And just like that, we are on to summer vacation. The Dallas Cowboys have concluded their mandatory three-day minicamp and will now go their separate ways for roughly three weeks before the annual trek to Oxnard, Calif., for training camp.
In keeping with a trend from around the NFL, the Cowboys took it light on the final day of camp, replacing their last practice with meetings mandated by the league.
Even though Dallas technically only had two practices, there were still an abundance of takeaways. So, for the last time until the end of July, let's take a look at the team's biggest minicamp winners and losers.
Winners and losers from Dallas Cowboys mandatory minicamp
Winner: George Pickens
The Cowboys are ramping up Pickens, given that these were his first practices with the team, so he didn't do much on the field. But minicamp was never about his performance. All anyone cared about was if Pickens would show up, and he did so in cordial fashion, arriving on Monday to undergo a physical before taking the field on Tuesday and Wednesday.
Best of all, Pickens is fully focused on football, confirming that he won't hold out (or in) and will play out the 2026 season on the franchise tag.
This gives the offense its best chance of picking up where it left off last season, when it ranked fifth with a 0.109 EPA per play, per RBSDM. Just as important is that Dallas doesn't have any contract drama hanging over its head this summer. It's been a while since that could be said.
Loser: Malik Davis, RB
Davis defied expectations in 2025, going from a last-ditch August signing to the Cowboys' backup running back by the middle of the season. Not only did he win the job, but he also delivered some fine performances as Javonte Williams' sidekick.
Unfortunately for Davis, Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah are no longer rookies. Both RBs are night and day compared to where they were last season, and the coaching staff has rewarded that growth with plenty of first-team reps.
Williams did not practice on Day 2, and it was Mafah -- not Davis -- who had the first rep with the starters, followed by Blue. Davis is still firmly in the RB2 conversation, but Mafah and Blue are clearly going to put up a better fight than they did in Year 1.
Winner: P.J. Locke, SAF
It's still extremely early, but Locke -- much like Cobie Durant -- looks like a really smart under-the-radar signing.
A seventh-year vet who spent six seasons with the Denver Broncos, Locke was brought in to be a rotational safety and core special teamer. He's looked like a starter in both OTAs and minicamp, with Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com noting that he dislodged passes "on multiple occasions."
With Jalen Thompson, Caleb Downs, and Malik Hooker, the Cowboys' safety room is the deepest it's been in years. However, Locke's path to playing time is clearer than you think, as Downs and Thompson will fill multiple roles for defensive coordinator Christian Parker.
If Locke keeps making plays, Parker will have no choice but to get him on the field.
Winner: Shavon Revel, CB
Training camp will truly reveal how far Revel has come, but that doesn't take anything away from his spring. The 2025 third-round pick cleared the biggest hurdle of all, as his knee is 100 percent healthy after it limited him to seven games as a rookie and impacted his form even when he came back.
Revel is finally no longer wearing the large brace on his knee, signifying a true return to full strength. He broke up a pass in team drills on Day 1 of minicamp, and reporters couldn't help but be blown away by how easy and well he's moving.
The young CB has been running with the first-team defense, too. Sure, DaRon Bland isn't practicing yet, but Revel isn't the only other corner on the roster. He's picked up some serious momentum to take into the summer.
Winner: Rashan Gary, OLB
Gary is going to be a lot better than some think. While a Pro Bowl-caliber player should be expected to look the part in non-padded practices, the veteran defender's impact has extended beyond the gridiron, with Christian Parker lauding Gary's professionalism.
"It starts up front. Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, those guys have taken a significant step forward in the era of the pro habits. How we practice, their habits in the meeting rooms, pre-practice, post-practice."
Of course, Dallas will need Gary to show up on Sundays, but in terms of ingratiating himself into a new team, Cowboys fans couldn't ask for more from the team's trade acquisition. The former Packer is not just leading by example -- he's mentoring teammates and spearheading the culture that Parker and Brian Schottenheimer are trying to cultivate.
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