NFL Goes on Vacation, but Plenty of Cowboys Will Work To Prepare for Camp
STILLWATER – Minicamps have mostly concluded in the NFL as of Thursday (June 17) and the NFL is on vacation. Careful with that word because while the coaches and others in the organization will take some vacation like earlier this week when we caught former Oklahoma State running backs coach Jemal Singleton in town catching up with a friend he er played with at the Air Force Academy, while the friend’s son was participating in the Oklahoma State football specialists camp.
“Two fly boys back together in Stillwater,” joked Singleton, who has coached in the NFL with the Colts, Raiders, Bengals, and now the Eagles since leaving Mike Gundy’s staff. “We’re on vacation now.”
There may be some secure veteran players taking some time off, but anybody expecting to make a roster spot in July and August during training camp is working physically to be ready. That includes some former Cowboys and a lot of recent former Cowboys trying to make it as rookies in the NFL.
| Teven Jenkins | Chicago Bears | Halas Hall, Lake Forest, Ill. | July 27 |
| Chuba Hubbard | Carolina Panthers | Wofford College, Spartanburg, SC | Juky 27 |
| Tylan Wallace | Baltimore Ravens | Under Armor Performance Center, Owings Mills, Md. | July 27 |
| Rodarius Williams | New York Giants | New York Giants Headquarters, East Rutherford, NJ | July 27 |
| Calvin Bundage | Pittsburgh Steelers | St. Vincents College, Latrobe, Pa. | July 21 |
| Cameron Murray | Arizona Cardinals | State Farm Stadium, Glendale, Az. | July 27 |
| Amen Ogbongbemiga | Los Angeles Chargers | Jack Hammett Sports Complex, Costa Mesa, Calf. | July 27 |
| Dillon Stoner | Las Vegas Raiders | Raiders Complex, Henderson, Nev. | July 27 |
The safest bets are the top three drafted. As our Zach Lancaster reported Tevin Jenkins just signed his rookie contract with the Chicago Bears as minicamp concluded in Lake Forest, Ill. Jenkins reportedly looked good in minicamp and worked some at both tackles with the Bears top offense.
Jenkins will get a roster spot as a second-round pick, but if he wants to start and begin working toward that ultra-lucrative second NFL contract then he’ll keep working out until camp. Many former Oklahoma State players will stop through Stillwater and get a little body-by-Glass treatment. Jenkins was a player that profited from the Rob Glass system in the weight room and in conditioning.
The other rookie from Oklahoma State that you seem to hear the most about is wide receiver Tylan Wallace with the Baltimore Ravens. Sine reporting for rookie minicamp the buzz on Wallace has been good. The talk is he has been as impressive as Minnesota receiver Rashod Bateman, who the Ravens picked in the first round.
"When you look at Tylan Wallace, the best part of his game, he can take it downtown and he can win the 50-50 ball," NFL Network's Bucky Brooks said. "Looking forward to seeing him take advantage of the one-on-one coverage that he'll see when he's with the Baltimore Ravens."
The talk is Wallace has been energetic, tough, and does make the tough catches and that the Ravens with all of their receiver talent on the roster will have Lamar Jackson throwing more passes and handing off a little less this season.
You don’t have to worry at all about Wallace not showing up ready for training camp, in fact, he is one I’m certain will be in Stillwater for some sessions with Glass and company.
Checking around and I did pick up that running back Chuba Hubbard was limited some in OTAs and minicamp with the Carolina Panthers, but that head coach Matt Rhule was still very happy that his wife strongly suggested drafting Hubbard. The Panthers featured him in a social media “highlight” segment on their website.
https://www.panthers.com/video/best-of-social-chuba-hubbard-gets-up-to-speed
New York Giants rookie corner Rodarius Williams is doing well in East Rutherford, NJ and reportedly had a strong minicamp. Check out the picture here as Williams is lined up to cover David Sills V, the former West Virginia Mountaineer, so Williams working against a familiar foe.
Williams just found out too that in training camp he will get to see some former teammates including his fellow starting cornerback at Oklahoma State for three years in A.J. Green and his younger brother Greedy Williams when the Giants spend a week practicing with the Cleveland Brown.
The Giants will work with the Browns at their camp in Berea, Ohio and play them in their second preseason game, on Sunday, Aug. 22 at 1 p.m. in FirstEnergy Stadium.
Of the undrafted free agents, former Arizona Cardinals corner Kevin Peterson told me he has heard that defensive tackle Cameron Murray is doing well. There is not much talk on either Murray or Los Angeles Chargers linebacker Amen Ogbongbemiga.
There is a lot of talk about Dillon Stoner in the Las Vegas Raiders minicamp in Henderson, Nev. The Raiders signed veteran receivers to John Brown and Willie Snead to push returners in Henry Riggs III, Bryan Edwards, Hunter Renfrow, and Zay Jones. The Raiders are finding that Dillon Stoner is pushing too. Sources say the Raiders staff is fired up about Stoner.
“It’s all about absorbing a lot of information and getting the offense down, studying hard, and then giving 110 percent effort all the time,” Stoner said. “I feel like there is an opportunity for me with the Raiders whether it is on offense or on special teams.”
Stoner is not only talented, but he has always been an overachiever with his work ethic.
“Anything and everything coaches ask me to do, I’m going to do willingly and whole-hearted,” added Stoner. “A lot of it is learning the playbook. You learn the playbook and show the coaches it is important to you and that conveys a message to them.”
The other undrafted rookie free agent is Calvin Bundage with the Pittsburgh Steelers. Bundage is kind of a weird fit. He is athletic and a solid edge rush player, but he is undersized. In rookie minicamp the Steelers moved the Edmond Santa Fe product from outside linebacker to inside linebacker. The Steelers held their veteran minicamp this past week inside Heinz Field. Bundage has a lot of competition at inside backer.
1. Devin Bush
2. Vince Williams
3. Robert Spillane
4. Buddy Johnson
5. Ulysees Gilbert III
6. Marcus Allen
7. Miles Killebrew
8. Tegray Scales
9. Jarvis Miller
10. Calvin Bundage
The key for Bundage, as it is for most undrafted free agents, is special teams.
“I’m confident I can play special teams,” Bundage told the Steelers Takeaways.com. “I haven’t played a lot of special teams in college, but I’ve been doing that a lot here. None of the coaches really know who I am, so playing special teams has been good for me.”