Cowboys' Most Important Starting Competitions to Watch During Mandatory Minicamp

The Dallas Cowboys will kick off mandatory minicamp on Tuesday. Here's a look at five starting battles and some backup competition to keep an eye on.

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Nate Thomas and Green Bay Packers defensive end Micah Parsons. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

The next step in the Dallas Cowboys' offseason will be mandatory minicamp this week.

The Cowboys will begin their mandatory minicamp on June 16 and the event will run through June 20. This is the first time this offseason in which all players are required to be in building.

While competitions don't really kick off in earnest until the pads come at in training camp, minicamp offers another chance for players to continue building their cases for starting jobs and roster spots.

Here's a look at five starting competitions and some key backup battles we'll be keeping an eye on over the course of the week.

Left tackle

Dallas Cowboys offensive tackle Tyler Guyton. | Cory Knowlton-Imagn Images

The most important position battle to watch on offense, Tyler Guyton is fighting to keep his job at left tackle against Nate Thomas.

"We're gonna make Tyler earn it," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "We think that's gonna get the best out of Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas."

Guyton has struggled over his first two seasons in the NFL, so it only makes sense to challenge him in 2026. Even with his issues, Guyton should beat out Thomas, who has failed to show he's a starting-caliber player over two years.

Cornerback

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. | Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images

With DaRon Bland sidelined due to injury, the Cowboys gave three players looks with the first-team defense at OTAs in Shavon Revel, Cobie Durant and Caelen Carson.

We know Bland is locked into one boundary spot, so Revel, Carson and Durant are battling it out for the job opposite him. We're also interested to see who finishes second in the competition since that'll determine who the first man off the bench is.

We'll also be keeping an eye on the slot, where Durant and rookie Caleb Downs both saw reps with the ones at OTAs.

Safety

Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker. | Stephen R. Sylvanie-Imagn Images

We know Downs and the Cowboys' big-ticket free-agent signing Jalen Thompson are going to see work at safety this season, but who is going to play next to Thompson when Downs is in the slot?

The top-two competitors figure to be free-agent signing PJ Locke and Malik Hooker, who could get cut or traded if he fails to secure a significant role out of training camp.

Linebacker

Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. | Jerome Miron-Imagn Images

DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters are the clear favorites to be the starters, but Shemar James and Jaishawn Barham saw some first-team reps at OTAs, also, which keeps them in the running.

Along with keeping an eye on the pecking order at this spot, we are also interested in seeing if the list of players who wore the green dot shrinks. Winters, Overshown and James all had an opportunity to wear it the past two weeks.

Edge rusher

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Malachi Lawrence. | Chris Jones-Imagn Images

The expectation is Donovan Ezeiruaku and Rashan Gary will be the top edge rushers for Dallas in 2026, but with Ezeriuaku sidelined until training camp due to his offseason hip surgery, Malachi Lawrence has a chance to close the gap on him.

Lawrence's offseason has been pretty quiet thus far, but he did notch a sack in practice last week to finish off OTAs strong. He's going to have to keep that up if he wants to unseat Ezeriuaku as the primary EDGE across from Gary.

Notable backup competitions

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III. | Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images

Joe Milton vs. Sam Howell (QB2): The two signal-callers have split reps evenly so far this offseason, but there hasn't been an indication one is ahead of the other. That could change if one receives more second-team reps than the other at minicamp.

Malik Davis vs. Jaydon Blue vs. Phil Mafah (RB2): Davis has long been considered the favorite to be the top backup, but, by all accounts, Mafah and Blue have had a strong offseason.

Luke Schoonmaker vs. Michael Trigg (TE3): Perhaps the Cowboys will carry four here, but they did not do so on their initial 53-man roster in 2025. An undrafted rookie, Trigg is an athletic freak whose playmaking ability could earn him an upset over Schoonmaker. If that happens, Schoonmaker might be playing elsewhere in 2026.