NFL reveals Cowboys’ rookie minicamp and OTA dates for new additions

At the beginning of the free agency period, many Dallas Cowboys fans were worried about what this roster may look like for 2022. The Cowboys lost more players than they had added. After trading, letting go of, or failing to retain Amari Cooper, Randy Gregory, La’el Collins, Connor Williams, Cedrick Wilson, Keanu Neal, and Malik Turner, the roster was looking pretty thin.

Amidst those losses, the front office chose to mostly re-sign players who were already on the team. The only external additions were former Steelers WR James Washington, former Falcons DE Dante Fowler, and former Bears RB Ryan Nall. There was more lost than gained, which is why Cowboys fans knew how important the 2022 NFL Draft would be.

As of Thursday, 29 new names are now associated with Dallas. Nine of those players were selected in the 2022 NFL Draft and a whopping 20 (initially 14 right after the draft) undrafted free agents agreed to terms with the Cowboys. Now, the newcomers and current roster players get a chance to compete for their position on the team and practice squad. Offseason OTAs and camps will allow players to prove where they deserve to be on the depth chart.

On Tuesday, the NFL announced the official dates for the Cowboys’ rookie minicamp, OTAs, and mandatory minicamps. To learn more about the three phases of offseason training, see our latest schedule article. For 29 hopefuls, rookie camp is just over a week away, taking place May 13-15. Here are other important dates to know:

• OTAs will take place May 24-25, June 1-2, June 6-7, and June 9-10.
• Mandatory minicamp for veterans will be June 14-16
• Late July: entire team heads to Oxnard, CA, for training camp

The NFL released the official dates for the Dallas Cowboys rookie minicamp, OTAs, and mandatory minicamps

Here is a direct quote for the rules that all NFL teams have to follow with their new additions:

"“Each club may hold a rookie football development program for a period of seven weeks, which in 2022 may begin on May 16. During this period, no activities may be held on weekends, with the exception of one post-Draft rookie minicamp, which may be conducted on either the first or second weekend following the draft.”"

As a reminder, the Cowboys’ 2022 draft picks are OT Tyler Smith, DE Sam Williams, WR Jalen Tolbert, TE Jake Ferguson, OT Matt Waletzko, CB DaRon Bland, LB Damone Clark, DT John Ridgeway, and LB Devin Harper. Here is the full list of undrafted free agents attending rookie minicamp in May:

• Markquese Bell, S, Florida A&M
• Markaviest Bryant, DE, Central Florida
• Malik Davis, RB, Florida
• Dontario Drummond, WR, Ole Miss
• James Empey, C, BYU
• Ty Fryfogle, WR, Indiana
• Jonathan Garibay, K, Texas Tech
• Aaron Hansford, LB, Texas A&M
• Peyton Hendershot, TE, Indiana
• Dennis Houston, WR, Western Illinois
• Storey Jackson, LB, Liberty
• Alex Lindstrom, C, Boston College
• Quandre Mosely, CB, Kentucky
• Jaquarii Robinson, WR, Wake Forest
• Aaron Shampklin, RB, Harvard
• Amon Simon, OT, Texas A&M-Commerce
• Mike Tafua, DE, Utah
• Isaac Taylor-Stuart, CB, Southern Cal
• Juanyeh Thomas, S, Georgia Tech
• La’Kendrick Van Zandt, S, TCU

More players mean more competition for spots. We look forward to seeing who ends up making the roster.