The Cowboys’ preseason ended one win short of perfect, and now the real roster business begins.
Dallas fell 27-24 to the New Orleans Saints on Friday night after Zach Wilson steered a late drive that ended with Daniel Carlson’s 53-yard field goal with 1:55 left. The Cowboys answered with a comeback of their own, as Sam Howell threw two fourth-quarter touchdown passes and added the tying 2-point conversion run, but it wasn’t enough to save an undefeated preseason run. Dallas finished 2-1 and missed out on its first unbeaten exhibition slate in 20 years.
With the final tune-up in the books, attention shifts quickly to roster cuts coming this weekend. That decision-making process could be especially tricky for Brian Schottenheimer and the Cowboys, who are still sorting through a crowded group of players trying to survive the trim to 53.
One of the clearest rising names has been rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham. He started camp working with the second-team unit and taking snaps both off the ball and on the ball as an outside linebacker, but he earned trust fast.
Once the pads came on, Barham began seeing first-team reps almost immediately. His value isn’t just physical, either.
Christian Parker pointed to Barham’s quick processing and versatility as part of what makes him such a useful piece in the defense.
“Him playing both [positions] is one of the cheat codes that he has,” Parker said. “It’s not like he’s seeing things he hasn’t seen before. I think he’s a fast processor, and he’s one of those guys that’s eager to learn.”
Malachi Lawrence is another rookie drawing attention, even if his path to snaps is crowded. He’s in a deep defensive end room, but his skill set has people around the team believing he can carve out meaningful playing time. The expectation is that he’ll need development and technical refinement, but the upside is obvious enough that the talk around him is already loud.
The offensive line remains another pressure point. There’s concern about whether Dallas currently has its backup swing tackle on the roster, and the problem is made worse by how thin the league is at starting-caliber offensive tackle. The idea that the Cowboys can simply wait for cuts and then solve the issue later doesn’t look realistic, at least not based on how this summer has unfolded.
All of that leaves Dallas with a busy weekend ahead. The preseason loss was a letdown, but the bigger story now is who makes the team, who gets left out, and whether the roster is as sturdy as it needs to be when the season arrives.
In Other News...
Cowboys Receiver Battle Just Claimed A Familiar Name
The Cowboys receiver competition thinned a little more as final roster cuts came down, and Denzel Mims was among the names squeezed out to get Dallas to the 53-man limit. Mims had only been with the team since mid-July, giving him a brief late-summer look before the decision arrived ahead of the regular season.
It was another reminder of how crowded the room has become and how little margin there is for a veteran trying to carve out a role. Mims arrived with some NFL history after three seasons with the Jets, but he has not appeared in a regular-season game since 2022, leaving his next opportunity very much up in the air. [Read more 🡒]
Sam Howell Just Made The Cowboys Final Cuts A Lot Tougher
Sam Howell gave the Cowboys something useful to think about in the preseason finale, and not just because of the numbers. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 155 yards and two touchdowns, helping fuel a fourth-quarter comeback in a game Dallas still lost. In a roster battle that was already crowded, a performance like that can matter, especially for a player trying to turn a strong night into a stronger case for the 53-man roster.
The ripple effect reaches beyond Howell, because every good showing and every healthy return changes the math for the players on the bubble. Camden Brown, Alijah Clark, Sam Williams and Derion Kendrick are all part of that conversation, with recent performances and injuries shaping how tight the cut decisions could be. For Dallas, the final evaluation period suddenly looks a lot trickier than it did before kickoff. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Just Got A Telling Chance To Fix A Thin LB Room
The Cowboys came out of preseason with a clearer picture of where the roster is sturdy and where it still looks exposed, and linebacker remains one of the spots worth watching. Jaishawn Barham has shown enough promise to make the conversation more interesting, but Dallas still has a thin group there and could use a proven piece to stabilize things behind him.
Tyrel Dodson suddenly fits that need after being released by the Dolphins and becoming available as a free agent. He brings veteran experience and a strong 2025 season to the table, which is exactly the kind of profile Dallas can lean on if it wants more certainty in a room that still feels short on it. [Read more 🡒]