The Cowboys won their first preseason opener since 2017 on Saturday. A 17-7 win for Dallas; our backups beat the backups of the defending Super Bowl Champions.
While no starters played, we learned a lot from this game. We saw the debut of Caleb Downs, a whopping 8 plays. We saw the Camden Brown show and many more storylines to watch. Let’s recap.
Camden Brown Makes the Team?
The name that stole the show, UDFA Camden Brown, an Auburn-to-Georgia Southern transfer who, if you watch his tape his known for going up and making physical catches. Brown has made catches similar to those on Saturday all camp.
Many fans are excited to name Brown to the 53-man roster. But I think we still need to see him put in work through the rest of the preseason. A few years ago, a performance like this would allow Brown to start week one.
But now the Cowboys have guys like CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, and Ryan Flournoy. The Cowboys have grown so much in talent. I think the 4th spot goes to the returner, KaVontae Turpin. That leaves maybe one or two spots.
I originally anticipated Jonathan Mingo and MVS were in contention for those spots, but I think Brown can slide into the 5th WR spot.
Who Took Advantage of Their Opportunities?
In my pregame article, I discussed 5 players who needed to win their opportunities, so let’s evaluate.
Phil Mafah
The plan was to get him carries all night; he had 17 snaps and left the game with a chest injury. There were some muddy waters he had to run through, with not great line play in front of him. He had a great pass block in the red zone. Blue didn’t outplay Mafah, but instead, Malik Davis keeps playing consistently and looks like the 2nd-best back on this team.
Malachi Lawrence
With 19 snaps, there were a few plays that stood out. He disrupted a pulling guard and shorted a run. He also had a quick pressure, but he won on the inside and allowed a running QB to get outside and rush for a 1st down. Needs to contain the edge.
Nate Thomas
Playing tackle for the 1st half. Really, the entire offensive line didn’t look great. He had a few nice blocks, but there are still some real errors, including an early false start. The reason Tyler Guyton won the starting job is clear.
Caelen Carson
His name was called on early, and not always for a good reason. He had a few automatic first down penalites. But mixed in a few PBUs. I don’t think he moved the needle for how his future looks. If anything, I am more confused.
Michael Trigg
While DJ Rogers played TE earlier, Trigg got some good run. Rogers plays the backup fullback role. Still want to see more from Trigg as a blocker. It’s tough for him. But Schoonmaker has left the door open.
Stock Up
- Camden Brown: Two touchdowns
- James Houston: Two sacks to end the half.
- Reddy Steward: Can be safety and backup nickel
- Julius Wood: Runs downhill and can’t wait to hit someone
Stock Down
- Backup offensive line
- Luke Schoonmaker
- Traeshon Holden
What’s Next?
The Cowboys still have two more preseason games to get everything figured out. Dallas has a joint practice with the New Orleans Saints on Tuesday.
I wonder if they will add anything to shake up this defense anymore (they did).
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