The Cowboys are finally headed into live action, and the trip to Seattle gives Dallas its first real chance to see how the 2026 roster pieces look when the whistle blows for real. The offseason has stayed clean, the team has kept things strictly business, and after a strong practice showing against the Los Angeles Rams, the focus now shifts to a preseason game that still matters plenty for players fighting for jobs and roles.
This is the kind of night where a few snaps can change the temperature around a player fast. For some Cowboys, Saturday is less about the final score and more about forcing their way into the conversation.
Traeshon Holden is one of those names. If Dallas decides to keep more receivers, he has a lane to stick around, but the competition is crowded.
He’s up against veteran options like Marquez Valdez-Scantling and Denzel Mims, while also battling seventh-round pick Anthony Smith and undrafted rookie Camden Brown. Holden already proved last preseason that he can handle the spotlight, and that run helped him land on the practice squad.
This summer, though, he’s been quieter. A strong outing against Seattle would put him back on the radar and remind the staff what he can do when the lights come on.
Drew Shelton is in a different spot. The rookie has had some rough moments in pass protection and has already shown he’s still very much a work in progress.
He’s not in cut territory, though; being a fourth-round pick gives him a built-in path onto the roster, and the tools are there. Dallas should give him plenty of work against Seattle while it sorts through the reserve tackle mix.
Nate Thomas has also had some shaky outings, and the addition of Sebastian Gutierrez has tightened the swing tackle race. If Shelton puts together a clean game, he can move ahead of Thomas and start building some momentum in that battle.
Jay Toia needs a stronger showing for a different reason. Otito Ogbonnia is lined up as the primary nose tackle in the 3-4 front, which leaves Toia in a spot where he has to prove he belongs as the next man up.
His rookie year wasn’t much to write home about, and this summer hasn’t changed the conversation much. He’s replaceable right now, and Kelvin Gilliam has flashed enough in practice to stay in the mix.
Saturday is a real chance for Toia to show he can be trusted, especially with Kenny Clark and Quinnen Williams anchoring the front. Dallas won’t want to take chances at nose tackle if Ogbonnia goes down, so Toia has to give them something they can believe in.
Then there’s Marist Liufau, who may have the toughest assignment of the bunch. Entering the third year of his contract, he’s been asked to learn a new spot and adjust into an edge-rusher role in a 3-4 defense.
He has made some plays in practice and has been moved around in different formations, which at least gives the coaching staff a look at how he fits. But the real questions are still waiting for Saturday night: how much has he improved as an edge player, and can he make noise off the edge?
The interior linebacker room is stronger now, so that path doesn’t offer much. The edge group is already solid too, but Liufau could still force his way into the discussion with a sack or a forced fumble.
For a preseason game, there’s plenty on the line for a handful of Cowboys. Saturday night in Seattle will tell a lot about who’s moving forward and who still has work to do.
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The buzz picked up after Miller shared a Cowboys camp video and later posted himself wearing a Cowboys hat with the caption Cowboy baby, enough to send social media and message boards into a familiar swirl of speculation. For now, though, it remains exactly that, with no agreement or deal announced by the team, leaving Cowboys fans to keep reading between the lines as training camp moves on. [Read more 🡒]