Dallas City News

The Dallas Cowboys will break up the repetitive slog of training camp this week with a joint practice versus the Los Angeles Rams, followed a couple of days later by a preseason game against the same foe. This will finally allow the coaching staff, and Cowboys observers, to see what the team can do against someone other than themselves.

It will provide a platform for depth players to claim a spot in the rotation, and will put rookies under the microscope. One such player all of Cowboys Nation was eager to see is Tyler Guyton at left tackle. He may be under the biggest microscope of any player on the team as the 2024 regular season approaches. Unfortunately a recent illness has kept him out of multiple practices and he may not be ready to handle a full slate of reps during the practice and preseason game against the Rams, Otherwise, he would be the lead player on our list of players/positions to watch coming up.

But there are plenty of other battles to observe. Here are three important players or positions to watch over the next few days.

Marshawn Kneeland

The Cowboys had a plan that involved Sam Williams taking a major step forward among the defensive ends and being the top reserve behind Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. His ACL injury at the start of camp put an end to that. Now rookie Marshwan Kneeland has been bumped up to DE3 and will have to prove himself over the rest of preseason.

This will be his first test against another team, and it should start to shed some light as to how much he can be counted on in the regular season. The Rams will likely use a lot of reserves, especially in the preseason game, and Kneeland will need to show he can stack winning reps together against backups. If he can’t do that, then expecting him to hold his own against the real players come the regular season will be a shaky strategy. If Kneeland can’t perform up to standards, the Cowboys might have to look at the trade market even with the recent depth signings at the position.

WR3/WR4

The question of who will step up behind CeeDee Lamb and Brandin Cooks has been a debate since the Cowboys released Michael Gallup and made no real outside moves to shore up the position. The Jalens are a big part of this equation. Jalen Tolbert has started to look the part of WR3 in training camp, but now he has to show it against outside competition.

This is important for receivers since training camp can be a repetition of seeing the same corners, the same coverage schemes and an overall familiarity that you don’t get once you line up against a real opponent. Making that leap will be important for these young receivers. Tolbert has competition from Jalen Brooks and Jalen Cropper, as well as KaVontae Turpin and Tyron Billy-Johnson among others.

Tolbert needs to continue his strong training camp to cement his hold on WR3. The rest are shooting for WR4 and these early tests versus the Rams may provide come clarity as to who is the real deal.

Trey Lance

The mystery that is Trey Lance should become a little less mysterious with some actual reps against competition, something we really haven’t seen since he’s been a Cowboy. Lance has not set the world on fire in training camp, and his quest to rise to QB2 isn’t exactly on track. That could change with quality performances on the practice field and in the preseason game against the Rams.

The Cowboys ultimate goal is likely to trade Lance down the line. From what we’ve seen so far, the idea of him being a replacement for Dak Prescott in 2025 seems far-fetched. Whatever their end game is for Lance, it surely starts with showcasing him in the preseason. His mission to re-establish himself as a credible quarterback in the NFL starts now.