National Football League

Dallas Cowboys using drones to tape practice sessions

Published May. 27, 2015 10:54 a.m. ET

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The Dallas Cowboys have a new trick up their sleeves when it comes to getting the most out of practice.

According to ESPN’s Todd Archer, the storied franchise is now utilizing drones to film practice sessions from overhead. Head coach Jason Garrett implemented the strategy after getting the idea from SMU coach Chad Morris, per Archer.

“We pride ourselves on coaching and teaching our players as well as we can and film has been a big part of the game for a long time,” Garrett said. “Typically you have an end zone shot and a sideline shot. We use a lot of hand-held cameras on the ground. … One of our coaches went down to SMU for their spring practices and saw they were using it. They liked the angle. We got a chance to see it, so we decided to take a look at it.”

Garrett also mentioned the benefit of being able to see everyone on the field on the same screen, which is invaluable when breaking down how plays develop and how players are maintaining their assignments. Essentially, what these drones are doing is similar to what we see on nationally televised games when the overhead camera is used -- you know, the one that hangs on those wires above the field?

For now, this appears to be nothing more than an experiment to see if there are any worthwhile long-term benefits. However, given the way technology continues to take leaps and bounds in the NFL, this could signal the beginning of a league-wide trend.

NFL teams are always looking for new ways to improve efficiency and productivity. Not surprisingly, Dallas appears to be ahead of the curve.

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