When the Dallas Cowboys play the Los Angeles Rams on Saturday night, don't expect starters to take the field. However, on Tuesday's joint practice between the two teams, Dak Prescott and friends will be taking the practice field.
This is how coaches prefer to do things nowadays as they have more control over how a practice goes (including when the whistle sounds), so it's safer to play the starters, making the practice almost more important than an exhibition game.
That's why we're diving into five starters I'll be keeping a close eye on Tuesday.
RT Terence Steele
The Rams have a nasty group of edge rushers spearheaded by Jared Verse, and I'm more than excited to watch Steele's pass protection be tested. Last year, Steele bounced back to his old self in run blocking but his pass pro remained inconsistent. Late in the 2024 season, his film improved but it had plenty to do with backup quarterback Cooper Rush throwing the football very quickly in a limited offense.
“A couple years ago, he was an elite run blocker," private trainer and OL guru Duke Manyweather said earlier in the offseason. "[Last year] he got back to that, struggled a bit in pass protection with what he was doing with his hands and what he was asked to do.”
It's a big year for Steele, as a bad season could spell the end to his days as a Cowboy, considering his contract could provide Dallas with significant cap relief in 2026 ($8.75 million or $14 million post June 1).
QB Dak Prescott
Yes, this is a boring answer but it's a fair one. This will be the first time Prescott lines up against another NFL team since he suffered a season-ending injury in Week 9 of last season. So far, he's looked 100% healthy in training camp, even taking off with the ball in read option looks.
Let's see how he does against the Rams' defense with a scary-looking front seven but a suspect secondary.
WR Jalen Tolbert
Tolbert has had an odd training camp. Some other receivers have gone more viral on social media through practice clips and he might not be perceived by everyone as a starter, but Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer just told reporters Monday that he "does everything right."
Watching him against competition from another team at the WR3 spot is going to be very interesting.
CB DaRon Bland
Bland has had some ups and downs at training camp but he also happens to be matching up versus CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens often. The Rams are loaded at WR, too, including Puka Nacua and DaVante Adams. I want to watch how Bland handles himself against a promising WR core.
But what I am the most intrigued about is Bland's deployment in one of the most important practices from training camp. Does he get looks in the slot? Or does Kaiir Elam's rise combined with Trevon Diggs' expected return early in the season make Matt Eberflus want to watch him at nickel? The decision could speak volumes about Bland's expected usage moving forward.
LB Jack Sanborn
Sanborn is looking like a starter on Eberflus' defense and now we get to watch him against Sean McVay's offense, which is known to stress linebackers in every phase of the game. The free agent signing's stock is already up. Let's see if he keeps trending that direction after Tuesday's practice and most importantly, if he continues to eat up first-team reps.
