Eric Scott Jr. making early noise at Cowboys OTA’s

Originally posted on Inside The Star | By Shane Taylor | Last updated 6/3/23

On the first day of June, during Cowboys OTA's, the sixth-round pick, Eric Scott Jr. took a step in the right direction in trying to earn a spot on the depth chart for the Cowboys.

On a day that Trevon Diggs, Stephon Gilmore, and Nahshon Wright did not practice, Scott was opposite DaRon Bland.

He made enough noise worthy of folks covering the open portion open to media to discuss him.

While this is clearly a watered-down deal, it is still positive for Scott and the coaching staff.

Without Diggs, Gilmore, Wright, and Lewis, who is out with an injury, Scott was able to get some run against some of the first-team offense.

Scott even recorded an interception, but take a wild guess how it happened.

Michael Gehlken, a Cowboys reporter for the Dallas morning news, tweeted that the Scott interception came when tight end Peyton Hendershot DROPPED a pass in a short red-zone drill — Shocker.

It happened a handful of times last season from guys like Noah Brown, etc.

Either way, this type of Buzz for Scott is good.

It is good because, in my view, Scott was a John Fassel pick—more of a special teams player.

The Cowboys traded a fifth-round pick in the 2024 draft to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for the first pick of the sixth round (202nd overall) to draft Scott.

It looks better early right now that he is getting some run with the first-team defense, even with the key defensive backs sitting.

That is because you would hate to see a player you traded up to the head of a round to draft not show up, even during his rookie season.

You can't set the expectation through the roof. That is unfair, even for first-round picks, but for a player, I said a week ago might be cut, it is good to see him get some buzz.

Again, this is the first week of June, and once others come back, he probably will transition to the special teams unit.

In the meantime, gaining early confidence and trust from the coaching staff is critical. From the folks covering the media session of OTA's, that is precisely what it sounds like Scott is doing.

Scott played at a smaller school in college, Southern Mississippi.

As a senior in 2021, he appeared in all 12 games (11 starts). He registered 20 tackles, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries.

In 2022 as a super senior, he had more of a defensive back-type season. 27 tackles, seven passes defended, and two interceptions, both of which he returned for touchdowns.

If Scott keeps up the solid work with the starters not participating, he could lock himself a roster spot, and in the sport of football, sometimes that is all you need.

Let's see how the rest of the summer shakes out before we jump to conclusions. Nonetheless, it is good to see guys like Scott, Jalen Tolbert and Sam Williams making plays.

As crazy as the NFL season is, they might need them when we least expect it.

This article first appeared on Inside The Star and was syndicated with permission.

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