The smell of real actual football activity is in the air as the Dallas Cowboys have arrived in Oxnard, CA. The annual trek west signals the start of training camp and Mike McCarthy has his work cut out for him to avoid this being the final year he’s with the organization. If this all sounds familiar, it’s because it’s exactly how we started last year’s roster prediction.
Now entering Year 4, McCarthy is now solely in charge of the offense, with former coordinator Kellen Moore off to Los Angeles. Maybe he’ll drive up the coast for a visit.
A disappointing 2020 was followed by a scintillating start to 2021, only for things to disintegrate down the stretch. Eventually, the Cowboys were the only home team to lose during wild-card weekend and the funk has been cast over the team ever since.
That can all change, starting Wednesday with the first practice. Over the next several weeks, leading to three preseason contests, players will work their way up and down depth charts in hopes of making the final 53-man roster. This is a prediction of how all those things will play out, with the obvious caveat that injuries will dictate some of these battles more than talent.