With the Cowboys set to open preseason play Saturday night against the Seattle Seahawks, the first real answers are starting to come into focus. The club’s three exhibition games should give a better read on a roster that still has plenty of moving parts, from defensive snaps for key young players to a wide receiver battle that hasn’t been settled yet.
One of the biggest preseason questions is how much action rookies Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence will see. Reports have pointed to both getting “a little bit” of work over the next three weeks, and Cowboys insider Tommy Yarrish said Schottenheimer expects the first-round picks to “play a little bit.” The team is still figuring out who else will get opportunities as it works toward the 53-man roster.
Downs and Lawrence have both stood out early in camp, which makes this a tricky balance for Dallas. They’re expected to matter this season, so the Cowboys may only show a small slice of what they can do before the games start counting.
On the defensive side, Jerry Jones also spent time revisiting the big trade from last offseason and the way it shaped the roster Dallas is putting on the field now. Jones called Micah Parsons a “great player” and said his ability made the deal with Green Bay possible.
“Otherwise, we wouldn’t have had the opportunity to make that kind of trade. That’s why it worked,” Jones said.
“But the fact that we revamped our defense, that was an instigator toward that attitude: ‘Let’s come in here and change this up, let’s get rush from the interior, let’s be stronger on the run in the interior with an emphasis on those guys in the middle.’ That’s not an accident.
That that’s what you see out there from the inside.”
That rebuilt defense has been a major talking point throughout camp, but there’s also been noise on the other side of the ball. The Cowboys’ receiver room beyond the top names remains one of the roster’s murkier spots.
CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are established, Ryan Flournoy has locked down WR3, and KaVontae Turpin is still involved in a limited role. After that, things get crowded in a hurry.
That’s why the preseason matters so much for the group. Dallas appears likely to keep a fifth receiver and maybe a sixth, but no one has clearly separated from the pack yet. Three exhibition games should help sort that out.
One player pushing to make the case is Camden Brown. The Georgia Southern undrafted rookie has been one of the camp’s more consistent performers, and he got a little extra attention on Thursday when he worked with the first-team offense and caught his first pass from Dak Prescott. Brown has also been productive in the red zone, where he has caught several touchdowns since camp began.
There’s been buzz on the offensive line, too. Jerry Jones singled out Tyler Guyton when asked if any players had surprised him at camp. Guyton entered camp in a battle with Nate Thomas for the starting left tackle job, but he has now emerged as the starter 10 practices into camp.
“I really like Guyton,” Jones said after Thursday’s practice. “Guyton is really, I think being where at the level of competition that we had hoped for with him.
That’s a plus. That’s a plus.”
Another defensive name to watch is Shavon Revel Jr., who is trying to build on what he showed in joint practice against the Rams. After going against Davante Adams and Puka Nacua, Revel said, “That felt easy,” and pointed to the work he’s been getting all camp.
“because I’ve been doing it every day against - in my opinion, personally - the best receivers in the league and I felt that throughout this camp.”
And there’s one more rookie working back into the picture. Jaishawn Barham has been sidelined for the last week with a groin issue, but the news on Thursday was encouraging. He is close to being cleared, and there’s at least a chance he could play against the Seahawks in the preseason opener.
In Other News...
Cowboys Rookie Anthony Smith Just Applied Real Pressure In A Crowded Race
A late-summer practice rep can mean more for a rookie than a preseason highlight, and Anthony Smith just gave the Cowboys one that stood out. During joint work with the Rams, the seventh-round wideout flashed the kind of improvement Dallas has been looking for, showing better feel and a little more polish as he tries to carve out a role in a crowded receiver room.
Smith is still very much in the hunt rather than in the clear, and that is what makes the coming days matter so much. The Cowboys have established names ahead of him, and with so few opportunities left to earn a place, every clean rep carries weight. For a player like Smith, the challenge is no longer simply making an impression, but stacking enough of them to convince the coaches and front office he belongs. [Read more 🡒]
Jaydon Blue Just Reopened A Costly Cowboys Concern At The Worst Time
The Cowboys got another reminder in their joint practice with the Rams that the running back competition is still very much alive, and Jaydon Blue was right in the middle of it. Blue put the ball on the ground early in team drills, and his workload dropped off for the rest of the session, an untimely slip for a player trying to climb the depth chart heading into the preseason.
Ball security has followed Blue since his college days at Texas, where fumbling was part of the scouting report long before he reached Dallas. Coaches have pointed to progress, but mistakes like this are exactly the kind that can complicate his push for the backup job behind Javonte Williams, especially with the roster picture tightening in August. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Receiver Suddenly Faces A Tough Camp Setback At Worst Time
The Cowboys wrapped up their final practice before the preseason opener against the Seahawks with a handful of injury concerns hanging over camp. Rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham, cornerbacks Devin Moore and Zion Childress, and defensive tackle Jonathan Bullard were among the players dealing with issues, but the situation around Marquez Valdes-Scantling drew the most attention as Dallas tries to sort out its early roster picture.
Valdes-Scantlings knee injury comes at an awkward moment for a receiver still fighting to carve out a role in the offense. With camp reps and preseason snaps carrying extra weight for players on the fringe, any setback now can make a tough competition even harder, and the next update on his status will matter to a team still looking for clarity at the back end of the wideout group. [Read more 🡒]