3 winners (and 2 losers) from first week of Cowboys training camp

The Dallas Cowboys need players all over the roster to step up at training camp with so many major changes all over the roster, and the unpredictable nature of camp has been on display in both the best and worst ways.

Anytime you have a lot of roster turnover in an offseason, players and decisions are going to be under the microscope all throughout training camp. The Cowboys are always in the spotlight anyway, but there's a ton of added pressure this offseason given the team's significant departures in 2024 as well as the lingering contract situations for players like Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, and Micah Parsons.

Who have been the biggest winners (and losers) so far for the Cowboys in Oxnard?

Winner: WR Tyron Billy-Johnson

Nobody has more of a Dallas Cowboys name than former undrafted wide receiver Tyron Billy-Johnson, a player who wasn't really on anyone's radar going into training camp.

The journeyman receiver is already 28 years old and has appeared on about a third of the entire NFL teams' rosters at some point over the last five years. Billy-Johnson was once a five-star recruit at LSU who ended up transferring to Oklahoma State. Once he got to the NFL, Billy-Johnson made an impact with the Chargers as quickly as the 2020 season, averaging nearly 20 yards per reception with three touchdowns back in Justin Herbert's rookie season.

He might be ready to contribute again with his big-time speed as we've seen him out there cooking defensive backs at Cowboys practice. This highlight is a perfect example.

You just never know when these dart throws are going to pay off, and if Billy-Johnson can keep on stacking days like this, he's going to find himself in the rotation on Sundays.

Winner: LB DeMarvion Overshown

With a lot of departures defensively, it's exciting to be getting a really talented player back in the fold like linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. The Cowboys lost the third-round pick last year to a season-ending knee injury, and it was a huge letdown because Overshown was poised to be a huge piece of the defensive plan.

Now, we can see that Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is in his bag working with an athlete like Overshown at the linebacker position:

The fact that Overshown is out there to begin with is great news. The fact that he's moving well and working at full speed in team drills? We can rev up the hype engine safely at this point. Having the combination of guys like Overshown, Micah Parsons, and the big safeties the Cowboys have is such a luxury when it comes to disguising blitz packages.

Loser: Cowboys' front office

It's still super early in training camp, so it's hard to say a lot of players are big losers. But when you see the absence of such notable players like quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb, you can't help but be frustrated with the front office.

It seems pretty straightforward right now. If the Cowboys really want to keep this core of players together, the deals have been made to set the Cowboys up for a copy and paste situation. Go ahead and give Dak Prescott $56 million in average annual value on a new deal and reset the market by $1 million AAV. Go ahead and copy/paste the Justin Jefferson contract for CeeDee Lamb.

What's so hard about this? If you want these guys around and you want your best shot at winning a championship with this core, these deals are only going to get more and more expensive the longer you wait.

Winner: OT Tyler Guyton

This will be music to the ears of Dallas Cowboys fans, especially early in training camp, but it seems like the plan to replace veteran tackle Tyron Smith is going pretty swell so far.

The Cowboys selected Tyler Guyton out of Oklahoma in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft, and Guyton has already started running with the first-team offense. Not that anyone is overly surprised by that, but Guyton isn't just running with the 1s -- he's stacking some strong reps as well.

Very few teams have been as good at picking players in the first round of the NFL Draft over the last decade-plus as the Dallas Cowboys. Tyler Guyton came out of Oklahoma somewhat raw in areas of his game (which is why he fell to Dallas's pick) but incredibly talented. It looks like the Cowboys won't have to worry too much about the left tackle spot after the departure of a longtime starter and absolute stud like Tyron Smith.

Loser: QB Trey Lance

Trey Lance needs this training camp and preseason to prove definitively that he is a superior option behind Dak Prescott over Cooper Rush. The Cowboys traded a fourth-round pick to get Lance last year, and while the former 3rd overall pick is obviously very talented, he's got to start putting that talent together.

There have also been positive moments for Lance shared from onlookers at training camp, but there are too many people saying he's struggling and throwing the ball right to defenders due to porous vision.

The preseason is going to be huge for Lance to not only get on the good graces of fans but really prove to this Cowboys team in game situations that he is the guy they thought he was when they traded for him last year.