It's beginning to look more and more likely that the Dallas Cowboys will have at least one joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams when the Cowboys head west to Oxnard, California for training camp.
Both Mike McCarthy and Rams head coach Sean McVay confirmed this is something that is in the works as we all look forward to a closer return to normal in 2021. “All systems are a go,” Cowboys owner Jerry Jones recently said when asked about the Cowboys returning to Oxnard for camp this season.
Once everything is finalized, Mike McCarthy said he will head down to California to start scouting the location and preparing for his first offseason in-person with the Dallas Cowboys.
Losing your franchise quarterback is hard enough to overcome, but it also doesn't help when you are a first-year coach trying to implement a new system while navigating the first-ever virtual offseason, evidenced by the Cowboys' slow start even when Dak Prescott was healthy.
Assuming nothing major changes in the next few weeks, there won't be this excuse for McCarthy to fall back on this time around.
It's extremely valuable for incoming rookies to get reps against NFL speed in the offseason at training camp, and adding another team into the mix ratchets up the intensity and gives those rooks a small taste of what is to come.
The last time the Cowboys and Rams linked up for joint practices in 2015 it was cut short due to a fight on the field between the players. The Rams announced that they have joint practices scheduled with the Raiders this offseason, as well.
The Cowboys will square off against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Hall of Fame Game on August 5th. They will likely head to Oxnard two weeks before kick things off.
