Cowboys vs. Chargers Stock Report: Deuce Vaughn, Ryan Flournoy rise while Trey Lance falls
The Dallas Cowboys concluded their preseason on Saturday afternoon. They now have the tall task of assembling a 53-man roster before preparation for the Cleveland Browns in Week 1 (oh, and the contract extensions for a couple of players).
Saturday technically goes in the preseason loss column, but the results of these games do not matter. What we care about is how the players fared and who improved or worsened their standing relative to the team as a whole.
This is where our stock report comes in. Every week we put this together and take a look at which players rose and which ones fell.
Here is our stock report following Saturday’s finale.
Stock Up: Ryan Flournoy
To this point in things it has been a bit of a question as to who was going to take the sixth wide receiver spot for the Dallas Cowboys. We have seen a handful of players pop on different days at camp, but the preseason games carry a different kind of weight. I am here to officially announce that the spot should belong to Ryan Flournoy.
History tells us that drafted players have an inside track of sorts towards making the roster, so that was already working in Flournoy’s favor. But he has produced as of late and seemed to get hot at the right time.
Stock Up: Deuce Vaughn
Similarly to Flournoy, there have been questions about a would-be roster spot for Deuce Vaughn. It seems that we have an answer now.
What exactly is that answer? It is obvious that Vaughn offers a skillset that the team can use if they are truly committed to doing so. He can absolutely be a player that contributes and he has proven that over the course of the last month. Put him on the 53.
Stock Up: Buddy Johnson
It remains to be seen exactly how the Cowboys are going to construct their linebacker group, but Buddy Johnson has made a case to be a part of it. He had a phenomenal play in the first half of this game where he batted a pass down near the quarterback when Dallas was up against their goal line. The move forced the Chargers to settle for a field goal instead of scoring a touchdown.
Stock Up: Israel Mukuamu
Before the game even started we found out that DaRon Bland will miss some time with a stress fracture in his foot. This changed the calculus at the cornerback position.
Over time we have seen the Cowboys play Israel Mukuamu all over the place, but the reason for that is he can contribute. Saturday was another productive day for him and he seems like someone who can be an option for the team to at the very least survive time without Bland.
Stock Up: Royce Freeman
In the first half of this game the Cowboys saw Royce Freeman be quite productive. We still don’t know exactly how many running backs they are going to carry, but Freeman runs hard and did so against the Chargers. He has a case.
Stock Up: Julius Wood
If you have an interception in any game you are going to get a stock up.
Julius Wood’s, his second in as many weeks, may have come off of a tip drill, but it still counts!
The roster math may not totally work for Wood, but he seems like a great candidate for the practice squad at least.
Stock Up: Cooper Beebe
This is more of a tip of the hat than anything, but third-round rookie Cooper Beebe did not play in the preseason finale.
Beebe has notably been in a roster battle with Brock Hoffman, who did play, for the starting center spot. Two and two make four and we can discern that Beebe has won the starting center position.
Stock Down: Trey Lance
If you have not accepted by now that Trey Lance is a wildly talented athlete with a great amount of skill on the ground who happens to struggle at the very thing his position requires of him, you know, passing the ball, it feels like you have been living in denial.
This game was basically that entire experience laid out through four whole quarters. Lance threw five interceptions and looked questionable at best when asked to throw the ball in general, but goodness is he a smooth runner who knows how to use his athleticism in that way.
We have had a number of conversations about Lance over the course of the last 365 days (it was this weekend when the team acquired him last year), but the facts seem to be that he is a very talented athlete who is still incredibly raw as a quarterback.
It is what it is. He is weak in the areas that are most critical for the job that he has. This was a step back after one forward that ultimately leaves us maybe further back than where we were this time last year relative to this specific player.
Stock Down: John Stephens Jr.
This is obviously a moment where roster spots are being fought for down to the tiniest little detail. Not all 53 are up for grabs, but you can do a lot to either win or lose those last ones.
John Stephens Jr. may have done the latter as he caught an incredible pass from Trey Lance early in the game, perhaps Lance’s best throw to date, up the seam. Unfortunately he fumbled it shortly after. Simply put these kinds of things cannot happen. You cannot afford to make those mistakes in the eleventh hour.
Stock Down: Junior Fehoko
We have seen the Cowboys bring in three defensive linemen overall since training camp began and many have wondered how this will impact Mazi Smith. The real person who feels it though may be Junior Fehoko. Simply put he has not flashed in any real way since joining the team last year. He had a poor step on the Simi Fehoko long touchdown early in the game. It just wasn’t there on Saturday.