Tonight, the season premiere of Hard Knocks airs at 10 PM ET on HBO (also streaming on HBO Max), and it follows the Dallas Cowboys. Over the next five weeks, viewers will get an inside look at training camp for “America’s Team” with several storylines to monitor. Here are some that I will be watching closely.
Dak Prescott’s recovery
The status of Prescott with a mysterious shoulder issue (in addition to coming off a season-ending ankle injury) is easily the biggest storyline of the summer, and we should get a fairly in-depth look at his recovery tonight and into September. While the shoulder injury is said to be minor, there is enough concern about it that Dallas has reportedly contacted the Texas Rangers for advice.
Ezekiel Elliott’s fitness
Elliott himself would tell you he didn’t have the season he would have liked in 2020, but he’s now said to be in tremendous shape, and the Cowboys are counting on him to have a big year. Perhaps one of the usual workout/training montages that HBO puts together will feature Zeke and whatever he’s doing to get in top form.
CeeDee Lamb’s rise to stardom
Amari Cooper (ankle) is still out for Dallas, but that’s opened the door for Lamb—and also Michael Gallup—to really shine in practice. Wearing the iconic No. 88 jersey puts added expectations on Lamb for this season and beyond, so it’s helpful that he seems to be a very well-adjusted guy, and anyone that watched him play as a rookie knows the talent is undoubtedly there.
Trevon Diggs enters Year 2
The pick after CeeDee Lamb in the 2020 NFL Draft, Diggs is a promising cornerback at six-foot-one with elite ball skills—and he says he should have had 14 interceptions last year based on all the plays he missed. The second-year corer also happens to be the brother of All-Pro wideout Stefon Diggs, and HBO should be looking for a way to get a sure-to-be-funny conversation between them on camera at some point.
New faces on defense
Rookie linebacker Micah Parsons has drawn the most headlines and has a personality that could dominate the camera, but from both an entertainment (TV) and on-field perspective, the new-look Cowboys defense—led by former Falcons head coach Dan Quinn—is hoping to make a big leap. Aside from Parsons, I will have my eye on veterans Keanu Neal (who is switching to linebacker) and rangy safety Malik Hooker.
Team owner Jerry Jones
Say what you want about Jones, but he knows how to create buzz. That said, I would expect him to a bit less involved alongside Mike McCarthy than he was when the Cowboys were featured on Amazon’s All or Nothing with Jason Garrett as head coach; either way, Jones’ desire for another ring will be felt as Dallas seeks their first championship since Super Bowl XXX.
Let’s go!
I’ll be watching Dak and Amari mostly