Dallas spent the offseason adding players who could help turn the ship around in 2025. The Cowboys added depth on both sides of the football and even signed a few players who could have starting roles in 2025. Jack Sanborn, Javonte Williams, and Kenneth Murray sit atop the list of newcomers who could become household names for Cowboys fans.

The Cowboys also had a solid 2025 NFL Draft, adding several talented player who fit new head coach Brian Schottenheimer’s vision for the team. Cowboys fans likely weren’t excited by every single pick, but overall the draft dramatically improved the talent on the roster.

The first step every NFL rookie must take before training camp is rookie minicamp. This three-day journey, which the Cowboys undertook earlier in May, is the coaching staff’s first real look at their new rookies.

But what are the early returns on the team’s rookie class after wrapping rookie minicamp a few weeks ago?

Below we will discuss which Cowboys rookie had the biggest impact during rookie minicamp.

Tyler Booker already showing leadership skills during Cowboys rookie minicamp

Surprise surprise, the Cowboys’ first-round pick is the one to make a big splash at rookie minicamp.

The Cowboys had several rookies make an impact during minicamp, but Booker is in a tier of his own.

Booker established himself early as a mainstay for the organization. He earned the respect of his fellow rookies. Jaydon Blue heaped praise on his fellow rookie for his leadership skills.

“He’s ready to learn and he’s a great football player,” Blue said via Randy Gurzi of Sports Illustrated. “He’s been leading us since we’ve been here. So, it’s an honor to be able to share the room with him.”

This is incredible news for Cowboys fans who must be excited about their new offensive lineman.

It should not come as a huge surprise that Booker is such a strong leader. Booker was a team captain at Alabama, which is no easy feat to accomplish to say the least.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones even admitted that the team prioritized leadership for Schottenheimer’s first draft class.

“The thing that I saw was a relative picking players that really fit,” Jones said via The Athletic’s Jon Machota. “I’m not going to say it was need, but really fit to the leadership and to the ethos of what we would like to be able to claim that was (Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer’s) first (draft) class.”

Dallas was undoubtedly drawn to Booker for those same leadership skills. He is doing exactly what the Cowboys hoped he would.

Tyler Booker is projected to start at right guard for Dallas in 2025. If Booker’s play on the field matches expectations, he could become a 10-year starter for the organization.

It’s hard to choose any other rookie on the team for having a more impactful rookie minicamp.

Can Tyler Booker and Jaydon Blue resurrect running game for Cowboys?

The offensive line finally looks like a strength again in Dallas.

The Cowboys have invested a lot in their young core of offensive linemen, coincidentally all named Tyler.

Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, and Tyler Booker are all on cheap rookie contracts and could form the backbone of the team’s o-line for many years.

Now that the offensive line is improved the Cowboys will try and get their ground game back to par.

Dallas ranked in the bottom 10 teams in terms of total rushing yards (1,705) and rushing yards per game (100.3) during the 2024 season. The Cowboys just could not get the job done with Rico Dowdle and friends, especially with Prescott on IR.

Naturally, getting the running game going will be one way to measure the success of Tyler Booker as a first-round draft pick.

Booker cannot fix the running game all by himself, nobody can. But his aptitude at run blocking was written all over his scouting report. The Cowboys will be expecting Booker to help pave big holes for Javonte Williams and Jaydon Blue to run through.

Perhaps the addition of rookie running back Jaydon Blue will help Booker and the Cowboys back in the groove.

Blue is a dynamic running back who is lightning in a bottle. He can break off big runs and is a capable receiver out of the backfield.

Javonte Williams will almost certainly be the starter, but Blue will add the juice.

Booker and the rest of Dallas’ offensive line should be ready to improve their run blocking as a unit. If they do that, it will be on Williams and Blue to make opposing defenses pay.