DALLAS — The Dallas Cowboys have been picked again for HBO's "Hard Knocks" TV show, the NFL and HBO announced on Friday morning.
This is the third time that HBO has selected "America's Team" to be featured on the behind-the-scenes show, which chronicles a team's training camp each season. Dallas was previously followed by "Hard Knocks" in 2002 and 2008.
With four former Boise State football stars on the roster, and the greatest Bronco to play coaching from the sidelines, the Dallas Cowboys have become Bronco Nation's team of sorts in recent years.
Kellen Moore has been the Cowboy's offensive coordinator since 2019 and was a rumored candidate for the head coaching position for the Boise State football program last year before Andy Avalos was hired. With a healthy Dak Prescott returning at quarterback, and a deep receiving corps, it should be interesting to see how Moore coaches the offense in 2021.
Currently, the Cowboys' roster includes former Boise State players DeMarcus Lawrence, Darian Thompson, Leighton Vander Esch and Cedrick Wilson.
Vander Esch is entering his fourth season with the Cowboys. He likely will be fighting for a new contract after Dallas drafted Penn State linebacker Micah Parsons twelfth overall in the first round of the 2021 NFL Draft.
Following the draft, the Cowboys declined to pick up the fifth-year option of Vander Esch's contract. If the former Boise State linebacker wants to maintain his role on defense, his work will be cut out for him, starting in training camp.
Darian Thompson, a former defensive back star for Boise State, is entering the final year of a two-year contract with Dallas. His future with the Cowboys may largely depend on how training camp and the preseason go for him.
During the offseason following the draft, Dallas re-signed former Boise State wide receiver Cedrick Wilson to a one-year contract. Injuries have plagued the sixth-round draft pick since he joined the league, but he finally had a breakout performance against the Seattle Seahawks last season.
With a loaded and talented wide receiving corps, Wilson's future in Dallas will depend on if he can stay healthy and if he can make a big enough splash on the field behind three other star receivers.
Former Boise State STUD rusher DeMarcus Lawrence is in the middle of a massive five-year contract he signed in 2019, which was worth $105 million, with $65 million guaranteed.
With former Boise State defensive tackle Tyrone Crawford retiring from the Cowboys last spring, Lawrence will be a veteran presence on the defensive line for the Cowboys that got a large infusion of youth during the 2021 NFL Draft.
If Bronco Nation wants to see how former Boise State stars fare in training camp, and if they make it through final roster cuts, they'll have to tune into HBO on August 10.
"Hard Knocks" will be shown from August 10 through September 7, two days before the Cowboys' season opener, with new episodes airing on Tuesday nights.
According to WFAA, KTVB's sister station in Dallas, one of the many storylines to follow heading into training camp is the return of quarterback Dak Prescott, who suffered an ankle injury at the start of the 2020 season.
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