It’s not just the rookies and the bubble players fighting for a roster spot who have something to prove in OTAs and training camp. Plenty of returning veterans will find themselves in a position where they have to show more as the competition around them may have changed since last year, or they’re being asked to take on new responsibilities. In this edition of News and Notes, we’re examining the various reasons why 2023 could be a pivotal year for Michael Gallup, DeMarcus Lawrence, KaVontae Turpin, Israel Mukuamu, Chauncey Golston, and Terence Steele.
Meanwhile, we’re also bringing you a few stories from the Cowboys’ more extended circle. Hall of Famer Deion is turning his first season at Colorado into a real family affair, a former Dallas assistant is returning to Texas to wear burnt orange, the Joneses are helping several local high school graduates become game-changers in the world of art, and one man is becoming an indispensable (but unofficial) part of the Cowboys team through his work with pots and pans instead of Xs and Os.
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Gallup ‘looks good’, will take on expanded role :: The Mothership
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Now fully healed from that January 2022 ACL tear, expect to see Gallup utilized as more than simply a “go and get it” wideout. Mike McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer have bigger plans for him opposite CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks in 2023: “Expanding his responsibility [route tree] and checklist, he’s been pretty much in school here at X receiver but we feel like he can do more.”
DeMarcus Lawrence spending more snaps inside seems like a great idea for the Cowboys :: Cowboys Wire
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Loaded with young and rising talent at defensive end, the Cowboys might consider sliding the nine-year veteran edge rusher inside for a few extra snaps each Sunday. In 2021, for example, 31 of Lawrence’s 271 snaps (8%) came from the B-gap, allowing him to create more pressure on nickel downs than the typical DT. It would give Osa Odighizuwa the occasional breather and give Lawrence more opportunities to wreak havoc.
Recharged Cowboys returner KaVontae Turpin ready to run it back — even with new NFL rule :: Dallas Morning News
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Between April 2022 and January 2023, Turpin played in 33 games (and then suited up for the Pro Bowl, too). Now fully rested for the first time in over a year, he’s ready to really show off his skills, despite a new league rule that will encourage fair catches on kickoffs. “I’m not fair catching anything,” Turpin said. “You got to deal with me because that’s where I make my money.”
Israel Mukuamu’s versatility is buried on the Cowboys’ depth chart, but not for long :: Cowboys Wire
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The South Carolina cornerback came to Dallas as a high-character prospect, eager to get on the field by any means necessary, even if it meant shifting to safety. In the 2022 postseason, Mukuamu performed well as a nickel corner, allowing only a 44.4% completion percentage when targeted and yielded 49 total yards. That production and versatility will only help separate him from the DB pack heading into the 2023 season.
It’s not too late for Cowboys to give Terence Steele an extension :: Cowboys Wire
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Steele’s signed tender is only for the upcoming season, he’s coming back from injury, and he may have to compete for a starting position. Doing a short-term extension now would likely lock him in at a less-than-market price but give the 25-year-old some financial security in the short term and still set him up at a shot at free agency for his prime years .
32 NFL veterans who could lose their jobs to rookies in 2023 :: Cowboys Wire
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Third-year defensive lineman Chauncey Golston took over the complimentary three-tech role behind Odighizuwa in 2022. But now there looks to be serious competition from Junior Fehoko. The rookie’s end-to-tackle, pass-rush skillset surpasses Golston’s, and he’s already in a more compact frame, a trait that could be beneficial on the interior.
Ex-JSU safety Shilo Sanders officially follows father Deion, brother to CU :: ESPN
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The older brother of Buffaloes quarterback Shedeur Sanders will also be in Boulder this fall after officially finishing his undergraduate degree at Jackson State. Shilo will reportedly wear the same No. 21 at Colorado that his father Deion wore for the Cowboys and other NFL teams over his Hall of Fame career.
How NFC East teams rank at the safety position :: Cowboys Wire
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Despite a good unit overall, safeties aren’t the strength of Washington’s defense, and the Eagles have lost both of their starting safeties from last season. New York’s Xavier McKinney remains a do-it-all talent, but it’s possible he’d be only the fourth-best safety if he played for Dallas. The Cowboys’ three-headed monster of Donovan Wilson, Jayron Kearse, and Malik Hooker is far and away tops in the division.
Fueling Dak Prescott’s hunger: Chef Hoppie ‘100 percent’ on Cowboys QB’s team :: SI.com
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The 25-year-old Manwell McLean, better known as Chef Hoppie, cooks for Prescott at least three days a week, and handles meals for several other Cowboys players, too. Each dish is uniquely created to meet the player’s specific nutritional and fueling needs. “CeeDee [Lamb] needs to gain weight, while Dak is more of a maintain-or-lose,” Hoppie said. Once coached as a youth by Deion Sanders, Hoppie remains a part of the Cowboys’ extended family and has even been invited to travel to Oxnard to cook for his players.
Sarkisian lands longtime NFL special teams coach Joe DeCamillis as special assistant to head coach :: Horns 247
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DeCamillis was the special teams coordinator in Dallas from 2009 to 2013 and was one of a dozen Cowboys staffers and players left injured when the team’s indoor practice facility collapsed in a windstorm in 2009. He went on to win Super Bowls with the Broncos and Rams. DeCamillis got his first football job from his father-in-law, then-Atlanta head coach and former Cowboys player and assistant coach Dan Reeves. After 32 years spent on NFL sidelines, the 57-year-old will return to Texas as a special assistant to Longhorns head coach Steve Sarkisian.
Art Appreciation: Gene Jones’ program inspires, celebrates young artists :: CBS News Texas
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Back in 2015, the Gene and Jerry Jones Family Arlington Youth Foundation and the Dallas Cowboys teamed up with the Arlington Independent School District to create a program that exposed students to fine art, like the museum-quality pieces that are scattered around AT&T Stadium. This year, that first group of fifth-graders is graduating high school; four of them were awarded college scholarships ranging from $2,500 to $7,500. The scholarships were presented at an event hosted by Charlotte Jones last week.
Story originally appeared on Cowboys Wire