After several fast‑paced, no‑pad practices that highlighted speed and explosiveness, the Cowboys finally suit up in full pads for the first time today (Sunday, July 27th) in Oxnard.
The transition from helmets‑only to full contact instantly raises the intensity, and sets the stage for a new phase of evaluation:
Who can win one‑on‑one matchups, embrace physicality, and endure the grind?
With new HC Brian Schottenheimer and DC Matt Eberflus emphasizing both speed and toughness, the lid is off.
Now, it’s about who hits, who can endure, and who’s ready to make plays when things get real.
These are five players to watch closely:
DE Donovan Ezeiruaku
Rookie DE Donovan Ezeiruaku showed flashes during unpadded sessions with his speed off the edge and quick hands.
Now, with the pads on, it’s about proving he can finish through contact.
Coaches will look for:
- Consistent leverage at the point of attack
- Hand violence when disengaging
- The ability to set the edge vs. the run
If he thrives under pressure, he could quickly rise in the rotation behind Micah Parsons and Sam Williams.
RB Deuce Vaughn
Vaughn’s quickness and vision have always stood out in space, but padded practices are where his size (5’5″) meets reality.
This is where Vaughn must show:
- Toughness between the tackles
- Willingness to finish runs through contact
- Ball security when the hits come harder
If he proves he can take hits and bounce off would-be tacklers, he’ll push for a larger role as a situational back and kickoff/punt returner.
LB Marist Liufau
The rookie linebacker from Notre Dame has looked instinctive and fast, but now must show he can thump downhill.
Coaches will be watching for:
- Block-shedding technique vs. guards and fullbacks
- Wrap-up tackling form
- Lateral quickness when scraping across the line
Liufau is competing for a permanent starting role on defense after being chosen to wear the green dot on his helmet as a rookie.
The green dot signifies that the calls are going into a player’s helmet, and they are tasked with making the calls and adjustments for the defense pre-snap.
It’s kind of a big deal, and Liufau handled it well, but can he build on that for 2025?
LT Tyler Guyton
All eyes will be on Guyton as he transitions into his second season as QB Dak Prescott’s blindside protector.
In no-pad sessions, he showcased elite footwork and athleticism.
With contact now live, the spotlight turns to:
- Anchor strength vs. power rushers
- Hand placement and punch timing
- Communication with the left guard on twists and stunts
This is Guyton’s first real test this season since showing some warts as a rookie, and Sunday’s padded reps against the likes of Ezeiruaku and Sam Williams will be revealing.
RG Tyler Booker
Tyler Booker, the first-round rookie from Alabama, is being groomed to replace Zack Martin: no small task.
In shells, he moved well and showed good balance. With pads on, the Cowboys need to see:
- Explosion off the snap and leg drive
- Consistency finishing blocks to the whistle
- Pulling ability on gap runs
Booker is already drawing praise for his leadership and intelligence, but this week will determine how soon he can dominate at the NFL level.
Wrapping it Up
Speed set the tone early in camp, but Sunday’s upcoming padded session marks a shift.
Now it’s about who brings physicality, who can fight in the trenches, and who separates when football turns violent.
If Ezeiruaku, Vaughn, Liufau, Guyton, and Booker meet the moment, they’ll position themselves as key contributors for 2025.
The real work has officially begun.
Vaughn , Williams, Sanders all need to prove they can play at all.
Osa has to show he actually can be the inner core of the Eberflus defense as he got paid to do. Parsons is smart to sit out so his inability to stop runs is hidden.
The whole defense being based on small ,fast guys versus the whole offense line being based on power guys will show in pads. The defense may look terrible once the offense line can go full out.
First off….. Williams and Sanders have already proven they can play!! So idk what your talking about with that!!
Second, what have you been watching!? Parsons is not bad against the run!! I’m not sure where you come up with this stuff, but your wrong on pretty much everything you say!! Like I said, Parsons is not bad against the run…. It’s hard to make plays when he’s being double teamed on pretty much every play and being held on the others!! And despite that, he still finds a way to get sacks, and run down ball carriers a lot of the times!! But he’s not able to do it all the time when he’s being double teamed or held on almost every play!! It’s just not possible…. It don’t matter who the player is!! If you actually paid attention to the game, you would see that you are completely wrong!!
And another thing is…. I think Osa has already proven he can be the player that he needs to be!! If he wasn’t, he wouldn’t have gotten paid as much as he did!! And Eberflus is too good at what he does, and Osa is gonna be even better this year than he has been in the past, and that’s because of Eberflus!! Eberflus may be a LB guru, but his defensive scheme evolves around the DTs, and it makes the DTs better than what they usually are!! And Osa has gone on record saying that he has seen that he could’ve been making a lot more plays in the past if he was playing in Eberflus’ scheme!! So I have no worries about that, and I really don’t understand why you even brought it up!! It just seems to me like your just trying to find a reason to complain about something!! But really all your doing is making yourself look stupid, because your comments are always ridiculous and sound stupid!!
I don’t think we need to be watching what Vaughn is doing!! I don’t think he’ll even make the team!! He’s always looking good in training camp and preseason games, but never does anything good during the regular season!! It’s been like that since he got drafted!! So I think we should be watching which RB is better out of Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders!! Knowing that will help us figure out who will be our starter for the season!! And I think that’s more important than watching a RB that more than likely won’t even make the 53 man roster!!
I think the person to watch out for when the hitting starts is RB PHIL MUFAH.
Looking at his film, I don’t understand why he is getting dissed.They say he don’t have break away speed, but I seen him dusting safeties and corners on a couple 40yd td’s…40 time? Whatever. He seems he got game speed….film don’t lie…AND…at 6ft 235-240lb… HE TRUCKS PEOPLE….and he said he wants to be the toughest guy on the field…
. That is why when the hitting starts, people might suddenly notice him…..Also, he was in a running back by committee system in college, so he doesn’t have a lot of wear and tear…So he might just be a monster waiting to be woke up if he gets more opportunities.
Go look at his film. I smell a steal.