First-team snap counts on second day of practice and what they might mean
We don’t get snap counts for practices from the team. What we do get is an increasing amount of training camp videos, increasingly from DallasCowboys.com themselves.
Which is why I reviewed all the videos I could find with Dak Prescott at quarterback, and charted which offensive and defensive player was in on which play. Overall, I found 19 documented plays, not all in sequence, but that doesn’t really matter if you’re just running scripted plays.
The first thing to look at is a simple snap count which details which player was in on how many plays. And that’s exactly what the two tables below show.
body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table { border: 1px solid #000 !important; border-collapse: collapse !important; } body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th { padding: 0px 6px !important; }| Cowboys’ Offensive Snapcount, 19 plays with Prescott as QB | |||||||||||||
| O-line | Running Backs /Fullback | Wide Receivers | Tight Ends | ||||||||||
| Player | Snaps | Player | Snaps | Player | Snaps | Player | Snaps | ||||||
| Guyton | 19 | J. Williams | 7 | Flournoy | 17 | Ferguson | 9 | ||||||
| Smith | 19 | Blue | 6 | Lamb | 10 | Schoonmaker | 7 | ||||||
| Beebe | 19 | Luepke | 6 | Pickens | 10 | Spann-Ford | 6 | ||||||
| Booker | 19 | Mafah | 4 | Turpin | 6 | ||||||||
| Steele | 19 | Davis | 1 | Mingo | 3 | ||||||||
| Valdes-Scantling | 3 | ||||||||||||
The big boys on the offensive line were in for every snap Dak Prescott played, but then the Cowboys started subbing in and out most of their presumptive players from the final 53. The numbers suggest Malik Davis may have a shot at the 53, while Jonathan Mingo might be battling it out with Marquez Valdes-Scantling for the final WR spot.
body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table { border: 1px solid #000 !important; border-collapse: collapse !important; } body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th { padding: 0px 6px !important; }| Cowboys’ Defensive Snapcount, 19 plays with Prescott as QB | |||||||||||||||
| Defensive Tackles | Outside Linebackers | Inside Linebackers | Cornerbacks | Safeties | |||||||||||
| Player | Snaps | Player | Snaps | Player | Snaps | Player | Snaps | Player | Snaps | ||||||
| Kenny Clark | 16 | Rashan Gary | 12 | Shemar James | 8 | Caleb Downs | 15 | Malik Hooker | 15 | ||||||
| Quinnen Williams | 13 | Donovan Ezeiruaku | 11 | DeMarvion Overshown | 7 | Shavon Revel | 10 | Markquese Bell | 11 | ||||||
| Otito Ogbonnia | 7 | Malachi Lawrence | 7 | Jaishawn Barham | 7 | Daron Bland | 9 | Jalen Thompson | 9 | ||||||
| Jonathan Bullard | 3 | Sam Williams | 4 | Dee Winters | 6 | Caelen Carson | 9 | ||||||||
| Jay Toia | 2 | James Houston | 3 | Dominic Richardson | 1 | Cobie Durant | 8 | ||||||||
| Devin Moore | 3 | ||||||||||||||
| Derion Kendrick | 1 | ||||||||||||||
The top four seems pretty clear here, with Kenny Clark, Quinnen Williams, Rashan Gary, and Donovan Ezeiruaku as the presumptive starters, and its nice to see that the rookies Malachi Lawrence and Jaishawn Barham appear poised to move up at some stage.
For the linebacker/secondary groups, Caleb Downs is a true charting nightmare, and I hope he will have a similar effect on opposing offenses. His 15 snaps numerically charted as follows:
- 8/15 at Corner
- 5/15 at Linebacker
- 2/15 at Safety
But where he actually played is very difficult to tell, especially with the angle and shortness of the available clips.
Beyond Downs, it’s surprising to see Shemar James lead the linebackers ahead of DeMarvion Overshown and Dee Winters. Same thing at corner, where Shavon Revel leads Daron Bland and Cobie Durant, and Markquese Bell ahead of Jalen Thompson at safety is also a bit surprising.
All of this is just 19 snaps in the second practice without pads and tackling, so let’s not be too hasty in drawing any definite solutions. The coaches are likely trying to get a good look at some areas they still have questions about, including guys who will be battling to hang on to a roster spot.
Also note, that of the 19 plays, there were 19 different lineups on offense and 19 different lineups on defense, which suggests the coaches were using these plays just as much for installing the playbook as they were testing out different players and player combinations.
As for how much the first team reps will determine the final 53-man, The Bouncer, a tune form 90s dance duo Kicks Like a Mule, explains it best: “If your name’s not down, you’re not coming in.“
For those interested, here’s detailed breakdown of the lineups for the 19 plays.
body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table { border: 1px solid #000 !important; border-collapse: collapse !important; } body .sbnu-legacy-content-table td, body .sbnu-legacy-content-table th { padding: 0px 6px !important; }| 7 plays in sequence, all players identified | |||||||||||||
| J.Williams right tackle for 2 yards (first contact M. Lawrence) | D.Prescott pass deep left to G.Pickens for 21 yards (first contact. C. Carson) | D.Prescott short right to CD Lamb for 6 yards (first contact. S. Revel) | D.Prescott screen pass short right to J. Williams for 37 yards (first contact. D. Ezeiruaku) | J.Blue left tackle for 14 yards (first contact M. Hooker) | D.Prescott short left to J. Ferguson 8 yards (tackle by S. Revel) | P. Mafah up the middle for 14 yards (first contact J. Thompson) | |||||||
| QB | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | ||||||
| RB | J. Williams | Blue | Mafah | J. Williams | Blue | Luepke | Mafah | ||||||
| WR | Turpin | Lamb | Lamb | Turpin | Luepke | Lamb | Lamb | ||||||
| WR | Valdes-S. | Pickens | Mingo | Valdes-S. | Flournoy | Pickens | Pickens | ||||||
| WR | Mingo | Flournoy | Flournoy | Flournoy | Spann-F. | Flournoy | Flournoy | ||||||
| TE | Spann-F. | Ferguson | Ferguson | Ferguson | Schoon-maker | Ferguson | Schoon-maker | ||||||
| LT | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | ||||||
| LG | Smith | Smith | Smith | Smith | Smith | Smith | Smith | ||||||
| OC | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | ||||||
| RG | Booker | Booker | Booker | Booker | Booker | Booker | Booker | ||||||
| RT | Steele | Steele | Steele | Steele | Steele | Steele | Steele | ||||||
| DL | Gary | Gary | Lawrence | Gary | Gary | Lawrence | Lawrence | ||||||
| DL | Clark | Clark | Clark | Clark | Clark | Clark | Clark | ||||||
| DL | Q. Williams | Q. Williams | Q. Williams | Q. Williams | Ogbonnia | Ogbonnia | Toia | ||||||
| DL | Ezeiruaku | Ezeiruaku | Houston | Ezeiruaku | Ezeiruaku | Houston | Houston | ||||||
| LB | James | Winters | James | Overshown | Overshown | Winters | Richardson | ||||||
| LB | Barham | Barham | Downs | Winters | Barham | Downs | James | ||||||
| CB | Downs | Durant | Downs | Downs | Downs | Carson | Downs | ||||||
| CB | Revel | Durant | Revel | Revel | Revel | Revel | Carson | ||||||
| CB | Bland | Carson | Carson | Bland | Bland | Durant | Durant | ||||||
| S | Hooker | Hooker | Hooker | Hooker | Hooker | Thompson | Thompson | ||||||
| S | Thompson | Thompson | Thompson | Bell | Bell | Bell | Bell | ||||||
| Main Source: DallasCowboys.com | |||||||||||||
| 7 plays, not in sequence, all players identified | |||||||||||||
| D.Prescott short right to G. Pickens for 5 yards (first contact. D. Bland) | (Playaction) D.Prescott short right to R. Flournoy for 11 yards (first contact. C.Carson) | D.Prescott deep right to G. Pickens incomplete. Penalty on S. Revel, DPI, 25 yards | J.Williams left tackle for 6 yards (first contact J. Thompson) | D.Prescott crosser deep left to. CD Lamb for 20 yards (first contact D.Bland) | D.Prescott slant deep middle to CD Lamb for 26 yards (first contact S. Revel, M. Bell) | D.Prescott deep middle to J. Mingo for 43 yards (first contact D.Moore) | |||||||
| QB | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | ||||||
| RB | Blue | Blue | Blue | J. Williams | Davis | Blue | J. Williams | ||||||
| WR | Lamb | Luepke | Pickens | Lamb | Luepke | Lamb | Flournoy | ||||||
| WR | Pickens | Turpin | Flournoy | Pickens | Lamb | Pickens | Turpin | ||||||
| WR | Flournoy | Flournoy | Turpin | Flournoy | Flournoy | Ferguson | Mingo | ||||||
| TE | Ferguson | Spann-F. | Schoon-maker | Schoon-maker | Schoon-maker | Spann-F. | Schoon-maker | ||||||
| LT | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | ||||||
| LG | Smith | Smith | Smith | Smith | Smith | Smith | Smith | ||||||
| OC | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | ||||||
| RG | Booker | Booker | Booker | Booker | Booker | Booker | Booker | ||||||
| RT | Steele | Steele | Steele | Steele | Steele | Steele | Steele | ||||||
| DL | Gary | Lawrence | Gary | Gary | Gary | Lawrence | Lawrence | ||||||
| DL | Clark | Bullard | Clark | Clark | Clark | Clark | Clark | ||||||
| DL | Q. Williams | Ogbonnia | Q. Williams | Q. Williams | Q. Williams | Q. Williams | Q. Williams | ||||||
| DL | Ezeiruaku | Toia | Ezeiruaku | Ezeiruaku | Ogbonnia | Gary | S. Williams | ||||||
| LB | James | S.Williams | Overshown | Overshown | Ezeiruaku | Overshown | Barham | ||||||
| LB | Downs | Winters | Downs | Barham | James | Barham | Downs | ||||||
| CB | Revel | Barham | Carson | Carson | Winters | Downs | Kendrick | ||||||
| CB | Durant | Moore | Revel | Durant | Carson | Revel | Revel | ||||||
| CB | Bland | Carson | Durant | Bland | Bland | Moore | Moore | ||||||
| S | Hooker | Downs | Thompson | Thompson | Thompson | Hooker | Hooker | ||||||
| S | Bell | Hooker | Bell | Hooker | Hooker | Bell | Bell | ||||||
| Main source | Mike Leslie | Jon Machota | Joe Hoyt | Jon Machota | Jon Machota | Sebastian Sanchez | Sebastian Sanchez | ||||||
| 5 plays, not in sequence, not all players identified | |||||||||||||
| D.Prescott short left right to CD. Lamb for 13 yards (first contact, S. Revel) | P. Mafah left tackle for 75 yards – Play whistled dead after 30 yards, but likely a TD. | K. Turpin jet sweep left for 12 yards (ran OOB) | D.Prescott incomplete short left to B. Spann-F. (PBU by D. Bland) | D.Prescott short middle to G. Pickens for 8 yards (first contact C.Carson) | |||||||||
| QB | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | Prescott | ||||||||
| RB | J. Williams | Mafah | Mafah | J. Williams | J. Williams | ||||||||
| WR | Lamb | Luepke | Lamb | Luepke | Luepke | ||||||||
| WR | Pickens | Valdes-S. | Pickens | ??? | Pickens | ||||||||
| WR | Ferguson | Flournoy | Turpin | Ferguson | Flournoy | ||||||||
| TE | Schoon-maker | ??? | Ferguson | Spann-F. | Spann-F. | ||||||||
| LT | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | Guyton | ||||||||
| LG | Smith | Smith | Smith | Smith | Smith | ||||||||
| OC | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | Beebe | ||||||||
| RG | Booker | Booker | Booker | Booker | Booker | ||||||||
| RT | Steele | Steele | Steele | Steele | Steele | ||||||||
| DL | Lawrence | Gary | ??? | Gary | Gary | ||||||||
| DL | Clark | Bullard | Bullard | Clark | Clark | ||||||||
| DL | Q. Williams | Ogbonnia | Ogbonnia | Q. Williams | Q. Williams | ||||||||
| DL | S. Williams | Ezeiruaku | S. Williams | Ogbonnia | Ezeiruaku | ||||||||
| LB | Barham | Overshown | ??? | Ezeiruaku | Winters | ||||||||
| LB | James | Winters | James | Overshown | James | ||||||||
| CB | Downs | Downs | Barham | Winters | ??? | ||||||||
| CB | Revel | Durant | Carson | Durant | Carson | ||||||||
| CB | ??? | Bland | ??? | Bland | Bland | ||||||||
| S | Hooker | Hooker | ??? | Downs | Thompson | ||||||||
| S | Bell | Bell | Bell | Hooker | Hooker | ||||||||
| Main Source | Jon Machota | Sebastian Sanchez | Joe Hoyt | Tommy Yarrish | Nick Harris | ||||||||
The plays shown here are obviously skewed in favor of plays that look good on social media; they don’t include a lot of failed plays, and I didn’t find a lot of highlight plays by Joe Milton and Sam Howell, so I left those out altogether. However, Calvin Watkins reports some unofficial QB numbers from 11-11 drills: Dak Prescott 14-17, Sam Howell 5-9, Joe Milton 3-7. We have 11 of Dak’s completions, and just one of his incompletions in the tables above.
Also note that many of the highlights show players running to the endzone, even though they would have been tackled much earlier in a real game. That’s why I included “first contact” in the play description, as that’s likely where the play would have ended had there been real tackling.
Day Two of camp, no pads, no tackling – much too early to be talking about a depth chart. But who cares, we’re doing it anyway.
What’s your take on the 19 plays above?
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