After months of hype, speculation, and roster moves, NFL football is finally back. While fans have soaked in a week’s worth of training camp highlights, for three underrated Cowboys, this stretch means far more: It’s their shot to prove they belong.
As always, the big names have dominated the headlines. When you throw in contract disputes and flashy newcomers, those under-the-radar guys get overlooked even more.
https://twitter.com/toddarcher/status/1949129795624997019However, as Cowboys fans should know by now, a lack of depth and support around those stars is what can actually kill a season.
Dallas is going to need a total effort to compete for the playoffs this season, and while the front office has done a good job bringing in that additional talent, it’s up to these guys in camp to showcase what they have.
Time to spotlight those three guys I alluded to, and why this camp is so important to their futures.
Cooper Beebe: Year 2 Improvement, Or Stall Out?
This has been a crazy year for the Cowboys’ offensive line. The turnover, the retirements, the draftees; it has been a full-scale upheaval of the previous era. In all that chaos, Cooper Beebe seems like one of the few stable pieces around.
The 73rd selection in the 2024 NFL Draft, Beebe stepped into a new role at center as a rookie and played pretty damn well. Perfect? No. Reliable? Absolutely.
Where fellow-rookie Tyler Guyton seemed raw, and, at times, overmatched, Beebe handled a hard job with consistent play. Now, it’s time to see if he can grow beyond that, or stay put as a high-floor, low-ceiling player.
https://twitter.com/VoiceOfTheStar/status/1948181237077778718Beebe comes into training camp alongside Tyler Smith as the two set-in-stone options for Dallas. Guyton, rookie Tyler Booker, and the now-injured Terence Steele all have major questions that need answering.
That presents a perfect opportunity for Beebe, one of the most underrated Cowboys, to change the narrative surrounding his potential.
Caelen Carson: Tapping Into Potential, Or Another Disappointment?
Personally, Caelen Carson’s rookie season was one of the most disappointing I’ve seen as a Cowboys fan. I know what you’re thinking: “He was a fifth-round pick.” But hear me out.
Coming into the 2024 Draft, Carson was one of my absolute favorite cornerback prospects. He was my 61st overall player in the class.
What looked like one of the biggest steals in the draft turned into an injury-riddled, average performance rookie campaign that took many out of his fan club. Carson’s hype in Dallas has completely plummeted.
Despite that, he still has an opportunity to right the ship.
The Cowboys’ cornerback depth is weak, their starters are injury-prone, and a fully healthy Carson could capitalize on that. If not, his future in Dallas is headed nowhere.
Luke Schoonmaker: Big Opportunity After Career-Best Season
Former Michigan Wolverine Luke Schoonmaker has never been a fan favorite in Dallas. When the team drafted him in the second round of the 2023 NFL Draft, it didn’t feel like a great pick.
The team already had Jake Ferguson in place, and Schoonmaker’s player profile excited nobody. Let’s just say his eight-catch rookie season didn’t help that narrative out.
In 2025, those problems are coming to a head, as Ferguson enters his walk year and Schoonmaker tries to build off a much-improved 2024 season.
https://twitter.com/clarencehilljr/status/1948452123748012148The TE2 on the depth chart, it’s hard to imagine him sneaking by “Ferg,” but with a strong training camp that builds on last year’s momentum, he could start to create a place for himself in the Cowboys’ offense.
Is it possible for Schoonmaker to go from a bland second-rounder to an underrated Cowboys weapon? We’re about to find out in this training camp.
