Even though the lion's share of attention will go to the Dallas Cowboys' small subset of stars, training camp is often most valuable for the players who are looking for a spot on the 53-man roster or practice squad.

One of Jason Garrett's best traits as a head coach is that he allows the roster to have some semblance of a meritocracy. Antwaun Woods is a shining example. After two years on the Tennessee Titans practice squad, Woods reached an injury settlement with the team, which resulted in him becoming a free agent. The Cowboys signed Woods to a small two-year, $1.05 million contract, which was anything but an indication that he'd make the 53-man roster.

Still, despite the fact that Dallas claimed defensive tackle Brian Price off waivers a year prior, signed defensive tackle Richard Ash off the Jaguars practice squad in 2016 and traded for Jihad Ward during the 2018 NFL draft, Woods' play in training camp and the preseason led to him starting 15 of 16 regular season games for the Cowboys last year.

Who will be this year's version of Antwaun Woods - a roster longshot who makes noise throughout training camp? Let's discuss a few of the players who have the best shot.

Ricky Walker, DT

At 6-foot-2 and 284 pounds, Ricky Walker is an undersized spark plug at the under tackle (three-technique defensive tackle) spot. In a training camp environment, the roster longshots who are able to consistently flash are the ones who typically make the most noise, and for defensive tackles, it's the spark plugs who tend to flash the most.

Because of his lack of length and strength, Walker isn't the type of defensive tackle who can stack-and-shed blocks or hold his ground at the point-of-attack versus single and double teams; instead, Walker uses his deceptive quickness and active hands to penetrate and wreak havoc in the back - as evidenced by his 10.5 tackles for loss in 2018.

Walker does an excellent job of contorting his body to slip blocks in tight spaces. Though he doesn't possess a ton of power, Walker always remains active and his motor continually runs hot - a trait Rod Marinelli loves in his defensive linemen.

Walker's quickness off the snap is sure to give Dallas' reserve interior linemen fits during 1-on-1 pass rush drills and the 11-on-11 team period. Moreover, it wouldn't be surprising if Walker gave third-round pick Connor McGovern fits, especially during the early portions of camp. McGovern's biggest weakness is his footwork in pass protection, which is exactly what would be stressed when blocking Walker.

Walker will need to prove himself during team run drills, as he has to show improvement in his ability to hold his ground at the point-of-attack. All the penetration in the world doesn't matter if he gets blown out of his gap on every other run play.

He faces an even tougher hill to climb to make Dallas' 53-man roster than Woods did last season, as the Cowboys legitimately have six (or seven if you count Tyrone Crawford as a DT) defensive tackles ahead of Walker on the depth chart (Woods, Maliek Collins, Christian Covington, Trysten Hill, Daniel Ross, Daniel Wise). Still, don't be surprised if Walker turns enough heads to earn a spot on the practice squad.

Devin Smith, WR

Coming out of Ohio State, Devin Smith was one of the most prolific deep threats in all of college football, as evidenced by his insane 28.2 yards per reception and 12 touchdowns during his senior season.

Smith leveraged his 4.4 speed to consistently get behind college defenses, where he showed impressive ball tracking skills. He has proven to have that extra gear to outrun defenders to the catch point, and his speed could be valuable on special teams - he was a talented gunner at Ohio State.

He flashed outstanding ball skills (like the one-handed catch in the above clip) but proved to be inconsistent in that area. Smith's biggest knock coming out of college was that he relied too much on speed as a route-runner, which hurt his ability to create separation on anything but deep routes and vertical concepts.

Still, Smith has the kind of game speed that cannot be discounted. His speed could especially cause trouble for some of the reserve cornerbacks such as Donovan Olumba and Treston Decoud - taller cornerbacks who are lacking in the long speed department.

If Smith is able to flash on vertical during WR/DB 1-on-1's and get behind the defense during team period a few times, it may earn him some real opportunities during the preseason, which could enable him to contend for a spot on the Cowboys' (or another team's) 53.

Kyle Queiro, LB

A safety by trade in college, Kyle Queiro possesses a new era skill set at LB. With NFL teams becoming more and more pass-happy every year, it has become paramount that linebackers are comfortable in coverage. Two-down run stoppers are going the way of the Dodo bird whereas sub-package LBs are becoming even more valuable.

Cowboys undrafted rookie free agent safety Kyle Queiro making the INT while wearing a cast on one hand pic.twitter.com/cHpWICJqDi — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) April 30, 2018

Queiro's experience at safety may give him an advantage over some of the other reserve linebackers in defending the likes of Tony Pollard and Darius Jackson in coverage throughout camp.

Even though it may be tough to notice since the Cowboys employ two of the freakiest LBs in the league in Jaylon Smith (6-foot-2 and 245 pounds) and Leighton Vander Esch (6-foot-4 and 256 pounds), Dallas has made a concerted effort to get faster, which inevitably means smaller, at the LB position.

Queiro is listed at 6-foot-2 and 230 pounds, which is tiny for LB standards, but he isn't even the smallest on the Cowboys roster. In fact, Dallas possesses three LBs who are in the 220s, which indicates the shift between big, run stuffers to smaller, faster linebackers who are more comfortable in coverage and can play sideline-to-sideline.

Competing with the likes of Justin March-Lillard and Chris Covington, don't be surprised if Queiro is the one who makes the most noise.

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Twitter: @JohnOwning