DETROIT, MICHIGAN - DECEMBER 04: Terence Steele #78 of the Dallas Cowboys plays against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 04, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images) Getty
Los Angles Rams EDGE rusher Byron Young Getty
The Los Angeles Rams didn't have their biggest offseason addition on the field against the Dallas Cowboys.
They still found a way to make life uncomfortable for Dallas' offensive line.
Byron Young emerged as one of the loudest performers during Tuesday's joint practice in Woodland Hills, repeatedly creating problems for Cowboys right tackle Terence Steele in pass-rush drills and team periods.
The Athletic's Nate Atkins reported Young gave Steele problems with an array of speed and power moves.
Young's afternoon stood out because Steele entered camp as one of the Cowboys' most experienced blockers.
The 29-year-old has made 91 starts over six NFL seasons, and Dallas reworked his contract in March to include $22 million guaranteed with a base value of $33 million and incentives that can push it to $36 million, per NBC Sports .
Against Young, however, the veteran had a difficult time keeping the pocket clean.
GettyDETROIT, MICHIGAN – DECEMBER 04: Terence Steele #78 of the Dallas Cowboys plays against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field on December 04, 2025 in Detroit, Michigan. (Photo by Gregory Shamus/Getty Images)
Atkins reported that Young consistently won his matchup with Steele using different approaches.
Young beat him around the edge with speed on one rep and drove him backward with power on another, forcing quarterback Dak Prescott to adjust inside the pocket.
The Rams' own practice observations displayed an indentical outlook.
Los Angeles noted a two-play stretch in which Young helped collapse the pocket quickly enough to send Prescott scrambling out of bounds. On the next series, Young broke through again for what likely would have been a sack in a game setting.
Young's success was not only from the pass rush. Atkins also reported that Young moved to the opposite side of the formation on another snap and drove left tackle Tyler Guyton into the running back to disrupt a rushing attempt.
It was a productive morning for a player coming off the best season of his career.
Young finished 2025 with career highs of 12 sacks, 82 tackles and 29 quarterback hits while starting all 17 games. He earned his first Pro Bowl selection and later landed at No. 84 on the NFL's Top 100 Players of 2026 list.
His ascension has given Los Angeles another proven edge presence in a defense that already came into the summer holding hefty expectations.
GettyLos Angles Rams EDGE rusher Byron Young
The more encouraging detail for Los Angeles was who didn't participate, as Dallas faced an incomplete squad.
Myles Garrett sat out the joint practice because of swelling in his knee. Sean McVay said the Rams were taking a precautionary approach and added there was "nothing to be concerned about," according to the team .
Without Garrett, Los Angeles generated consistent pressure anyway against Prescott and the Cowboys' backup quarterbacks. The Rams highlighted Young, Josaiah Stewart , Braden Fiske , Kobie Turner and Poona Ford among the group leading the charge.
That depth could become one of the defining pieces of the Rams' defense in 2026.
Young showed in 2025 that he can produce without being treated as a complementary bit. The former third-round pick led Los Angeles in sacks, and the Rams credited him with 64 pressures and a league-high 47 stops among edge rushers last season.
Now Garrett is expected to command a good share of opposing protection plans once healthy. That should create favorable situations elsewhere, and Young presented a taste against Dallas of what he can do when he gets a matchup he likes.
A joint practice in August isn't the same as regular-season Sunday, but Steele provided legitimate veteran competition, and Young repeatedly won that battle.
With a Rams front that awaits Garrett's return, it was a promising place to start.
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