Dallas City News

What story did the preseason write for the Cowboys?- Cody Warren, Inside The Star

There was no shortage of headlines this preseason.

Trey Lance’s preseason game statistics.

Through three preseason games, Trey Lance had a stat line that reflected a third-string quarterback.

In his first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams, Trey Lance completed 25/41 passes with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He had 188 yards passing with 4.6 yards per catch.

A 60 percent completion percentage will not work in the NFL. Neither will the quarterback rating of 72.

The one bright spot is he ran the ball six times for 44 yards, averaging 7.3 yards, but was sacked three times.

The second preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders was a much better game.

Trey Lance completed 15 of 23 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown. He ended the game with a quarterback rating of 98.3.

The running took a step back in this game. Trey Lance had seven carries for 34 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.9 yards.

In the final preseason game, fans watched Trey Lance take more risks with the ball. He threw the ball 49 times and completed 33 passes for 323 yards and one touchdown.

This game not only saw Trey Lance throw the ball more, but his running ability was on full display. He ran 11 times for 90 yards and a score.

The downside to Trey Lance’s passing was more evident by the five interceptions he threw, which ended a few promising drives.

3 Cowboys who should definitely be cut after preseason finale- Maitland Rutledge, The Landry Hat

Now come the difficult decisions.

1. OT Matt Waletzko

It is time to close the book on Waletzko’s Cowboy career. Waletzko was drafted in the fifth round in 2022 with the hope that he could develop into a swing tackle. Through three full preseasons and only four regular season game appearances, it is time for Dallas to move on for good.

Waletzko got to start the final preseason game and was lined up at right tackle. He committed a holding penalty on the offense’s second drive and was called again for holding in the fourth quarter. Waletzko saw plenty of playing time in the first two exhibitions, but this game was a huge opportunity to play his way into a roster spot and he might now be on the outside looking in.

Overall, the Cowboys expected more of Waletzko when they drafted him, but have constantly had to bring in more tackles. Waletzko came in with question marks when he was drafted and those reservations have been justified the last two preseasons. With Asim Richards making strides in his development, it is hard to imagine Dallas finding a place on the roster for Waletzko.

Good, Bad, Ugly: Lance delivers all of above in Cowboys’ preseason finale- Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire

Saturday’s action had everything.

Good: Bubble guys rise to occasion on opening drive

The preseason finale is the last chance for players on the bubble to tip the scales in their favor, and several Cowboys did just that right out of the gates Saturday. On a 14-play possession that covered 85 yards and chewed up the first seven minutes of clock, a handful of Dallas hopefuls helped bolster their case for either a final roster spot or a better ranking on the depth chart. Luke Schoonmaker, Malik Davis, Jalen Cropper, Deuce Vaughn, Ryan Flournoy, and Tyron Billy-Johnson all made noteworthy plays on that opening march.

Mike McCarthy sounds truly desperate to get CeeDee Lamb back ASAP- Rucker Haringey, FanSided

Mike McCarthy can join every other Cowboys fan at this point.

CeeDee Lamb’s contract saga has dominated headlines in Dallas during the preseason but it’s starting to become an even more pressing issue for the Cowboys. Head coach Mike McCarthy understands the need to get a new deal inked with his star wide receivers so he’s ready to play when the regular season begins.

The Cowboys’ coach made it clear to reporters this week that there needs to be a ‘healthy plan’ to integrate Lamb into the team’s plans if he ends his holdout and signs a new contract. There’s still significant optimism on both signs that a new deal can be struck, but time is becoming a real factor between the team and the talented pass catcher.

“You got to have a healthy plan. Yeah, definitely. We’ve got to be smart there and just use good judgment. And that’ll be the case. But yeah, I think it’s just the reality of where we are. So, we’ll deal with it one day at a time,” McCarthy told Jon Machota of The Athletic.

Deuce Vaughn on cut decision: ‘It’s in God’s hands’- Nick Harris, DallasCowboys.com

Deuce Vaughn on roster cuts.

“It’s been my first time battling adversity as far as a soft tissue injury,” Vaughn said in retrospect about his preseason performance. “It was a way for myself to battle back from that. It was hard, it was tough. I was able to pick myself back up, get healthy, be patient and come out here and play my brand of football.”

The running back room also looks a lot different than it did a year ago when he was trying to find a role behind Tony Pollard and Rico Dowdle. This time around, the argument could be made that the Cowboys are seeking out his role in order to find a playmaking force out of the backfield.

“For myself, I’m just coming in and proving myself all over again,” he said. “Trying to get one-percent better every day throughout camp. Just come out here and play my brand of football and put good things on tape every single day.”

“I’ve always been a guy that whatever is asked of me from a program or organization, I’m gonna go and do. I’m gonna put my head down and go attack it with hard work. Whatever I have to do to give my team an opportunity to win, I’m gonna go and do.”

While his injury at the beginning of camp set him back, Vaughn has made a big late push to prove to the organization that he is worthy of one of the 53 spots on the roster after Tuesday’s cut deadline.

“I feel like I’ve done everything I can do as far as the hard work and the preparation. Doing everything I can to put my best foot forward. It’s in God’s hands. These next few days, I’ll be with my family and be thankful.”

Cowboys’ tight end cuts will be ‘real interesting’ for final roster- Josh Sanchez, Sports Illustrated

It’s a close battle in the tight-end room.

In a matter of days, the team will have to widdle things down to the final 53-man roster, and there are some difficult decisions to be made. One of the most difficult decisions will be determining which tight ends to move forward with.

The Cowboys have are deep at the position which makes figuring out which players will make the cut that much harder.

After star tight end Jake Ferguson and former second-rounder Luke Schoonmaker, the position is up in the air.

Following Saturday’s preseason finale, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones spoke to reporters about the final roster and noted the tight end position will be “very interesting.”

It was expected that fullback Hunter Luepke was a roster lock, but Jones’ comments make you wonder if the team could decide to keep a more versatile tight end over their traditional fullback.

“That’s our longest position there and that will be real interesting,” Jones said, via the Dallas Morning News. “We love our fullback but we got some tight ends that can play fullback.”

The tight ends competing for the final spot(s) are Peyton Hendershot, John Stephens Jr., Brevyn Spann-Ford, and Princeton Fant.