Dallas, TX
4 offensive and defensive players Cowboys need to step up in training camp
From established starters to players expected to take on a more significant role in 2024, there is no shortage of things to watch as training camp for the Dallas Cowboys gets underway in Oxnard, California.
While it’s fun to watch the starters reprise their roles from a season ago and settle in, it’s even more interesting to keep an eye on the ones who are expected to step up and make more of an impact than they have in the past with the organization, or that are rookies who are being counted on right away.
Today, we are going to take a look at a handful of players to watch on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball who need to step up their game in training camp.
DEFENSE
DT Mazi Smith
Just about anyway you look at it, Mazi Smith’s rookie season was a disappointment last year. The former first-round pick had minimal impact in the middle of Dallas’ defensive front a season ago, but despite that he is expected to take a significant step forward entering his sophomore season. Mike Zimmer’s defensive scheme relies pretty heavily on a space-eating, run-stopper and needs Smith to prove he’s that player in training camp.
DE Sam Williams
With both Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler following Dan Quinn to Washington in free agency, a lot more is expected of Sam Williams heading into his third season with the Cowboys. Up until this point of his career he’s really only showed flashes of his potential, but now has the opportunity to shine in what is expected to be a much bigger defensive role behind DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons. Consistency will be key for him.
CB Caelen Carson
In Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, and Jourdan Lewis the Cowboys have a really good trio at cornerback heading into the 2024 season. What they don’t have though is a reliable backup on the outside or in the slot. Caelen Carson has that inside/out versatility and is probably currently the favorite to emerge as the CB4 on the depth chart, but will need a strong training camp/preseason to lockdown that important job.
LB DeMarvion Overshown
Despite his rookie season being cut short abruptly due to a season-ending knee injury in the second preseason game last year, big things are expected from DeMarvion Overshown this year. He looks noticeably bigger and stronger entering training camp and is expected to push for a starting job in 2024. If he can hit the ground running he should help solidify the LB position.
OFFENSE
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OC Cooper Beebe
Despite never playing a single snap at center during his time at Kansas State, Cooper Beebe is expected to replace Tyler Biadasz as the Cowboys new starting OC as a rookie in 2024. Being sandwiched between Zack Martin and Tyler Smith will certainly help transition to a new position, but from setting up the pre-snap adjustments to snapping the ball he still has a lot to learn in training camp.
LT Tyler Guyton
There may not be another player on the Cowboys entire roster who needs to step up in training camp more than Tyler Guyton. Dallas really needs to get the 29th overall pick in the first-round this year up to speed as quickly as possible as their new blindside protector. Replacing someone like Tyron Smith won’t be easy, but the Cowboys season probably depends on how well he performs in his rookie year.
WR Jalen Tolbert
Jalen Tolbert is the favorite to win the WR3 job behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks right now, but will really need to step up his game in training camp to hold off his competitors. The opportunity has never been better for him to be a key factor in Dallas’ aerial attack. He’ll need to build a rapport with QB Dak Prescott to prove he can be a consistent and reliable weapon in training camp to secure the WR3 job.
TE Luke Schoonmaker
The main thing Luke Schoonmaker needs to do in training camp is to get healthy and stay that way. Injuries hampered his development and production last season and if that carries over into Year 2, he could find himself losing his TE2 job. If he can put his health issues behind him that alone should elevate his game and potentially help him become a bigger factor in the Cowboys offensive game plan in 2024.
FC Dallas returns home this weekend looking to build off last week’s road result as Real Salt lake comes to town for another important Western Conference matchup. With the schedule beginning to pile up before the summer World Cup break in June, grabbing points at Toyota Stadium feels more important than ever right now.
RSL arrives with one of the more balanced attacks in the conference and enough pace to punish mistakes in transition. For Dallas, this one is about staying organized defensively, controlling the midfield battle, and continuing to find consistency in the final third. If those three items can be checked off this weekend, there’s a real opportunity to keep the momentum moving in the right direction before a long summer road trip.
Let’s dive into some notes, predictions, and more.
TL;DR: Match Preview
Quick hits before kickoff.
- Score prediction: FC Dallas 2 – 1 Real Salt Lake
- Key player to watch: Petar Musa – To make the World Cup roster later this month for Croatia, Musa has to continue scoring here and guide the team to a big home win.
- Why this game matters: The next two are at home and after that there are nine straight road games. Dallas has to bank some points at home while they can before the long summer road trip.
FC Dallas Notes:
All-time vs RSL: FC Dallas holds a 24-15-13 all-time regular-season record against RSL. Dallas has scored 79 goals against Salt Lake. RSL has scored 63.
Home record vs RSL: Dallas has a solid 14-2-8 at home against RSL in regular season meetings. Dallas has scored 44 home goals against RSL. Salt Lake has scored 23 goals at Toyota Stadium versus Dallas. Dallas last won at home versus RSL on April 16, 2023. Jesús Ferreira and Bernanrd Kamungo scored for Dallas that night.
Homegrown clock: Homegrown keeper Michael Collodi was the only HGP earning minutes this season until Nolan Norris joined him on the field. Collodi has played the full 90 in each match, while Norris has been in and out of the lineup. Norris also has one goal on the season. Caleb Swann also made his debut off the bench in New York. Together, they have played 1595 minutes. To add more perspective here, Dallas HGPs only accounted for 1683 minutes in 2025.
What to Watch For: FC Dallas vs. Real Salt Lake FC Dallas returns to Toyota Stadium riding momentum from a historic road win in New York, but RSL arrives with one of the most dangerous young attacks in MLS. Here’s what to watch when the Burn host the Claret-and-Cobalt on Saturday.
Notable season stats:
- FCD is 7th in crosses in MLS with 144.
- The Burn are 6th in total distance covered in MLS with 286.24 km (800 miles).
- FCD is third in MLS in aerial challenges won with 171.
- FC Dallas is 9th in MLS in xG with 18.81.
- FCD is 8th in MLS in shot efficiency with 1.19.
- Musa is 4th in MLS in xG with 7.77. He also ranks tied for 4th in MLS in shots with 40.
Potential FC Dallas Lineup:
With another three-games in seven days stretch coming up, Eric Quill will likely go with as strong of a lineup as possible in these next two home games.
Formation: 3-4-3
Projected Starting XI
Availability & Disciplinary Report
⚽
Disciplinary Report
Suspended: none
Suspended with next yellow card: none
Suspended with next two yellow cards: Osaze Urhoghide, Nolan Norris
🗒️
Availability Report
Season-ending injury list: Kaka Scabin
Out: Anderson Julio (Lower leg), Bernard Kamungo (lower leg)
Questionable: none
On Loan: Tsiki Ntsabeleng (Mamelodi Sundowns FC), Enes Sali (Al-Riyadh), Malachi Molina (Nashville SC), Geovane Jesus (North Texas SC), Enzo Newman (North Texas SC)
Unavailable (off-roster): Daniel Baran, Jaidyn Contreras
International duty: none
Real Salt Lake Notes:
Key player for RSL: Diego Luna
Scouting Real Salt Lake: What FC Dallas Needs to Know 🔎 A detailed scouting report on RSL ahead of FC Dallas’ 2026 showdown, breaking down formations, key players, tendencies, and tactical edges.
Disciplinary Report
Suspended: none
Suspended on next yellow card: none
Availability Report
Out: Jesus Barea (knee), Emeka Eneli (knee), Ari Piol (Achilles)
Questionable: Juan Jose Arias (groin), Justen Glad (groin), Lukas Engel (hip)
International duty: none
Big game this week for FC Dallas. Before we get into it, members have the full scouting report, projected lineups, and injury report. If you want to go into Matchday actually knowing what to watch for, now’s the time.
→ Join Big D Soccer
A mystery trust bought one of the most expensive homes in Texas this week — just months after buying another multimillion dollar property nearby.
The Lost River Trust bought the mansion at 4815 Saint Johns Drive in Highland Park from Dallas entrepreneurs Melbourne and Jamie O’Banion on May 5, according to county records. The final sale price is undisclosed, but the sellers had the home listed for $24.9 million at the time.
The six-bedroom, eight-bathroom home spans 11,433 square feet on a 0.6-acre lot, according to the listing. It was built by Mark Molthan and designed by Tom Weber. They listed the home on March 23 for about $2,200 per square foot.
Allie Beth Allman, founder of the eponymous brokerage, represented the sellers. Damon Williamson with The Agency represented the buyer, according to Redfin.
Just two Dallas homes last year sold with listing prices higher than $25 million, though both sold for well below what they asked. The trust of the late Fortress Investment Group CEO Josh Pack sold his former home at 6601 Hunters Glen Road for $30.5 million after asking $35 million, and manufacturer Guinn Crousen sold his home at 4000 Euclid Avenue for $25.5 million after asking $33 million.
Only six homes in Texas are asking a higher price, according to Zillow. Two effectively tie with the home on Saint Johns Drive: a spec mansion on Strait Lane that’s asking $25 million, and another new construction at 4 Lana Lane in Houston that’s asking $25.5 million.
The Lost River Trust bought another luxury home just six months ago. On Nov. 14, the trust purchased the home at 3709 Euclid Avenue, a four-bedroom, six-bathroom, 5,845-square-foot house that was asking $14 million when it withdrew from the market in September. It’s about half a mile south of the home on Saint Johns Drive.
Melbourne O’Banion is the CEO of Dallas-based tech startup Bestow, which produces software for life insurance companies. His wife Jamie O’Banion is the founder of Dallas-based cosmetics company BeautyBio.
The Crespi Estate at 5619 Walnut Hill Lane, listed by the Cox Family for $64 million, remains the most expensive home on the market in Texas.
Read more
Dallas entrepreneurs Jamie and Melbourne O’Banion list Highland Park mansion for $25M
Estate of late Dallas plastic surgeon Sam Hamra sells historic Highland Park teardown to mystery buyer
Robert Vaughn buys University Park spec mansion that asked $26M
DALLAS – Thunderstorms will roll through parts of North Texas on Friday. Thankfully, none should be severe. Mother’s Day could be a different story.
Friday Forecast
According to FOX 4 Weather Meteorologist Berkeley Taylor, a cluster of thunderstorms will work their way east across the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex on Friday morning.
Everything is well below severe limits, just with lots of lightning!
Scattered showers and thunderstorms will move in and out through the day on Friday. Coverage is about 20%.
An isolated strong storm or two can’t be ruled out, but the overall threat is low.
Temperatures will be in the 50s and 60s for the morning, before climbing into the 80s by the afternoon.
Weekend Forecast
Saturday will look similar, with even lower coverage expected.
Sunday presents the best chance to find rain and storms – about 50% as a cold front moves through North Texas.
North Texas is under a Level 2 out of 5 risk for severe weather. The biggest concerns will be with wind and hail.
Timing-wise, the front looks to move through in the afternoon/evening.
7-Day Forecast
Once the front is south of North Texas on Mother’s Day, the rain should come to an end, and it will stay dry into next week.
Temperatures will start to warm into the upper 80s and low 90s by midweek next week.
The Source: The information in this story is from the FOX 4 Weather team and National Weather Service.
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