Dallas City News

Another week of training camp is in the books for the Dallas Cowboys and players are continuing to help or hurt their claims on roster spots. In our latest stock watch, we’re going to look at a mix of established veterans cementing their roles, bubble guys going in opposite directions, and one big name who may be putting himself in harm’s way.

Risers

FB Hunter Luepke

Back for a second season with Dallas, the team’s only true fullback is impressing with his effort and development. Versatility is key for the modern FB and Luepke is showing his stuff as a ball carrier, receiver, blocker, and even lining up as a tight end would at times. Being called “instrumental” by owner/GM Jerry Jones and drawing praise from Mike McCarthy as well, Luepke appears to be a roster lock and poised to get a lot more than the nine touches he had as a rookie.

OT Terence Steele

While his roster spot was never in doubt, some wondered if Steele would be challenged for his starting job at right tackle after a down year. The veteran appears to have silenced any doubters with a strong camp thus far, showing he’s further recovered from a 2022 knee injury. While never the best pass protector, Steele’s prowess in the run game was sorely missed last season and will be a welcome return to the offense this season.

LB Damone Clark

Between the signing of Eric Kendricks, the return of DeMarvion Overshown, and the drafting of Marist Liufau, Clark was becoming an afterthought among the core linebackers. But after reports of Clark’s considerable growth, thanks in part to mentoring from retired LBs Sean Lee and Leighton Vander Esch, he’s pushing to hold his ground against all of the fresh faces. It’s also a sign that, after a year of being miscast due to injuries, Clark is finally getting to play ball the way he was meant to.

Fallers

RB Ezekiel Elliott

We never expected to see the old Zeke again, but unfortunately, Elliott now just looks old. Rico Dowdle is earning the starting job on the practice field, which shouldn’t surprise us, but even guys like Luepke and veteran Royce Freeman are drawing more positive reviews. It’s hard to imagine Zeke not making the roster given all of the non-football factors, including an almost fully guaranteed contract, but he may end up with a smaller share in the rotation than most have projected.

WR Ryan Flournoy

The rookie was one of the hottest names coming out of the spring camps and OTAs but has missed a lot of time in Oxnard due to a knee issue. It’s allowed other prospects like Jalen Brooks, Tyron Billy-Johnson, and Jalen Cropper to rise in his absence, putting pressure on Flournoy to come back strong in the coming weeks and preseason games.

DE Villiami Fehoko Jr.

A fourth-round pick last year, Fehoko’s already suffered from the change in defensive coordinator and different expectations from the linemen. His size was more of an asset to Dan Quinn’s scheme where he could move inside in packages, but now Fehoko seems too slow to play DE for Mike Zimmer. The lack of defensive line depth means he still has a chance to hang on it’s not looking good for the second-year prospect.