OXNARD, Calif. – The Dallas Cowboys held their opening ceremony under the Southern California sun on Saturday to officially mark the start of the team’s longest training camp in Oxnard to date.
The annual ceremony reeled in fans from all over the country, primarily California, for the Cowboys’ 18th training camp at the River Ridge Fields in Ventura County.
Before Jerry Jones, his children and co-owners of the Cowboys, members of the City of Oxnard, including the mayor, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders took the field — KSAT 12 Sports surveyed the crowd to find out what fans were looking forward to most when the ceremony began.
All of the Cowboys fans interviewed were in agreement, they wanted Jones to provide an update on wide receiver CeeDee Lamb’s contract situation.
Lamb has yet to report to camp as he is holding out until an extension with the organization is agreed upon. Lamb, one of the NFL’s leaders in production last season, is seeking a sizable extension — likely on par with the $140 million extension Justin Jefferson signed with the Minnesota Vikings.
The opening ceremony started with the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders taking center stage, performing a dance routine that generated the highest noise levels of the day.
Oxnard’s mayor, John C. Zaragoza, followed up the DCC by addressing the crowd and encouraging the visitors to put their money into the local economy during their stay.
Jones then took the microphone and spoke on the youth involvement at camp and how much he cherishes their presence in Cowboys’ activities. Jones also presented the mayor with a $25,000 donation to the City of Oxnard.
Jones did not address Lamb’s contract with the crowd.
Once the ceremony concluded, the players took the field for what they call a mock-style game, which was similar to a walkthrough.
The mock-style game didn’t create many reactions from the crowd, but the calm practice still allowed fans to get their first look at the 2024 Cowboys.
Dallas is in the “ramp-up” portion of their training camp schedule. Next week, beginning Tuesday, the team will put pads on to take camp to the next level.
The KSAT 12 sports team has been in Oxnard since Tuesday, reporting from camp.
Stay tuned on KSAT 12 and ksat.com for more coverage.
