Dallas Cowboys OTAs begin without George Pickens in attendance

FRISCO, Texas - One of the Dallas Cowboys' star players was not in attendance when the team began their offseason workouts on Thursday.

Dallas Cowboys OTAs begin

What we know:

The Dallas Cowboys began their ‘organized training activities’ on Thursday. It was our first look at rookies like Caleb Downs and Jaishawn Barham in a Cowboys uniform.

Wide receiver George Pickens, however, was not in attendance. Attendance at OTAs is optional, so Pickens will not be subject to fines. 

He's currently seeking a long-term extension after signing the 1-year franchise tag in April worth $27 million.

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was confident that Pickens will show up on June 16 when offseason practices become mandatory.

"As you guys know, it's voluntary. Communicated with GP yesterday, he's got a football camp this weekend that he's doing," Schottenheimer said to the media on Thursday. "I expect he'll be here. He's in a good spot."

Left tackle competition

Another note from the first day of OTAs is that there will be an open competition for the team's left tackle position between Tyler Guyton and Nate Thomas.

Guyton was drafted in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft but has struggled when healthy. Thomas was taken in the seventh round of that same NFL Draft and has started several games at left tackle when Guyton was hurt.

Myles Garrett trade

Schottenheimer confirmed that the Cowboys will hold a joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams in Oxnard, CA this summer when the team heads west for training camp.

That means the Cowboys will scrimmage against Myles Garrett, the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year who was just traded from Cleveland to Los Angeles this week.

"We want to go compete against some of the better teams and better players," Schottenheimer said. "We want to get that work done."