Quarterback Dak Prescott has heard the grumblings as the Dallas Cowboys transition to life without wide receiver Dez Bryant and tight end Jason Witten.
Bryant and Witten combined for 132 catches and 1,398 yards with 11 touchdowns in 2017, so the Cowboys are missing a huge chunk of offense.
Prescott, however, pumped the brakes on any outside doubt.
"It's hard to [surprise] people with the Dallas Cowboys; our standards are high," Prescott said over the weekend at his annual youth football camp, via Clarence Hill of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram continued. "But when you hear talk we don't have this player, we don't have that player. We don't have a lot of well-known guys. But that only makes the guys we have hungrier."
The Cowboys addressed the wide receiver position during the draft by using a third-round pick on Michael Gallup (81st overall), a sixth-round pick on Cedric Wilson (208th overall) and trading for Tavon Austin, who will see repetitions at the running back position. Dallas could incorporate a committee and will choose among Gallup, Wilson, Allen Hurns, Cole Beasley, Terrance Williams and Deonte Thompson, among others, in training camp.
At tight end, the Cowboys hope to find Witten's replacement among fourth-round pick Dalton Schultz, Geoff Swaim, Blake Jarwin, Rico Gathers and David Wells.
While there is plenty of unknown for outside observers, Prescott believed organized team activities and the mandatory minicamp provided optimism the Cowboys are equipped to adjust without Witten and Bryant.
"I like where we are headed," Prescott told the Star-Telegram. "I like the way we finished OTAs and minicamp. I like our attitude as a team, our hunger, the youthfulness, the energy.
"You can see guys excited to get back. And what's good, the last day of an OTA or minicamp, guys weren't sprinting out the door. That was exciting to see. And knowing that guys want to get back together in this off time to not only just hang out but to work and get better at ball. That is exactly what we need in a young team."
The Cowboys open training camp on July 25. And with numerous late-summer practice sessions open to the public, fans will have plenty of opportunities to see just how hungry the revamped wide receiver corps and tight ends group are.
