The Wisconsin product says he's 100 percent recovered from his offseason shoulder surgery and ready to go.
Now is the time for the rookies to progress up the depth chart. The Cowboys are currently in stage one of training camp, which mostly consists of conditioning, strength training and meetings. The first on-field and in-shells practice is on Friday, Aug. 14.
