The Dallas Cowboys training camp is so close you can almost taste it.
Fans have been clamoring for some real football.
Watching highlights of seasons past and reading blogs about what could be is just not enough.
Dallas should land in Oxnard in five days, and camp will commence two days later.
Knowing that the talent level on the offensive and defensive sides of the ball is different than what we've seen prior is intriguing.
While I recognize it is a team sport, some positions include generational talents and first-round picks that should see some head-to-head action.
Iron sharpens iron, and certain matchups will not disappoint.
A healthy Tyron Smith Can raise the ceiling of the offensive line
Micah Parsons is the generational talent I was referring to in the section above. You probably knew that part.
The matchup I anticipate seeing is Parsons versus Tyron Smith.
Most fans probably subscribe to keeping Tyron on ice until the season starts.
I'm not opposed to that, but I also know that this offensive line group needs to play together to build cohesiveness.
Say what you will about Tyron's injury history but the Cowboys' best chances of putting the top five offensive linemen on the field include Tyler Smith playing next to Tyron on the interior.
With that, it leaves Tyron having his fair share of one-on-one battles with Micah.
I'm sure Parsons will get a helping of Terence Steele, if available, and Tyler Smith but for this reading we're sticking with Tyron.
The 3rd year linebacker from Penn State is on an upward trajectory, while Tyron is probably on his last legs.
One NFL executive ranked #Cowboys LB Micah Parsons as the No. 6 EDGE rusher in the NFL.https://t.co/Ay3yf0Jeks pic.twitter.com/4v68xuZtqL
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) July 10, 2023
However, it's plausible to believe Tyron has seen the most defensive edge moves and could push Micah further than anyone else.
We want to preserve both players, but watching Micah go from his initial move to a secondary action to get past Tyron is a show I want to see.
Both Trevon and CeeDee should receive long term contracts soon.
Talk about alpha versus alpha.
While some NFL insiders ranked CeeDee Lamb as the 10th best receiver in the NFL, I'm confident he believes he is the best.
That's ditto on Trevon Diggs' confidence. He was ranked 8th at his respective position.
Trevon Diggs ranked the 8th best CB in football by players, coaches, execs, and scouts. #DallasCowboys pic.twitter.com/A2EN28BA8b
— SSN – Dallas Cowboys (@SSN_Cowboys) July 12, 2023
The newly acquired veteran Stephon Gilmore and 2nd year corner DaRon Bland will want a piece of the spotlight.
However, the top dogs of the wide receiver room and cornerback unit is CeeDee and Trevon, respectively.
Lamb is a tactician in every sense of the word when it comes to route running.
He picked up a few tricks from being the understudy to Amari Cooper for his first couple of years.
Speaking of Cooper, Diggs was taught a lesson or two on Hard Knocks two years ago. It was crash courses he needed to get him to where he is today.
Now, both of Cooper's pupils are ready to lock horns in training camp.
Both players are still auditioning for long term contracts and their ego is on the line.
There are plenty of videos out there showing Trevon battling his older brother Stefon in one-on-one drills.
It's safe to say he'll be more than ready for Lamb.
Last season, both guys put up career highs in different categories. For CeeDee, it was 107 receptions and for Trevon it was tackles at 52.
These players were the 1st and 2nd round draft picks from 2020.
Lamb was the crown jewel but I'm sure if Diggs took a lie detector test, we would find out he believes he should have been the first-round pick.
CeeDee Lamb does obtain a large amount of his snaps out of the slot. According to PFF, he lined up 62.5% of his offensive plays from that position.
Trevon may have to follow him there to get some one-on-one time.
He only covered the slot receiver only 54 snaps compared to 973 on the boundary.
In either case, it would be a travesty if we did not see this matchup early and often in camp.
Hopefully, we'll see the battle of the younger Smiths
This entire section is predicated on Tyler Smith playing the guard position.
If that doesn't happen, then we'll be talking about Micah and Tyler being the main card in some of the training camp practices.
However, if he is on the interior, he should be staring down the barrel of Mazi Smith.
Cowboys OT Tyler Smith on his role entering second season with Dallas: "I want to be a benefit to the team regardless where they put me, but winning that Super Bowl is the biggest thing"https://t.co/h9PGP9cg3k pic.twitter.com/pyig12vcQg
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) June 25, 2023
Outside of Jonathan Hankins, these are two of the strongest players on this team.
They are some of the strongest in the NFL.
That competition could be just what the doctor ordered for the Dallas Cowboys.
At the end of the previous two seasons, Dallas needed a left interior offensive lineman who can hold his own against elite interior defenders.
Coincidentally, they were missing a nose tackle to clog up the defensive line.
Now, we have first-round picks at both positions.
It will be the battle of two immovable objects, and something has to give. That's the beauty of this matchup.
An actual run stuffer versus an offensive player doing exceptionally well in running blocking triggers memories of the Cowboys of the 90s.
Mazi will have to figure his way around a player who earned a 72 run-blocking grade in Pro Football Focus and is a season wiser.
The power will be on display, but it's going to be the technique and their high-level skill that's going to make this a matchup to watch.
