The Winners of Cowboys spring practices

The spring practices left a lot of optimism and excitement on the table for next season. With many returning and new players showing a lot of promise, especially on the defensive side of the ball, this paves way for new oppurtunities for a lot of players.

Top Winners:

1. Jayden Blue stood out as the coaches favorite to be the RB2 come July and Training camp. Williams missed some practices with some injuries and that led to new chances for other guys like Mafah, Davis, and Blue to get some more shine. Jayden Blue and Malik Davis both saw in-game action last year, Davis broke off a 40 yard touchdown vs KC. One thing that the coaches have taken a shrine to was Blue's maturity. Jayden Blue missed a little bit of time last year due to maturity concerns and things looked like they were going nowhere for him, but he has seriously impressed Schotty and the staff and given himself a chance to potentially be this team's number two back.

2. Caleb Downs

The No. 11 overall draft pick has been the undisputed star of the spring. Inserted heavily into the nickel/slot role, coaches and media have raved about his elite football IQ, with Schottenheimer noting that Downs "never makes a mistake twice." He was virtually lights-out in coverage during team sessions and has locked himself in as an immediate high-impact starter. He's had his bumps in the road sure, but it is noted that he has bounced back nicely from those mistakes.

3. Cobie Durant & Caelen Carson (CB)

With veteran Daron Bland sidelined during spring practices while working with the rehab group, a massive opportunity opened up at cornerback. Durant capitalized fully, taking first-team reps on the outside and making several splash plays, including a diving interception. Carson also stood out for his renewed confidence, keeping rookie Shavon Revel at bay for the time being.  

4. Ryan Flournoy (WR)

Flournoy has consistently been praised by the coaching staff as a player who has "taken the next step." With secondary receivers missing various chunks of time, Flournoy took full advantage of the extra reps, looking every bit the part of the team's undisputed WR3 with the upside to push even higher.