Latest news with #NateThomas
New York Times
01-08-2025
- Sport
- New York Times
Dak Prescott's memorable offseason conversation helped prepare Cowboys' new LT Nate Thomas
OXNARD, Calif. — Nate Thomas vividly remembers the conversation from back in the spring. He was doing some rehab work at The Star when he had a conversation with Dallas Cowboys franchise quarterback Dak Prescott. Prescott remembers it as well. 'He told me, 'You need to be ready when your number is called,' ' Thomas said this week. ' 'This is not like you're just easing back in.' He told me straight up, 'You need to be ready.' I just took that in stride and just made sure I go about every day knowing that I need to treat this as if I'm a starter, because you never know when your number is called. And here I am right now.' Advertisement Thomas has spent the last two training camp practices as the Cowboys' first-team left tackle, a result of starting left tackle Tyler Guyton suffering a bone fracture and knee sprain during Monday's practice. Guyton could be back just in time for the season opener on Sept. 4. However, if he's not, all signs point to Thomas getting the start that Thursday night against the defending Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles. Cowboys OL Nate Thomas (71) continues working as the starting left tackle in place of Tyler Guyton (knee) — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 31, 2025 Prescott was around Thomas during the offseason while the 6-5, 330-pound offensive lineman was working his way back from the knee injuries that cost him his rookie season. Thomas had surgery to repair a slight tear of his patellar tendon and knee tendinitis. Prescott was working his way back from his surgically-repaired hamstring. 'Understanding the talent and athleticism that I saw then,' Prescott said, 'I started telling Nate, 'Nate, you can play. You've got the tools. You've got the intangibles.' This game is about confidence. I was trying to pour it into him then, not knowing that he'd have an opportunity a week and a half into camp to start running with the ones and showcasing his ability.' Thomas started 25 games at left tackle during his final two years at Louisiana. He was then drafted in the seventh round by the Cowboys last year, the same draft class that saw Dallas select Guyton in the first round. Dane Brugler, The Athletic's NFL Draft expert, had a fifth-round grade on Thomas entering last year's draft. 'His punch has some heft behind it, and his recoil allows for quick resets to go a few rounds,' Brugler wrote in his annual 'The Beast' draft guide. 'Stays after his blocks and doesn't noticeably take plays off regardless of the situation. Relatively young for his class, and it feels like there is untapped potential still there for a fifth-year senior.' Advertisement The Cowboys initially decided that Thomas would be a better fit as a powerful guard. But that changed this offseason under new head coach and offensive play-caller Brian Schottenheimer. 'Just watching Nate work and prepare this offseason,' Schottenheimer said, 'and seeing him train, and seeing the length and the size he has and his feet for a 330-plus pound man, it was probably the second or third day of OTAs where we were like, 'Hey, we need to put him outside and see what he can do.' 'When we watched him that very first day, we were like, 'Whoa.' It literally jumped off the film. We were like, 'OK, hmm.' And if you talk to Nate he's like, 'Hey Coach, I'll play wherever, but I'm probably most comfortable playing left tackle.' That's kind of what he has the most experience playing. It did jump off the film to us when we moved him out and then we were like let's leave him out there for a while, because sometimes with a young player they're all going to be moved around and have to be put in spots to learn and have to have flexibility. 'But when we moved him out there, we were like let's let him focus on one spot for a while. And I think that helped him with his confidence. Of course now he's getting the opportunity to run with the ones and I think he'll do a great job in that role.' Cowboys LT Nate Thomas working next to All-Pro LG Tyler Smith — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) July 30, 2025 Thomas' strength has been noticeable. He'll likely get plenty of work in the preseason games to showcase what he can really do in the run game when teams are actually tackling to the ground. 'He's country strong for real,' Cowboys right tackle Terence Steele said. 'He's got some really good power behind him. He wants this. He's hungry.' There was some buzz about Thomas when camp opened. He was a player the team felt was trending in the right direction and could provide valuable depth. When Guyton went down, the organization feared he could be lost for the season with a torn ACL. If that had been the case, maybe they would've gone in a different direction at left tackle. But under the current situation, Thomas appears to be the obvious replacement. Advertisement 'It just takes time,' Thomas said. 'Rome wasn't built in a day. It just took time, constant reps, going through OTAs, minicamp and then doing extra meeting time with the coaches. It just helped me continuously know what I'm doing and then build the confidence day in and day out. Just knowing I can go out there and get the job done.' The coaches didn't officially tell him he was going to be working with the starters. But they had him with the first-team in the mock game before practice Wednesday. He remained in that spot throughout Wednesday's practice in shells and Thursday's practice in full pads. Even with Micah Parsons not practicing because of his contract situation, Thomas should continue to get valuable work against a talented edge rusher group that includes Dante Fowler, Donovan Ezeiruaku, Marshawn Kneeland and Sam Williams. 'Super proud of what he's done and the approach,' Prescott said. 'It goes back to the spring of us training and rehabbing. Some days were tougher, and watching him push through it and give his best to now watch him walk out there confident, make plays, super proud of him. And he's a Louisiana kid, so I'm always going to push for him.'
Yahoo
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Brian Schottenheimer ends Cowboys' practice early after fights and makes the team run as punishment
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — When the Dallas Cowboys wouldn't stop fighting, coach Brian Schottenheimer made them run. During a noticeably fraught practice in what has been an aggressive training camp, Schottenheimer stepped in Wednesday after a heated red-zone drill led to the third fight of the day. The new coach pulled the team together for a lengthy and expletive-filled speech before sending players back out to start running sideline to sideline. Following the punishing sprints, Schottenheimer brought the team back together for a second address before he ended practice early. 'Basically, we just have to understand that Dallas isn't on the schedule, so we're nobody's enemies,' offensive lineman Nate Thomas said. 'We have to make sure that we're taking care of each other, but also getting the good work in because we have some guys down right now, and we have to understand that we need these reps. So we can't go out here and start fighting each other just because somebody did a little extra pushing or whatever the case may be.' Schottenheimer, a first-time head coach, has tried to balance competing aims during camp. He wants physical, high-energy sessions that will allow the offensive and defensive fronts to develop after the Cowboys struggled in both areas last season. At the same time, Schottenheimer is stressing accountability, an area wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said the team has lacked at times in the past. 'It's been a while, but I feel like that was really necessary,' Lamb said after being asked about the last time he had been part of a practice where the whole team had been punished that way. 'I honestly like what he's doing because we need discipline. We need to be able to go through that line. I'm saying we need to have that, that availability towards the team and then that aggressiveness at the same time, to be able to be as mad and fight between the whistles, and then as soon as the (play is) done, like, we going to line it up again.' The Cowboys were 29th in the NFL penalties committed and 28th in giveaways last season, when they went 7-10 under then-coach Mike McCarthy. ___ AP NFL:
Associated Press
30-07-2025
- Sport
- Associated Press
Brian Schottenheimer ends Cowboys' practice early after fights and makes the team run as punishment
OXNARD, Calif. (AP) — When the Dallas Cowboys wouldn't stop fighting, coach Brian Schottenheimer made them run. During a noticeably fraught practice in what has been an aggressive training camp, Schottenheimer stepped in Wednesday after a heated red-zone drill led to the third fight of the day. The new coach pulled the team together for a lengthy and expletive-filled speech before sending players back out to start running sideline to sideline. Following the punishing sprints, Schottenheimer brought the team back together for a second address before he ended practice early. 'Basically, we just have to understand that Dallas isn't on the schedule, so we're nobody's enemies,' offensive lineman Nate Thomas said. 'We have to make sure that we're taking care of each other, but also getting the good work in because we have some guys down right now, and we have to understand that we need these reps. So we can't go out here and start fighting each other just because somebody did a little extra pushing or whatever the case may be.' Schottenheimer, a first-time head coach, has tried to balance competing aims during camp. He wants physical, high-energy sessions that will allow the offensive and defensive fronts to develop after the Cowboys struggled in both areas last season. At the same time, Schottenheimer is stressing accountability, an area wide receiver CeeDee Lamb said the team has lacked at times in the past. 'It's been a while, but I feel like that was really necessary,' Lamb said after being asked about the last time he had been part of a practice where the whole team had been punished that way. 'I honestly like what he's doing because we need discipline. We need to be able to go through that line. I'm saying we need to have that, that availability towards the team and then that aggressiveness at the same time, to be able to be as mad and fight between the whistles, and then as soon as the (play is) done, like, we going to line it up again.' The Cowboys were 29th in the NFL penalties committed and 28th in giveaways last season, when they went 7-10 under then-coach Mike McCarthy. ___ AP NFL:
USA Today
01-07-2025
- Sport
- USA Today
Stashed in 2024, Cowboys 7th-round pick looks to turn grainy film into real opportunity
One of the oldest tricks in the book when it comes to roster manipulation is the IR stash at the end of training camp. When a team has a player it has no intention of putting on the field, but has enough concern another team might have interest, they avoid risking the player being claimed off waivers in an attempt to get them on the practice squad. Instead, they trade practice reps for projection, and place a player like Nate Thomas on IR, where he can work out and sit through meetings. But what happens when the coaching staff changes after the redshirt season? That's what Thomas faces in 2025 where, despite offensive coordinator Brian Schottenheimer's rise to the head coach role, he has a whole new scheme and position coach to impress. RunDown Position: Offensive Tackle Age: 24 (Week 1 age) Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 331 pounds Hometown: New Orleans, LA High School: Chamlee High School College: Louisiana (Pre-Draft Analysis) Draft: 2024 Draft, Seventh-Round (No. 233 overall) Acquired: 2024 Draft Contract: Four-year extension (2024), $4.1 million 2025 Base Salary: $795,000 Profile Thomas has a chance to make the 2025 roster as the Cowboys have issues at both tackle spots. Tyler Guyton had an mostly down rookie year as a first-round pick, and his backup Asim Richards doesn't have a ton of experience, either. On the opposite side, Terence Steele is entering the final assured year of his deal and if he can't improve his pass protection he may not get another opportunity in Dallas. In other words, there are future snaps to project and if Thomas shows value, they won't be able to stash him another year. Aside from those three players, Matt Waletzko still exists on the depth chartm as does Dakoda Shepley. The Cowboys also signed Hakeem Adeniji during free agency, who has experience both inside and out, and drafted Anaji Cornelius in the sixth round back in April. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
