OXNARD, Calif. — Training camp kicked off for the media on Tuesday morning as owner Jerry Jones, executive vice president Stephen Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy hosted the opening press conference to get things underway.
Here are the 5 Takes sponsored by Take 5 Oil Change.
1. Martin is "in the plans"
Rumors have been swirling about Zack Martin and if he will report for training camp this week, and Jerry Jones was hesitant to provide any firm clarity on the situation.
"We won't be discussing any of the football business aspect of this thing with any public comments," Jones said during the press conference. However, in the walkaway interview with the media, he stated that "he's in our plans."
2. Kicker remains fluid
Along with Tristan Vizcaino who was signed in February, former USFL marksman Brandon Aubrey is on campus in Oxnard to compete for the starting kicker job, and Jerry Jones sees one of them earning the job – but with some remaining fluidity on any extra bodies.
"All options are open," Jones said. "What we have in camp has the potential to be the answer."
Robbie Gould and Mason Crosby are some of the veteran names that remain in the free agent market.
3. Pollard's wager on himself
Stephen Jones said that Tony Pollard was offered a long-term deal ahead of the July 17 franchise tag deadline, but that both sides couldn't come to an agreement.
"We tried to make a deal with Tony, but we'll play under the tag this year, respect that, and see how it evolves moving forward," Jones said.
Despite the uncertainty around the running back market and the depreciation of value in the position, Pollard is aiming for a bigger payday at the end of his first season as the full-time starter.
4. What McCarthy "is"
There has been a budding confidence with everyone in the building about Mike McCarthy's new offensive system, and while it may appear to be at the expense of former offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, Jerry Jones was quick to emphasize it towards McCarthy.
"We're just at a point as we have evolved – and I think we have evolved over the last two or three years – that it was not so about what Kellen wasn't," Jones said. "It's about what Mike is."
The "Texas Coast" offense has taken on its own identity even before the start of training camp, as Mike McCarthy gears up to fill the potential of the Cowboys offense.
5. Who is RB2?
No matter the comments made by Jerry Jones after the draft about the possibility of Ezekiel Elliott returning, the running back room appears to be solidified going into training camp which poses the question about who will be the man to compliment Tony Pollard.
"We're not looking at how to fill Zeke's role," McCarthy said. "He was a primary ball distribution focal point for us long before I got here. How those [available] opportunities are distributed, we'll answer that as we get into the games. It's about how we'll utilize the whole perimeter group."
Ronald Jones, Malik Davis, Deuce Vaughn, Rico Dowdle and Hunter Luepke will all shoot for the extra opportunities available this month, and it may be safe to say that there may not be just one winner.
