July 21, 2026 • 12 mins
On today's show, we were joined by a Cowboys beat reporter Tommy Yarrish to preview Dallas Cowboys training camp and discuss the biggest storylines heading into the new season. The conversation covered key position battles, players to watch as camp opens, expectations for Dak Prescott and the offense, and how the coaching staff plans to build on last year's foundation. We also discussed the team's biggest strengths, areas of concern, and what fans should keep an eye on as training camp unfolds. It was an insightful look at where the Cowboys stand entering a critical stretch of preparation for the upcoming NFL season.
Listen
Watch
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
Speaker 1 (00:00):
Welcome back to our number two of the more to
kickoff right here on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred to Zone.
We open it up talking about SEC media days. Will
Stein says he is the reason that they can win
big in the SEC. We also got a chance to
talk to our guy Joe Cook of Inside Texas and
now it's time to go to Big D and talk
(00:21):
to our guy Tommy Yarsh of Dallascowboys dot com. You
can follow them at Tommy underscore Yarish for all the
latest Cowboys go to camp. Everything starts July to twenty seventh,
opening Prescott's Conference July to twenty eighth, and they will
practice on the twenty ninth. Tommy, it's that time of year, buddy,
(00:44):
and it's time to get ready for some Dallas Cowboys football.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah, guys, it absolutely is great to be with you
this morning. And I'm the type of person that I
pack very late, So I'm kind of at that point
in the week now where I'm like, man, this is
its actually happening. It still doesn't feel really yet, So
I've got to get my bag situated here in the
next couple of days and make sure that we're good
to go. But it's super exciting. It's it's kind of
(01:10):
the start of the new year almost in terms of football,
and it's finally getting close to take it off again.
So you couldn't ask for anything better.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Tommy, It's been like a library. It's been very quiet.
There's not been a lot of talk about contracts. There's
not been a lot of contact talk about what the
Cowboys should do or didn't do. Jerry Jones is quiet.
(01:41):
It's weird? Is that this as weird for you as
it is for us?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
You know, I've only been on this beat for it
hasn't been two years yet, so I don't know if
I would say it's weird for me, but I understand
that it's I understand that it's different for a lot
of people. Think that for me. Why it's not entirely
shocking is they approached the George Pickens situation from the jump,
(02:10):
and we're very clear about their intentions, and there wasn't
really much of a position for there to be any
I guess if you want to say it noise in
terms of a contract dispute or things like that, you know,
the the only way it could have gone is Pickens
doesn't participate in training camp and during the season. But
(02:32):
I mean, you know, there have been very poor historical
examples of that not working out for players, so it
just wouldn't make sense. And I think that, you know,
it ends up working out for all for all parties
involved in one way or another. I think obviously Pickens
wants the long term deal like any player should, but
now he's got a chance to go earn himself some
(02:54):
more money this this coming season, which I think he will.
So yeah, it has been there haven't been as many,
I guess, big contract storylines. But I've also learned that
just on that kind of starts to get quiet, even
if it is quiet for a little bit, it's the
Dallas Cowboys, So something will come up and all of
a sudden, all the noise starts to rise again. So
(03:18):
now that seems to be the camp is just the
next thing naturally that will bring the noise. So I'm
excited for it.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Well, let's talk about this because you mentioned it has
been quiet. You addressed the George Pickens situation, but the
big story that has truly taken over is the Christian
Parker story. Parker is the third defensive coordinator in the
last three seasons and he inherits a defense that was
obviously the lowest rink.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
And I say that because a.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Lot of those guys that were on that defense are
no longer there. They're not going to be the starters.
They went out and made moves. And the biggest move
that has seemed to really taking his role as a
leader has been Rashawan Gary. What is the latest and
what have you heard about him and his leadership role
with this football team.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, anything that has ever been said about Rashaan Gary
getting back to his time in Green Bay has always
been that, you know, he's a consummate professional, he's a
great teammate. He's always been one of those lead voices
in that locker room and he's been a you know,
a solid player, a strong player throughout the course of
his career. So the locker room portion of it was
(04:31):
was never going to be a question in Dallas. And
he's fitting great. His teammates talked very highly of him.
He works very hard during the offseason and it's it's
evident and people notice it, and it's what you know,
anybody would look for if if you're you're you're signing
a free agent, but you're expecting to be one of
your better pass rushers and a guy that you expect
to be a veteran leader on your defense. Now what
(04:54):
you do have to, you know, watch for a little
The interesting to see early on in the season is
this is a guy who I I think got all
of the sacks pretty early in the year last year
and then kind of went quiet a little bit in
terms of sack production throughout the last the back half
of the schedule. I don't remember exactly how many games
it was, so certainly you don't want to see that.
You want to see those those sacks spread out across
(05:17):
the course of the season, and you don't want to
see guys at the wall. But he is a very
good run defender. I think he's got that kind of
big body, edge setting type of thing that you typically
see from those older three four schemes of years past.
Even this is kind of kind of going to be
a more modernized version of that with Christian Parker. So
(05:37):
there are some things that he can do I think
in this scheme that'll make him play well. What I'm concerned,
maybe not concerned, is right. What I'm curious to see
is how much pass rushing production he can give, and
how much pass rushing production in general we're going to
see from this defensive line.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
I do want to ask you this too, because as
that defensive line, you got Quinnin Williams, you got Kenny Clark,
guys that are going to be an integral part of
the success of this Tech Texas.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Of this Dallas football team. They're in fact.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
But my question to you is will they have enough
up front to make this the NFC East understand that
this is going to be a way different Dallas cowboy defense.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
I think they should. I think they're good in the
trenches to the point where you could say that that
will help them win some games. I think that Quint
Williams and Kenny Clark having a full offseason together will
certainly help. Because you remember Kenny Clark showed up in
Dallas a couple of days before the season started and
was like, is you're going to be our anchor on
(06:47):
defense now? And you know it takes a while to
adjust to that. And so Quint Williams same thing. He
got there at the trade deadline and it's all right,
you're you're a best player on defense. Now you got
to go and play like it. So that they've had a,
you know, a full off season to play alongside each
other and kind of learn how to play off of
one another. I think that certainly helps. I think it's
(07:11):
kind of those pass rushes. Like I said that, I'm
that I'm concerned about Again, maybe concerned isn't the right word,
but I just don't know what to expect. You know,
You've got Gary who we talked about. He's he's a
little bit older, but he's been so consistent in terms
of production throughout his entire career. I don't think he's
had less than five sacks dating back to his second
(07:31):
year in the NFL, and so you can you know
he's going to give you something both in the pass
Russian department and in the in the run game. As Araku,
people are so excited about him, but he hasn't been
on the field this season. He's a second year player.
He hasn't been on the field yet training camp. We'll
see if he's going to be able to participate the
(07:52):
whole time. The expectation is that he should be, but
he's coming off an injury, so what is how long
is it going to get him to get his legs
under him? Now Ty Lawrence. People are raving about these
rookie and you know, sometimes those rookie first round pass
rushers take some time to get their legs under them too,
So a lot of question marks. But I do think
that their core players on offense and defense of the trunches,
(08:14):
You've got the interior three guys and Tyler Booker, Cooper
BB and Tyler Smith, and then Quinn Williams and Kenny
Clark on defense. I think those guys are going to
do a lot for you. And if they really do
figure it out this offseason in terms of playing next
to each other, especially on that defensive side, I think
it's going to help them win some games.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Well, you gave us to run down on the defensive line.
Like a lot of people largely consider this linebacker crew
to be vastly improved. What is your take on the
linebacker crew.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
I think they're vastly improved if tomar Von Overshown stays
healthy the entire season. If not, then I mean you
you need they need to get a veteran guy in
free agency, and I think that that's something that definitely
could be on the table throughout the course of camp.
If they get to a point where they look at
the room and say, all right, we might need to
(09:11):
look at putting one more body in here. What are
we going to do? But if Overshoon stays healthy the
entire season then plays similarly to how he did in
twenty twenty four before the injury, obviously it's never going
to be the exact same when you've got two major
knee injuries. I think this this linebacker room will be okay.
(09:32):
I think d Winners can can give you some some
good stuff. He's a quick guy. He can, you know,
sniff some things out pretty early. He's got good eyes
and overshow him, you know, gives you the speed to
be able to fill. And he's you know, a bigger
guy if you're a linebacker position, taller and moves pretty well.
So with that, if this defensive line is going to
(09:54):
be you know a big portion of the bread and
butter of this defense and they're going to clog up
so much, then the linebacker's job is going to be easy.
They've got to find their gap, fill it and make
a play. And I think that you've got two guys
there and Winners and Overshown and even in the guys
behind them like a Jayshawn Barham or a Shamar James
that they can do that. If you're not going to
(10:14):
ask him to cover too much, then I think it'll
be all right. But overshown staying healthy is going to
be a big component of all that.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Before we let you go, I wanted to ask you
what is the biggest battle that you are going to
be looking at? Is it the corner back room? Is
that the backup? Is it the backup quarterback excuse me?
Or is it the outside linebacker depth?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
I would say corner just because I mean, who knows
who's going to be starting Leak one. It is so
up in the air that you know, you certainly have
your assumptions. Like I think, in a perfect role, maybe
if I had to guess today, it would be durn
Blend on one side, Savona Revel on the other side,
with Cale Downs and Kobe Durant both working in the spot.
(11:01):
And I think you could see Durant moving out to
outside corner two replacing Revel or Bland if they need
a breather or something like that. But we could get
to the end of this thing and for all I know,
it could be Kobe Durant on one side, Caln Carson
on the other, and down to starting at Nickel that
I think that's how that's how openness is. And I
(11:23):
think Christian Parker still doesn't. You only get so much
out of OTA's in mani camp, and he needs to
see these guys going through more live reps in a
trading camp setting where they can be a little bit
more physical, and so I think that that's going to
give us our real answer. But there is so, so,
(11:43):
so so many jobs to be won there, and there's
a lot of guys that need to prove himself. I
would go as far as even durn Bland I think
needs to prove himself in the sense that he needs
to show that he's healthy, that he can, you know,
be able to play through a full season again, that
the foot is not a problem anymore like it was
at times last year, because that is best. He is
a really good player, and the Cowboys certainly believe in him.
(12:05):
Look at the money that they recently paid him if
they wouldn't have done that if they didn't believe in him.
So there's a lot of proving that needs to be
done and there's a lot of jobs to be won.
So that's going to be a fun one to watch.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
Great stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
As always, we thank you for taking the time, enjoy,
enjoy California.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
I looked at the weather out there.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
It looks like y'all gonna have a real good time
out there, so enjoy yourself.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Well, thank you, guys, I really appreciate it. Looking forward
talking to you uys again soon.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
No doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
There he is Tommy Yars from Dallas Cowboys dot Com
and we'll go to htown right after we come back.
We're going to talk to the voice of the Houston Texans,
Mark Vandermere, as he gets ready for Texans camp. Right
here on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone and
always free on the iHeartRadio app.
Welcome back to our number two of the more to
kickoff right here on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred to Zone.
We open it up talking about SEC media days. Will
Stein says he is the reason that they can win
big in the SEC. We also got a chance to
talk to our guy Joe Cook of Inside Texas and
now it's time to go to Big D and talk
(00:21):
to our guy Tommy Yarsh of Dallascowboys dot com. You
can follow them at Tommy underscore Yarish for all the
latest Cowboys go to camp. Everything starts July to twenty seventh,
opening Prescott's Conference July to twenty eighth, and they will
practice on the twenty ninth. Tommy, it's that time of year, buddy,
(00:44):
and it's time to get ready for some Dallas Cowboys football.
Speaker 2 (00:49):
Yeah, guys, it absolutely is great to be with you
this morning. And I'm the type of person that I
pack very late, So I'm kind of at that point
in the week now where I'm like, man, this is
its actually happening. It still doesn't feel really yet, So
I've got to get my bag situated here in the
next couple of days and make sure that we're good
to go. But it's super exciting. It's it's kind of
(01:10):
the start of the new year almost in terms of football,
and it's finally getting close to take it off again.
So you couldn't ask for anything better.
Speaker 3 (01:19):
Tommy, It's been like a library. It's been very quiet.
There's not been a lot of talk about contracts. There's
not been a lot of contact talk about what the
Cowboys should do or didn't do. Jerry Jones is quiet.
(01:41):
It's weird? Is that this as weird for you as
it is for us?
Speaker 2 (01:47):
You know, I've only been on this beat for it
hasn't been two years yet, so I don't know if
I would say it's weird for me, but I understand
that it's I understand that it's different for a lot
of people. Think that for me. Why it's not entirely
shocking is they approached the George Pickens situation from the jump,
(02:10):
and we're very clear about their intentions, and there wasn't
really much of a position for there to be any
I guess if you want to say it noise in
terms of a contract dispute or things like that, you know,
the the only way it could have gone is Pickens
doesn't participate in training camp and during the season. But
(02:32):
I mean, you know, there have been very poor historical
examples of that not working out for players, so it
just wouldn't make sense. And I think that, you know,
it ends up working out for all for all parties
involved in one way or another. I think obviously Pickens
wants the long term deal like any player should, but
now he's got a chance to go earn himself some
(02:54):
more money this this coming season, which I think he will.
So yeah, it has been there haven't been as many,
I guess, big contract storylines. But I've also learned that
just on that kind of starts to get quiet, even
if it is quiet for a little bit, it's the
Dallas Cowboys, So something will come up and all of
a sudden, all the noise starts to rise again. So
(03:18):
now that seems to be the camp is just the
next thing naturally that will bring the noise. So I'm
excited for it.
Speaker 1 (03:25):
Well, let's talk about this because you mentioned it has
been quiet. You addressed the George Pickens situation, but the
big story that has truly taken over is the Christian
Parker story. Parker is the third defensive coordinator in the
last three seasons and he inherits a defense that was
obviously the lowest rink.
Speaker 4 (03:46):
And I say that because a.
Speaker 1 (03:48):
Lot of those guys that were on that defense are
no longer there. They're not going to be the starters.
They went out and made moves. And the biggest move
that has seemed to really taking his role as a
leader has been Rashawan Gary. What is the latest and
what have you heard about him and his leadership role
with this football team.
Speaker 2 (04:10):
Yeah, anything that has ever been said about Rashaan Gary
getting back to his time in Green Bay has always
been that, you know, he's a consummate professional, he's a
great teammate. He's always been one of those lead voices
in that locker room and he's been a you know,
a solid player, a strong player throughout the course of
his career. So the locker room portion of it was
(04:31):
was never going to be a question in Dallas. And
he's fitting great. His teammates talked very highly of him.
He works very hard during the offseason and it's it's
evident and people notice it, and it's what you know,
anybody would look for if if you're you're you're signing
a free agent, but you're expecting to be one of
your better pass rushers and a guy that you expect
to be a veteran leader on your defense. Now what
(04:54):
you do have to, you know, watch for a little
The interesting to see early on in the season is
this is a guy who I I think got all
of the sacks pretty early in the year last year
and then kind of went quiet a little bit in
terms of sack production throughout the last the back half
of the schedule. I don't remember exactly how many games
it was, so certainly you don't want to see that.
You want to see those those sacks spread out across
(05:17):
the course of the season, and you don't want to
see guys at the wall. But he is a very
good run defender. I think he's got that kind of
big body, edge setting type of thing that you typically
see from those older three four schemes of years past.
Even this is kind of kind of going to be
a more modernized version of that with Christian Parker. So
(05:37):
there are some things that he can do I think
in this scheme that'll make him play well. What I'm concerned,
maybe not concerned, is right. What I'm curious to see
is how much pass rushing production he can give, and
how much pass rushing production in general we're going to
see from this defensive line.
Speaker 1 (05:55):
I do want to ask you this too, because as
that defensive line, you got Quinnin Williams, you got Kenny Clark,
guys that are going to be an integral part of
the success of this Tech Texas.
Speaker 4 (06:08):
Of this Dallas football team. They're in fact.
Speaker 1 (06:11):
But my question to you is will they have enough
up front to make this the NFC East understand that
this is going to be a way different Dallas cowboy defense.
Speaker 2 (06:26):
I think they should. I think they're good in the
trenches to the point where you could say that that
will help them win some games. I think that Quint
Williams and Kenny Clark having a full offseason together will
certainly help. Because you remember Kenny Clark showed up in
Dallas a couple of days before the season started and
was like, is you're going to be our anchor on
(06:47):
defense now? And you know it takes a while to
adjust to that. And so Quint Williams same thing. He
got there at the trade deadline and it's all right,
you're you're a best player on defense. Now you got
to go and play like it. So that they've had a,
you know, a full off season to play alongside each
other and kind of learn how to play off of
one another. I think that certainly helps. I think it's
(07:11):
kind of those pass rushes. Like I said that, I'm
that I'm concerned about Again, maybe concerned isn't the right word,
but I just don't know what to expect. You know,
You've got Gary who we talked about. He's he's a
little bit older, but he's been so consistent in terms
of production throughout his entire career. I don't think he's
had less than five sacks dating back to his second
(07:31):
year in the NFL, and so you can you know
he's going to give you something both in the pass
Russian department and in the in the run game. As Araku,
people are so excited about him, but he hasn't been
on the field this season. He's a second year player.
He hasn't been on the field yet training camp. We'll
see if he's going to be able to participate the
(07:52):
whole time. The expectation is that he should be, but
he's coming off an injury, so what is how long
is it going to get him to get his legs
under him? Now Ty Lawrence. People are raving about these
rookie and you know, sometimes those rookie first round pass
rushers take some time to get their legs under them too,
So a lot of question marks. But I do think
that their core players on offense and defense of the trunches,
(08:14):
You've got the interior three guys and Tyler Booker, Cooper
BB and Tyler Smith, and then Quinn Williams and Kenny
Clark on defense. I think those guys are going to
do a lot for you. And if they really do
figure it out this offseason in terms of playing next
to each other, especially on that defensive side, I think
it's going to help them win some games.
Speaker 3 (08:36):
Well, you gave us to run down on the defensive line.
Like a lot of people largely consider this linebacker crew
to be vastly improved. What is your take on the
linebacker crew.
Speaker 2 (08:51):
I think they're vastly improved if tomar Von Overshown stays
healthy the entire season. If not, then I mean you
you need they need to get a veteran guy in
free agency, and I think that that's something that definitely
could be on the table throughout the course of camp.
If they get to a point where they look at
the room and say, all right, we might need to
(09:11):
look at putting one more body in here. What are
we going to do? But if Overshoon stays healthy the
entire season then plays similarly to how he did in
twenty twenty four before the injury, obviously it's never going
to be the exact same when you've got two major
knee injuries. I think this this linebacker room will be okay.
(09:32):
I think d Winners can can give you some some
good stuff. He's a quick guy. He can, you know,
sniff some things out pretty early. He's got good eyes
and overshow him, you know, gives you the speed to
be able to fill. And he's you know, a bigger
guy if you're a linebacker position, taller and moves pretty well.
So with that, if this defensive line is going to
(09:54):
be you know a big portion of the bread and
butter of this defense and they're going to clog up
so much, then the linebacker's job is going to be easy.
They've got to find their gap, fill it and make
a play. And I think that you've got two guys
there and Winners and Overshown and even in the guys
behind them like a Jayshawn Barham or a Shamar James
that they can do that. If you're not going to
(10:14):
ask him to cover too much, then I think it'll
be all right. But overshown staying healthy is going to
be a big component of all that.
Speaker 1 (10:22):
Before we let you go, I wanted to ask you
what is the biggest battle that you are going to
be looking at? Is it the corner back room? Is
that the backup? Is it the backup quarterback excuse me?
Or is it the outside linebacker depth?
Speaker 2 (10:37):
I would say corner just because I mean, who knows
who's going to be starting Leak one. It is so
up in the air that you know, you certainly have
your assumptions. Like I think, in a perfect role, maybe
if I had to guess today, it would be durn
Blend on one side, Savona Revel on the other side,
with Cale Downs and Kobe Durant both working in the spot.
(11:01):
And I think you could see Durant moving out to
outside corner two replacing Revel or Bland if they need
a breather or something like that. But we could get
to the end of this thing and for all I know,
it could be Kobe Durant on one side, Caln Carson
on the other, and down to starting at Nickel that
I think that's how that's how openness is. And I
(11:23):
think Christian Parker still doesn't. You only get so much
out of OTA's in mani camp, and he needs to
see these guys going through more live reps in a
trading camp setting where they can be a little bit
more physical, and so I think that that's going to
give us our real answer. But there is so, so,
(11:43):
so so many jobs to be won there, and there's
a lot of guys that need to prove himself. I
would go as far as even durn Bland I think
needs to prove himself in the sense that he needs
to show that he's healthy, that he can, you know,
be able to play through a full season again, that
the foot is not a problem anymore like it was
at times last year, because that is best. He is
a really good player, and the Cowboys certainly believe in him.
(12:05):
Look at the money that they recently paid him if
they wouldn't have done that if they didn't believe in him.
So there's a lot of proving that needs to be
done and there's a lot of jobs to be won.
So that's going to be a fun one to watch.
Speaker 4 (12:16):
Great stuff.
Speaker 1 (12:17):
As always, we thank you for taking the time, enjoy,
enjoy California.
Speaker 4 (12:22):
I looked at the weather out there.
Speaker 1 (12:23):
It looks like y'all gonna have a real good time
out there, so enjoy yourself.
Speaker 2 (12:28):
Well, thank you, guys, I really appreciate it. Looking forward
talking to you uys again soon.
Speaker 4 (12:31):
No doubt, no doubt.
Speaker 1 (12:32):
There he is Tommy Yars from Dallas Cowboys dot Com
and we'll go to htown right after we come back.
We're going to talk to the voice of the Houston Texans,
Mark Vandermere, as he gets ready for Texans camp. Right
here on Sports Radio AM thirteen hundred The Zone and
always free on the iHeartRadio app.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Betrayal Weekly
Betrayal Weekly is back for a new season. Every Thursday, Betrayal Weekly shares first-hand accounts of broken trust, shocking deceptions, and the trail of destruction they leave behind. Hosted by Andrea Gunning, this weekly ongoing series digs into real-life stories of betrayal and the aftermath. From stories of double lives to dark discoveries, these are cautionary tales and accounts of resilience against all odds. From the producers of the critically acclaimed Betrayal series, Betrayal Weekly drops new episodes every Thursday. If you would like to share your story, you can reach out to the Betrayal Team by emailing them at betrayalpod@gmail.com and follow us on Instagram at @betrayalpod and @glasspodcasts. Please join our Substack for additional exclusive content, curated book recommendations, and community discussions. Sign up FREE by clicking this link Beyond Betrayal Substack. Join our community dedicated to truth, resilience, and healing. Your voice matters! Be a part of our Betrayal journey on Substack.
Dateline NBC
Current and classic episodes, featuring compelling true-crime mysteries, powerful documentaries and in-depth investigations. Follow now to get the latest episodes of Dateline NBC completely free, or subscribe to Dateline Premium for ad-free listening and exclusive bonus content: DatelinePremium.com