FRISCO, Texas – Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback Dalton Sturm has wrapped up his first month with the team.
He got his introduction during Cowboys rookie minicamp May 11 and 12, followed by OTAs and a three-day minicamp, which ends Thursday.
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“It's been great being able to learn under Dak (Prescott) and being able to take a lot of the leadership traits he has. He’s a great leader on and off the field. He gets guys going and does it in every way he can,” Sturm said. "It's been great for me and a great opportunity.”
Sturm’s practice reps are limited, as he's an undrafted free agent from the University of Texas at San Antonio. Starter Dak Prescott, his backup, Cooper Rush, and 2018 fifth-round selection Mike White, get a majority of the reps before Sturm touches the ball.
Does Sturm have a different mindset when he gets snaps since he doesn’t get many to begin with?
“I don’t think there has to be,” he said. “To take those reps mentally, whenever you’re standing back there watching Dak, I’m going through the reps as if I was in there, making the calls in my head, giving the signals, doing what I have to do, calling the plays in the huddle. And then whenever I get to the offensive line, I’m trying to look at the defense, going through what calls I’d have to make, any shifts, stuff like that. I feel like I’m getting the reps whenever I can, even when I’m not getting them.”
With six weeks off before the start of training camp, the work does not stop for Sturm. The Goliad native will keep grinding as he fights to make the 52-man roster.
“Definitely going to be training. Definitely going to be trying to learn the playbook and perfect it,” he said when asked what he will do with his time off. “Whenever you get out to Oxnard, it’s a whole other world. I haven’t gone through training camp, but a lot of guys talk about it, and I think that’s going to be a great time for me to go out there and perform. To take advantage of the reps, I get ready for the preseason."
The Cowboys will open training camp July 24 in Oxnard, California, and hold their first practice July 26.