The Dallas Cowboys will be in Oxnard for training camp soon. For fans, it's a time to get excited for the return of football, but for coaches and players, summer vacation is over.
Like every team, the Cowboys enter camp with around 90 players looking to make the roster. For players at the bottom, the time is now to prove they belong.
Unheralded players come out of nowhere every year in Oxnard. A strong camp and preseason usually bodes well for their chances. With that in mind, let's take a look at some players who could break out over the next couple of weeks.
3 Dallas Cowboys on the bubble who could break out in training camp
1. Alijah Clark, SAF
Alijah Clark stuck around after training camp as an undrafted free agent, signing with the Cowboys' practice squad a day after he was waived. That decision quickly paid off. Clark was eventually elevated to the active roster, starting one game while carving out a role primarily on special teams.
His biggest moment came against the Eagles. In the midst of a 21-point comeback, Clark forced a fumble on a kickoff by delivering a huge hit to Xavier Gipson. What stood out the most was his effort on the play. He was blocked and knocked over multiple times and never gave up.
Dallas is undergoing a makeover at safety, with Jalen Thompson replacing Donovan Wilson alongside Malik Hooker and rookie Caleb Downs expected to handle the nickel role. Outside of Markquese Bell, though, the depth chart is largely unproven. That could work in Clark's favor, giving him a legitimate opportunity to stick on the 53-man roster if he shines in training camp and the preseason.
2. Justin Barron, LB
Justin Barron's journey to the Cowboys was an interesting one. He played at Syracuse originally as a receiver before making the transition to defensive back his sophomore year. After signing with Dallas, he was converted to a linebacker. Players with that much versatility are worth keeping an eye on.
Barron made the Cowboys' practice squad after last year's camp. He showed flashes in the middle as a MIKE linebacker during the preseason. Like most undrafted rookies, Barron saw little action until the last two games of the season. He was promoted to the active roster after DeMarvion Overshown suffered a concussion, creating a need for more depth.
Linebacker is arguably the Cowboys' biggest question mark on defense. Overshown is projected to start alongside newcomer Dee Winters, but his injury history makes it fair to wonder if he can hold up over a full season. Behind him is Shemar James, who took his lumps as a rookie last year.
The Cowboys need someone to seize the MIKE linebacker job and grow into the defense's green-dot. Overshown's injury history makes quality depth a necessity.
At 6-foot-3 and 230 pounds, Barron has the size to be a key man in the middle of any defense. He might not have had a lot of splash plays last preseason, but he was always around the football. With a good camp, he could become the second-string MIKE linebacker.
3. Traeshon Holden, WR
If Cowboys fans should keep an eye on one unknown receiver during training camp, it's Traeshon Holden. CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin make up the top of the depth chart, but the fifth WR spot is up for grabs. That spot could be Holden's if he has just as good a camp as he had last year.
Whenever Holden was on the practice field last summer, he made plays. The biggest was a one-handed catch in the back of the end zone on a Joe Milton throw. He also had long catches in the preseason games against the Rams and Ravens. That prompted Dallas to sign him to the practice squad. While he did not see the field in the regular season, he enters camp as one of the favored young receivers to make the team.
Dallas brought in veterans like Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Denzel Mims, and Tyler Johnson, but there is no guarantee they make the team. Time is also running out for Jonathan Mingo. Despite all the competition around him, Holden should have a spot at least on the practice squad again if he catches everything thrown his way like last year.
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