Cowboys 2022 training camp: Three battles to keep an eye on, with the spotlight on wide receiver

It can justifiably be stated that the Dallas Cowboys are in a worse position, roster-wise, than they were when they opened up training camp in Oxnard, California last July. They’ve moved on from Amari Cooper and La’el Collins and lost defensive end Randy Gregory to the Denver Broncos in free agency — three starters now deleted from their 2022 equation. The release of tight end Blake Jarwin makes Dalton Schultz the definitive TE1 in Dallas, but that may or may not be for long, considering they wouldn’t acquiesce to his contractual demands and instead prefer to see him play under a franchise tag. 

Dak Prescott is feeling fantastic, and that’s great news in that this year’s headlines do not include questions regarding his health, but he now leads an offense that has a lot to figure out at skill positions and in the trenches. Defensively, the Cowboys are all smiles after convincing Dan Quinn to stay put on a new deal but, as noted with the departure of Gregory, there are wrinkles to be ironed out on that side of the ball as well if Quinn is to replicate the runaway success he had in Year 1 with the organization.

So which battles should you key in on when the Cowboys fire up training camp this summer? 

Truthfully speaking, the correct answer is “C. All of the above,” but there are at least three position battles that might take the cake, the ice cream and all the cookies when the pads start colliding in Southern California. 

Wide receiver

It’s the position that has carried headlines this offseason, and mostly because it didn’t have to. That is to say that the Cowboys created a need at WR by trading four-time Pro Bowl receiver Amari Cooper to the Cleveland Browns, and then losing the wager that Cedrick Wilson would return in free agency (he’s a Dolphin now). The two losses immediately thrust former first-round pick CeeDee Lamb into the role of WR1, and while he says he’s ready, we’re all about to find out if that’s truly the case — especially at the start of the season when factoring in the likely absence of Michael Gallup (ACL) in early to mid September. Suddenly, a WR room that was spilling over with talent must now figure out who’ll be WR2 on Sept. 11 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, along with the rest of the rotation.

Could this be the year Simi Fehoko makes an impact? Or will rookie third-round pick Jalen Tolbert steal the show? Then again, James Washington joins Dallas…