Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy talks Micah, Lance, open roster spots

Organized Team Activities, or OTAs as they are abbreviated to, officially started on Tuesday the 21st for the Dallas Cowboys.

Not everyone is in attendance, as Twitter/X has been quick to let us know. Players like WR CeeDee Lamb (contract) and EDGE Micah Parsons (training) are the most notable absences.

Lamb is currently in the thick of contract negotiations that will make him one of the highest-paid wide receivers in the NFL, and Micah is choosing to continue his own training regimen before joining the team later.

Before Cowboys Nation gets their britches in a twist, it’s important to note that OTAs are voluntary. Yes, it would help if the stars were there but I look at it as an opportunity for younger players to get reps.

After practice on Wednesday, HC Mike McCarthy stood on the podium taking questions, and his answers to the various subjects give us some insight that we otherwise wouldn’t have.

Quotes were taken from the Twitter/X account of Dallas Morning News reporter Michael Gehlken.

On Micah Parsons’ Absence From OTAs

As I mentioned above, Parsons is one of the players absent from the start of OTAs. It’s not a holdout situation by any means.

He has been working with local boxing instructor Tony Mack, honing his hand-fighting skills to try and improve on a career-high single-season mark of 14.0 sacks from 2023.

McCarthy said he spent “a lot of time” with Parsons when he visited the team facility last Friday, noting that “he’s in excellent shape“.

The team is not surprised nor perturbed by his absence. McCarthy confirmed they know how Parsons has been working, where he’s been working, and assured the media he’s not behind on the installation of Mike Zimmer’s new defense.

On Trey Lance’s Development

The Cowboys famously sent their 2024 4th-round pick to the San Francisco 49ers in exchange for former #3 overall pick QB Trey Lance during the preseason last year.

Lance never saw the field in 2023 but that was always part of the plan. Now with the 2024 season about to start and the Cowboys declining Lance’s 5th-year option, the end goal of the trade is murky.

The Cowboys need to know what they have at quarterback but to do that, Lance needs to play in games, not just pre-game warmups and extra throws on the practice field.

Lance, sporting a red #19 jersey this year after gifting #15 to the returning Ezekiel Elliott, has been in the media spotlight early in these OTAs.

According to McCarthy, the Cowboys are “very very pleased” with him, making sure to note his “top-notch athleticism”.

The head coach and play-caller also made a reference to a change in Lance’s throwing fundamentals, “You can see the improvement in his timing” and he will “play a large part” of the preseason.

If Lance doesn’t start the season as the primary backup to All-Pro QB Dak Prescott, the trade can be graded a failure on the Cowboys’ part.

On the Potential to Add Players to the Roster

Now that OTAs are underway, the Cowboys have actually started off a few cards short of a full deck. The max amount of players allowed on the roster at this point of the offseason is 90.

Even after signing undrafted free agents, or the “third wave of free agency” as the front office likes to call it, Dallas sits four players short of that mark with 86.

McCarthy said he met extensively this morning with VP of Player Personnel Will McClay and the team is far from done on player acquisition.

According to McCarthy, the team is poised to complete multiple moves before training camp to round out the roster.

How those four spots will be filled and how many of the current 86 will be swapped out with other free agents remains to be seen.