On Sunday, star wide receiver Dez Bryant and second-year corner Tyler Patmon were involved in a fight at training camp. The fight began after a drill in which Patmon was lined up to cover Bryant.
With both players showing maturity and keeping this story from going too far, the bigger question at hand becomes this – who will emerge as a leader on the 2015 Cowboys?
Although he started the fight, Dez Bryant should still be expected to be a leader on this team. That is ultimately why Jerry Jones and the Cowboys gave him the contract that they did.
Bryant showed an understanding of what will be expected of him when addressing the media.
“It’s two great competitors. at the end of the day we shook hands, we hugged and we respect one another.”
Dez will be a leader for this entire team while playing alongside Tony Romo and Jason Witten, two established veteran players that will also help in leading this team.
I look for the entire offense, especially Bryant, to have a big preseason and set the tone entering week 1.
On the defensive side of the ball, things are much more unclear from a leadership standpoint.
While the expectations for Bryant this season should be set high, Tyler Patmon may also play a bigger role. Patmon showed potential in his first season as a solid man coverage corner.
When Bryant challenged Patmon, his response was to fight first and answer questions later. He then addressed the media like a savvy veteran, and not a player that has played in only 11 NFL games.
While Patmon’s skills will help the defense, I look for the leadership on that side of the ball to come from linebacker Sean Lee. Lee is clearly the captain of this defense when healthy, and will look to make 2015 his first full season with the Cowboys.
Sean Lee will be responsible for lining up a very new, and much improved, front seven for the Cowboys. He will also look to be playing aside Greg Hardy and Rolando McClain in week 5.
Overseeing everything is Coach Garrett, who has a quiet leadership quality to him that often goes unnoticed.
Unlike the slew of NFL coaches who will jump to be involved in any headline their team makes, Garrett knows when to make his face known for this team.
With no offensive or defensive play calling responsibilities, Garrett has free roam with this team to keep things under his control while maintaining a high level of trust with the players.
That will go a long way this season as guys like Dez Bryant and Tyler Patmon lead the Cowboys to victory!
Who do you want to see step up in 2015? Let me know below or on Twitter @ShoreSportsNJ!
