Cowboys preseason observations: 2 young players making progress in the trenches (2024)

INGLEWOOD, Calif. — For the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason debut, all eyes were on quarterback Trey Lance. The Cowboys’ third-string quarterback took all the snaps for Dallas after Cooper Rush’s opening drive.

Although Lance’s debut was the big story, there was plenty of valuable roster insight gained. Let’s look at what stood out most from the Cowboys’ 13-12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.

Tyler Guyton impresses

It’s been a roller-coaster 10 days for Tyler Guyton. He missed a few practices dealing with a virus. He returned to the practice field in the days leading up to Sunday’s game and was cleared to play against the Rams.

Chuma Edoga started at left tackle with Guyton on the bench. After the first drive, Guyton replaced Edoga, whose evening ended prematurely due to a toe injury (he was seen in a boot after the game and Dallas didn’t have a concrete update on his status). Guyton was already trending toward taking the starting left tackle spot before Edoga’s injury with strong practices in Oxnard. His work on the field at SoFi Stadium added fuel to the fire.

Guyton was immediately noticeable, particularly in pass protection. On a two-play sequence on his first drive, Guyton stonewalled a pass rusher wide to give Lance time to step up and throw downfield. On the next play, Guyton (No. 60 in the video below) washed his man inside on a called pass play as Lance tucked the ball and ran up the middle for a long gain.

Guyton’s workload was light and sporadic. He didn’t play again in the first half after his first drive, but was back in the second half — and on the field goal team, too. His work in practices against the Cowboys’ top talent, like Micah Parsons, was solid, and it carried over to game action. There’s still plenty of time before the Cowboys have to line up in Cleveland against Myles Garrett for the regular-season opener, but things are trending toward that being Guyton’s assignment.

Trey Lance using his legs 💨

📺: #DALvsLAR on @NFLNetwork
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— NFL (@NFL) August 11, 2024

More O-line notes

• Along with Edoga, the starting offensive line featured Asim Richards at left guard, Brock Hoffman at center, T.J. Bass at right guard and Matt Waletzko at right tackle.

• In speaking with Richards after the game, the coaching staff would like to test the versatility of their 2023 fifth-round pick. He also got snaps at left tackle Sunday but has largely played guard in training camp.

• Rookie Cooper Beebe got snaps at guard and center. The Cowboys are operating under the understanding that Beebe will eventually be the center, but playing guard should not be discounted, depending on how much more Zack Martin has left in the tank. Hoffman will also have a say in who plays center in Dallas, and it’s been his job to lose since camp began. Nothing changed that Sunday.

• Earl Bostick played left and right tackle.

• Bass appears to be the top backup interior offensive lineman, particularly at guard.

The running back room

Rico Dowdle started the game and put out some good tape in limited action. He had a 9-yard run and finished with three carries for 14 yards. After the game, head coach Mike McCarthy said he saw everything he needed from Dowdle.

It will be interesting to see how much Dowdle plays in the remaining two preseason games. He’s in line to be the Cowboys’ top running back. Ezekiel Elliott is going to be another part of that committee and — as expected — the veteran back did not play. Royce Freeman did not play either.

Malik Davis, Snoop Conner and Nathaniel Peat got opportunities, but none did anything to make a strong case.

Mazi Smith

If Lance is the top story of the Cowboys’ preseason, Mazi Smith has a solid case to be second. The NFL sophom*ore had an underwhelming rookie season and hasn’t popped off — one way or the other — in camp.

There were encouraging signs against the Rams. Smith was in on the first tackle of the game, along with rookie Marshawn Kneeland, and finished with three tackles in limited playing time. His most impressive play was sniffing out a second-down screen deep in the Cowboys’ territory that helped stall a Rams drive and forced them to settle for a field goal.

Given Smith’s position as a defensive tackle, stats won’t tell the story of his progress. Much of his impact will be judged on how he does in the trenches, controlling the line of scrimmage and creating lanes for linebackers to fill in the run defense. Smith had his ups and downs against the Rams but looked better than what he showed in his rookie year (which isn’t saying much). The Cowboys have talked about the scheme change favoring Smith more, but his struggles last year were not primarily a scheme issue. His quickness off the snap was not good, nor was his strength. Adding weight has helped in that regard, but he needs to show more improvement.

Smith’s preseason playing time will be interesting, because he’s a player Dallas needs to see more from but the team’s lack of depth at the position already has him slotted as the starting defensive tackle. The coaching staff will need to thread that needle.

Secondary depth

On paper, the Cowboys’ pass defense was incredible, intercepting Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett four times. Context is required for a true evaluation.

Fifth-round pick Caelen Carson has consistently made plays on the practice fields, including an interception Thursday in a joint practice against the Rams. Carson had some trouble in coverage Sunday, which can be chalked up to rookie growing pains. It was a short pause in the positive hype Carson had generated. As the team’s fourth cornerback (at best), Carson has time to develop and has a promising future.

Eric Scott Jr., last year’s sixth-round pick, had a rough afternoon. On the first drive, Scott was in coverage against Jordan Whittington when Whittington caught a pass, broke free of Scott’s tackle and raced 30 yards. Two drives later, Scott had a terrible unnecessary roughness penalty for a late hit. On the Rams’ final drive of the first half, Whittington converted a fourth down over Scott. He redeemed himself later in the drive with an interception, but that was more a credit to Bennett, who made it impossible for Scott to drop the ball.

The same can be said for at least two other interceptions, one by Markquese Bell and another by Brock Mogensen. Julius Wood also picked off Bennett.

Quick hitters

• Cooper Rush started the game and only played one drive. The highlight was a deep pass to Jalen Brooks, who made a nice adjustment to catch the ball. Rush looks like the reliable backup he’s proven to be throughout his career, and Brooks looks like he’s in control of the fifth receiver spot.

• Brandon Aubrey hasn’t missed a beat. He connected on four of his five field goal attempts. His lone miss was a 65-yarder that was accurate but fell short. McCarthy said they wanted to try Aubrey from beyond 70 yards but special teams coach John Fassel wasn’t feeling it. Aubrey rushed out of the stadium after the game to tend to his wife, who is about to give birth to their child.

• The receiver group was a mixed bag. Jalen Cropper carried over his strong camp to lead the team with four catches. Rookie Ryan Flournoy had a bad drop and also fumbled the ball out of bounds on one of his two catches. Early training camp star Tyron Billy-Johnson wasn’t targeted. Veteran Kelvin Harmon came down with a couple of passes late in the game.

(Photo: Jevone Moore / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)

Saad Yousuf is a staff writer covering the Dallas Cowboys and Dallas Stars. He also works at 96.7/1310 The Ticket in Dallas after five years at ESPN Dallas radio. Prior to The Athletic, Saad covered the Cowboys for WFAA, the Mavericks for Mavs.com and a variety of sports at The Dallas Morning News, ESPN.com and SB Nation. Follow Saad on Twitter @SaadYousuf126