Dallas City News

In watching the Dallas Cowboys preseason finale against the Los Angeles Chargers, we learned much more about the team than we knew heading into this game. Here are five thoughts on the Cowboys after their loss against the Chargers.

1. Ryan Flournoy flourishes to secure the final receiver spot on the roster

Before the preseason, sixth-round draft pick Ryan Flournoy faced some heat for making a spot on the team. It’s reasonable to believe that the Cowboys will go a little long at wide receiver and carry six receivers, with the top of the depth chart being CeeDee Lamb, Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, and KaVontae Turpin. Before preseason started, Tyron Billy-Johnson and Jalen Cropper were creeping up behind the draft pick with good showing at training camp practices. Unfortunately, Billy-Johnson’s and Cropper’s performances didn’t translate to the preseason, and Flournoy delivered in that aspect.

He scored two red zone touchdowns in the final two weeks of the preseason, and his red zone upside could prove too enticing to let slip away. Meanwhile, Cropper and Billy-Johnson needed to do more to close the gap with Flournoy. Flournoy’s releases off the line of scrimmage and hands are the traits that teams covet, and the Cowboys shouldn’t let him go and see if he’ll clear waivers. When the lights came on, Flournoy shined and should make the team.

2. Lance’s mixed bag

When it comes to Trey Lance, everything about his situation comes off as the team and Lance being in the wrong place at the wrong time. With each passing week, it’s harder to justify the Cowboys trading a fourth-round pick last season to acquire him. Sure, he’ll make the team even after his erratic performance in the preseason finale after he threw five interceptions. That, in and of itself, should be alarming.

The Cowboys are forcibly trying to reason with themselves for making a trade for a third-string quarterback in a market in which they were bidding against themselves. This is all while not agreeing with their current franchise quarterback on his new contract. Cooper Rush is easily QB2 and Lance will not surpass Cooper Rush in any circumstance. Barring a rash of injuries at quarterback, Lance isn’t going to start for the team. His only way on the field outside of that is crafting a package for him in certain formations as a gadget player. Dallas’ big hope is someone willing to trade for Lance during the season, but he hasn’t done enough to covet a higher compensation than what he was acquired for, especially after what he demonstrated against Los Angeles.

The timing of it all feels ill-conceived. All three of the Cowboys’ quarterbacks are in the final year of their contracts, so the likelihood of keeping all three was never feasible from the start. In a vacuum, Lance could be a great project for another team. He certainly has the abilities that warranted him being selected by the San Francisco 49ers as high as he did.

He’s got athleticism, as evidenced by his 46-yard touchdown run, and has a fantastic arm with upper-level velocity. However, he struggles to read the field, and his ball placement can be very inconsistent, as demonstrated on several occasions on Saturday including on the game’s final play.

You never know what you’ll get from Lance from one down to the next. On one play, he throws a beautiful touchdown pass to Ryan Flournoy but then he throws the ball behind Jalen Cropper for an interception. He then misses Deuce Vaughn in the flat for an easy completion before never seeing the defender on an interception for a pass intended for Deontay Burnett or throwing a lousy pick-six. It’s a storyline that’ll cede into the background to make way for the regular season, yet it was still unnecessary all the same.

3. Running back room will be decided mostly by preference, not merit.

Far and away, the best running back in training camp has been Rico Dowdle. The former undrafted free agent from South Carolina has separated himself from the field and boasts the best mixture of vision, elusiveness, and speed at tailback on the roster. He’s the singular running back who has earned his keep with no strings attached. It’s all the more impressive that he was third on the depth chart only two seasons ago and fighting to stay on the active roster.

However, the same doesn’t apply to his other running back counterparts. Ezekiel Elliott is sure to make the team, and much of it is predicated on what he has done for the team in the past and the front office’s affinity for him. That said, at this stage in their career, he’s a role player who fits best as a short-yardage/goal line runner with limited upside as a receiving threat and runner in between the 20s. That same role could be occupied by a running back with less tread on the tire and one that provides more athletic upside.

Could that be Royce Freeman? Possibly. Regardless, the team has chosen Elliott as he took zero snaps in the preseason and will surely be active for the season opener at Cleveland. Deuce Vaughn missed a lot of time in training camp and has a lot to prove after a disappointing rookie season. Fortunately for him, he does possess the elusive traits to be an ideal third-down running back in the NFL as a runner and a receiver. Against Los Angeles, Vaughn had a solid game to his credit. He was second on the team in rushing with 53 yards on nine carries.

Hunter Leupke will serve as the team’s fullback, with a few times his number being called as a ball-carrier. Head coach Mike McCarthy loves fullbacks who can be versatile and support in blocking, running, and receiving. If McCarthy has a type, Leupke is his pet cat on the roster. That’s not to say the depth chart at the position will be entirely bad; it merely makes you wonder why the team didn’t do more to acquire more talent at running back. They didn’t draft a runner this year despite some good options. Anxiously, we should wait for what happens with final cuts throughout the NFL and if the Cowboys will look for external help at running back. The initial intuition is no; the team is willing to begin the season with what they currently have in-house.

4. The linebacker room is much improved

The most giant red flag on the roster entering the offseason might have been the linebacker position. As we know, former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn used the linebacker’s spots interchangeably with safeties. Therefore, players like Donovan Wilson and Markquese Bell were moonlighting as linebackers coming down in the box to support the run or quickly defending short, underneath throws. With new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer in the picture, the Cowboys will go to a more conventional personnel grouping.

For starters, the Cowboys still managed to maintain speed and athleticism at linebacker. DeMarvion Overshown returns this season from an ACL injury last season and has had months to rehabilitate and regain his mobility. Damone Clark should also be better in his third season, and the team may have struck gold with third-round pick Marist Liufau in last April’s draft. The group leader will be Eric Kendricks, who has had a long-time relationship with Zimmer since their time with the Minnesota Vikings. Beyond that, cut downs at linebacker are going to be tough.

Damien Wilson, a former Cowboys draft pick, is a heat-seeking missile. He made a big tackle in the backfield on a two-point attempt against the Chargers, and you can hear how hard he hit the ball carriers on Saturday. He’s a veteran who can play in a pinch and has started 73 games. Nick Vigil, who made an excellent play on a pass deflection that led to an interception, has also started several games. The improvement at linebacker also allows Micah Parsons to play more snaps rushing the passer than playing off-ball at linebacker.

1. Undrafted free agent stock watch and 1 “big” thought

On Saturday, the interior offensive line was outstanding. Brock Hoffman may have lost the starting spot at center to Cooper Beebe, but there is no way he has lost a place on the team. He and T.J. Bass were consistently driving back the Chargers’ defensive line into the laps of their linebackers. Hoffman and Bass paved the way for several positive runs and Vaughn’s longest run of the day. In relief of Hoffman, Dakoda Shepley also did pretty well, opening holes for the ground game.

The tight end group will also be a challenging roster cut-down for the team. Peyton Hendershot feels like the odd man out because of the need for a blocking tight end, and the athletic upside of John Stephens, despite a costly fumble during the game, feels so similar to Hendershot. Brevyn Spann-Ford is vying to be the team’s blocking tight end and showed little receiving skills during a two-minute drill in the game. Could it be enough to warrant a spot on the roster? It’s tough to tell, but his presence makes it difficult for Hendershot.

Julius Wood had an excellent showing with four tackles, a forced fumble, and an interception. Darius Harris came up big at one moment with a sack and a tackle for loss on back-to-back plays. What’s the plan for Viliami Fehoko? Do the Cowboys want him to play on the edge of the interior? Or some semblance of both?

The Cowboys have invested a lot into the interior defensive line. They added veterans Jordan Phillips (via trade) and Linval Joseph, who signed up this week. Chauncey Golston can also play on the interior and the edge like Fehoko, as could Marshawn Kneeland. The loss of Sam Williams does change the dynamic, yet curiously, you have to think about what might await Fehoko in his second season.