FRISCO – Mandatory minicamp is underway at The Star and the Dallas Cowboys showed perfect attendance on Day 1. To the excitement of head coach Brian Schottenheimer and fans around the world, there is still work to be done this week before a long layover until training camp.

Minicamp is a time for players to compete in practice by showing their skills and conditioning with hopes of rising the depth chart ranks if they have room to improve.

But it’s also a place to bond with your teammates and buy into the team philosophy – something Schotty has taken incredibly seriously on his end.

From what we’ve seen and heard so far, the Cowboys defense is taking both of these practices to heart this week.

It all starts with the head of the snake: Micah Parsons.

Despite Micah and the team still in the midst of contract extension negotiations, the star edge rusher made the point to be present at the facility. His on-field work was limited, but his voice and leadership are making waves in the locker room.

Parsons spoke to the media Tuesday and was honest in explaining his approach to mentorship with his fellow pass rushers:

“At the end of the day, everyone’s (expletive) stinks. You can’t hide it. We’re all not perfect.”

There’s an emphasis that constructive criticism is being valued in the room. If Micah – age 25 – is the most impactful voice within the unit, that shows you that every player is eligible to be held accountable … regardless of age, experience, or pedigree.

“I told them no egos in this room. … If I’m not [hustling], tell me to get the (expletive) on,” Parsons added.

“Means a lot. We’re all equal. We all have our strengths,” rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku said about Parsons’ comments.

This is what it means to be bought in.

Parsons is the engine to this machine. He may not be a full participant yet during his contract situation, but he isn’t letting his business get in the way of him powering the team’s mentality.

This mindset is one thing, and it pairs nicely with a good showing of perfect attendance.

But tomorrow is a new day. And there are plenty of days to go until Week 1.

So far, so good.

As Schottenheimer said to kick off minicamp: “Let’s stack good days.”