Camden Brown didn’t waste his chance.
In Dallas’ 17-7 preseason win over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday, the undrafted rookie wide receiver made the kind of opening statement that turns a camp body into a name worth remembering. Brown caught touchdown passes from Sam Howell and Joe Milton III, finishing with three receptions for 75 yards and easily producing the most eye-catching performance of the Cowboys’ preseason opener.
His first score came late in the second quarter on a 39-yard throw from Howell. Then in the third quarter, Brown went up for a 20-yard fade from Milton and hauled it in with a one-handed grab that flashed exactly why he has been getting attention in camp.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said none of it came as a surprise.
“The game is not too big for him,” Schottenheimer said during his postgame press conference. “He does that every day in practice. We see it all the time.”
That wasn’t the part of Brown’s night that mattered most to Schottenheimer, either. The coach kept coming back to the work Brown has put in away from the ball and on special teams, the sort of detail work that can separate the last man in from the first one out when roster cuts arrive.
“He realizes that that’s how you make this football team when you’ve got a receiver room that is filled with George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, people like that,” Schottenheimer said. “That’s what matters.”
Brown’s route to this moment has been a long one. He entered the league as an undrafted rookie out of Georgia Southern after spending his first three college seasons at Auburn. He transferred and then posted 20 catches for 350 yards and three touchdowns in his final year.
The challenge in Dallas is obvious. Lamb and Pickens are locked into the top of the depth chart, and Brown is fighting through a crowded receiver group for one of the remaining spots. He came into camp needing to stand out every time the staff gave him a look.
On Saturday, he did exactly that.
Schottenheimer also said Dallas had already started giving Brown occasional reps with the first team before the preseason game, and that the rookie’s showing only strengthens that trend.
“We’ve wanted to get him in there a little bit with the first team,” Schottenheimer said. “When we put him in there, he’s done a really good job.”
For the Cowboys, the bigger theme has been Brown’s steadiness. One strong game doesn’t hand anyone a roster spot, but Schottenheimer made it clear the rookie has been building trust throughout training camp.
“He’s just consistent, and that’s what we want as coaches,” Schottenheimer said. “We want people that are consistent and the same every day.”
Brown still has work ahead. Dallas has a joint practice with the New Orleans Saints before its second preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 22.
But after Saturday, he’s no longer just another name in the background. Brown has pushed himself into the middle of the Cowboys’ roster conversation.
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