The Dallas Cowboys play their second preseason sport on Saturday once they host the Baltimore Ravens. The group will proceed to guage gamers as they progressively assemble their 53-man roster. With a number of unknowns sprinkled throughout, there might be loads of issues to look at on this sport. Listed below are 5 gamers to maintain a detailed eye on when the Cowboys hit the sector in opposition to the Ravens.
All eyes are on the Cowboys’ new shiny new pass-throwing toy final Saturday after a Jekyll and Hyde efficiency final Saturday. The second-year quarterback was everywhere early, misfiring on all cylinders, however then settled down late within the third quarter. The group would like to see much less of the ugly stuff and extra of the latter. Milton seems to be the group’s ride-or-die backup with the “break glass if crucial” Will Grier as a final resort. Seeing him present a bit extra consistency would calm issues for a bit, in addition to present higher alternatives for bottom-roster extensive receivers to struggle for a spot on the group.
In what turned out to be a puzzling teaching determination, the Cowboys didn’t play their first-round draft choose final week. Zero reps for this utterly uncooked rookie. What a head-scratcher. That received’t be the case this week because the Alabama guard will see his first sport motion on the NFL degree. Booker is off to a timid begin in camp, even having veteran Rob Jones overtake the first-team reps at proper guard earlier than he acquired damage. Sadly, Jones suffered a damaged bone in his neck throughout the group’s first padded observe and is now out for the season. The Cowboys nonetheless have some good inside line depth in Brock Hoffman, T.J. Bass, and Saahdiq Charles, so Booker will nonetheless need to earn the beginning job. exhibiting on Saturday could be a optimistic step for him.
The Cowboys have points at nostril deal with as veteran Mazi Smith has not regarded good, and rookie Jay Toia appears to be like like, nicely, a rookie. Final week, Smith was sluggish out of the gate and wasn’t efficient in opposition to the Rams’ offensive line. Toia confirmed a bit extra vitality, however struggled to take care of leverage. He would get torqued round and pushed off to the facet. Winfrey was the perfect of the group on Saturday. He was fast off the snap, struck quick, and used his size to maintain blockers from getting any push in opposition to him. There have been a number of occasions final week that Winfrey created strain and was near getting dwelling. If this former UFL star can proceed to make performs, may he sneak himself onto the 53-man roster?
The teaching employees can have some powerful selections to make alongside the offensive line, as there are a handful of gamers on the perimeter. This contains Asim Richards (fifth-round choose, 2023), Saahdiq Charles (free agent), and Ajani Cornelius (sixth-round rookie). All of them are within the combine for a ultimate roster spot, as is 27-year-old free agent Hakeem Adeniji. Final week, he began at proper deal with and held issues down moderately nicely. One other efficiency like that may safe his spot on the roster. Final week, we highlighted Richards and the group moved him round between left deal with and left guard. The group wants good depth alongside the offensive line, contemplating how banged up they’ve been lately. It could possibly be a four-man race for the ultimate two spots with Adeniji proper within the thick of it.
Final week, we recognized rookie undrafted free agent defensive again Zion Childress as somebody to keep watch over, and that ought to proceed as he’s making a great push for a roster spot. The Cowboys’ cornerback room is a bit tumultuous proper now because of a number of accidents. The group wants viable, wholesome our bodies to carry issues down till reinforcements arrive. As unimpressive as they’re, each Andrew Sales space and Kemon Corridor could be the group’s greatest choices in the intervening time. Sales space provides size, regardless of exhibiting an inclination to get crushed deep. Corridor isn’t smothering, however he’s sometimes across the ball, retaining smaller performs from changing into larger performs. Whether or not it’s Sales space, Corridor, or Childress, the group desperately wants considered one of their defensive backs to step up and add some depth to the roster.
