OXNARD, Calif. — The dog days of training camp hit a little bit differently these days compared to years ago when a “light” practice was an afternoon in shoulder pads only after a full-padded practice in the morning.

But the Cowboys are coming close to them this year, which is why Tuesday’s practice with the Los Angeles Rams will be a welcome sight. Which leads me to some things I’m wondering about when it comes to the Dallas Cowboys:

1. I wonder if Dak Prescott will see any preseason snaps. Yes, he missed nine games last season with a right hamstring avulsion that required surgery. Yes, he has a new playcaller in coach Brian Schottenheimer with a tweaked offense. But is it worth the risk of injury?

Remember, Prescott did not play any preseason snaps in 2021 in his comeback from a horrific ankle injury, and he threw for 403 yards in the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. If he doesn’t play in the preseason, then the Rams’ practice will be the one chance Prescott will see close to live action before the Sept. 4 opener against the Philadelphia Eagles, adding to the importance of that two-hour session with their NFC counterparts.

2. Three years ago, the Cowboys found Pro Bowlers from the USFL in kicker Brandon Aubrey and returner KaVontae Turpin. I’m not ready to go that far with defensive tackle Perrion Winfrey, but I do wonder if the Cowboys have hit on another player from the spring league after Winfrey starred for the UFL’s Birmingham Stallions. He had 29 tackles, two tackles for loss and a sack for the Stallions and was named a first-team All-UFL player. He has a background with defensive line coach Aaron Whitecotton from their time together with the New York Jets. In the early part of camp, he has seen some first-team snaps.

“Experience in the attack front; that helps,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s heard [Whitecotton] a hundred times talk about [the] different ways we run the games and who is the penetrator and who is the wrapper, all those things. So it doesn’t surprise me that a guy like that is showing up early out there. He knows the system. He knows this defense.”

3. I wonder if a coaching change has helped linebacker Damone Clark. He might be on the 53-man bubble to some, but as Kenneth Murray Jr. was away for the birth of a child, Clark made the most of his added playing time in camp. He was around the ball with breakups and forced fumbles. The Cowboys aren’t the deepest team at linebacker, and it’s easy to forget Clark had 115 tackles for a 12-5 Cowboys team in 2023. Last season, he was inactive for three games, started twice and made only 25 tackles. He is a reliable special teams player, but he is having his best camp on defense.

4. I wonder if Kaiir Elam becomes the next former high draft pick to find success with the Cowboys. Acquired in a trade from the Buffalo Bills in the offseason, the former first-rounder has carried over a strong spring to a strong summer. He has multiple interceptions in camp so far and has looked the part. He is also set to be a free agent after this season, so could the Cowboys add him to the list of players they’d like to extend?

May be a little early on that, but here’s Schottenheimer’s take: “Change of scenery helps a lot of people. Lot of people, they go to a team, it doesn’t work out. Then they go somewhere else and for whatever reason it fits. Is it the culture? Is it the defense? Is it them going, ‘Hell, I don’t ever wants to be traded again’? And I think some guys take it personal. I don’t think Kaiir took it personal, but I do think he’s got a chip on his shoulder just because he wants to be a great player.”

5. If you’re wondering why the Cowboys haven’t put guard Rob Jones on injured reserve with a broken bone in his neck that will keep him out for 2-3 months, here’s why: He wouldn’t be able to return at all this season. The Cowboys will have to wait for Aug. 26 to place Jones on IR to give him a chance to play this season. If that’s the route the Cowboys go, Jones would miss at least the first four games.