Cowboys waste no time undoing Mike McCarthy's biggest OTA blunder

The Brian Schottenheimer era is off to a roaring start. While the new Dallas Cowboys head coach has not presided over a game yet, he has not put a foot wrong.

The positive mojo has continued into the first week of organized team activities. Dak Prescott was shockingly a full participant in Tuesday's practice and Schottenheimer impressed as far as experimenting with players in positions that accentuate their skill sets.

That includes first-round pick Tyler Booker.

Per Cowboys reporters on the scene in Dallas, Booker practiced with the first-team offense. That might not seem like a huge deal, but Mike McCarthy infamously put 2024 draft picks Tyler Guyton and Cooper Beebe with the second-team to start OTAs this time last year.

Cowboys' Brian Schottenheimer wastes no time correcting Mike McCarthy OTA mistake

While all rookies need a transition window, it made zero sense for McCarthy to slow-play Guyton and Beebe's insertion into the starting lineup. It was obvious when they were drafted that, barring injury, they would start at left tackle and center, respectively, in Week 1.

Nothing was gained by McCarthy penciling Chuma Edoga and Brock Hoffman with the starters at the onset of OTAs.

Continuity is the most important component to a successful offensive line - even more so than talent. Depriving an already in-transition unit from more reps together was a major roll of the dice by McCarthy. Sure enough, the offensive line looked out of sync, especially in the run game, for a chunk of the year.

Booker will go up against Jalen Carter in Week 1 and Dexter Lawrence in Week 2. Those are two of the best defensive tackles in the game. Schottenheimer knows he can't mess around.

The Cowboys' DTs are nothing to write home about to begin with. How much would Booker gain by facing Jay Toia, Denzel Daxon and Justin Rogers? The answer is very little. He was a first-round pick for a reason: Dallas expects him to start right away.

Schottenheimer has preached being a physical offense. He knows the success of the offense starts in the trenches.

While minimal contact is allowed during OTAs, Booker starting with the first team will allow him a head start in developing chemistry with the other four starters and understanding Dak Prescott's cadence and audibles.

It is a small detail, but those matter and Schotty nailed it.