Brian Schottenheimer used his final news conference of the California portion of Cowboys training camp on Thursday morning to do more than answer a short question. Asked for five names, he gave 10 players who had exceeded his expectations, and Israel Abanikanda was on the list. That alone was enough to push the running back into the center of the conversation in Oxnard.
It was not hard to see why. After 13 practices spread across four weeks on the two River Ridge grass fields, Abanikanda had several sessions in which he looked like one of Dallas’ top three backs. That kind of showing turns heads in camp because running back was already one of the position groups with questions attached to it, and every strong rep changes how the room is viewed for a day, even if it does not change the final roster math.
Schottenheimer did not stop with Abanikanda. He said the camp had produced more standouts than expected and started listing them, saying Shavon Revel had him very proud and adding Jonathan Mingo, Camden Brown, Tyler Guyton, Javonte Williams, Ryan Flournoy and Bryan Anger, among others, to the group. He also called Joe Milton’s work impressive, pointing to his accuracy and the way he kept the ball away from the defense. The coach’s answer made clear that the list was not a polite nod. It was a snapshot of how camp had unfolded.
Abanikanda’s case is what makes the list interesting. Camden Brown, for example, was not expected to make the roster entering camp, yet he kept flashing with highlight grabs in almost every practice and now looks like a lock. Abanikanda’s arc is less clean. He showed enough burst and consistency to look like a real part of the competition, but the evaluation did not erase the fact that he is still unlikely to make the team. That is the camp’s central contradiction: a player can earn real praise and still be on the wrong side of the numbers.
The same kind of split shows up elsewhere on the roster. Tyler Guyton has been solid at left tackle. Otito Ogbonnia has stood out on the defensive line. Rashan Gary’s leadership has jumped out. DeMarvion Overshown has made his mark inside. Revel, meanwhile, has looked like a quality starting cornerback. Schottenheimer’s list was broad enough to suggest the staff saw progress almost everywhere, but not every success carries the same weight once cuts begin.
For Abanikanda, the next step is not another compliment. It is whether the work that made him look like one of Dallas’ top three backs can survive the move from camp evaluation to roster decision. Thursday’s praise gave him visibility. It did not give him safety.
