Dallas City News

Every week, we gather the latest news about the Dallas Cowboys and seek our writer’s perspective on each headline. Welcome back to the Roundtable. This week we have Jess Haynie, Tom Ryle, Sean Martin and David Howman.

With the loss of Sam Williams how do we feel about the pass rusher depth?

Before the Cowboys kicked off their first preseason game a few changes were made. The team added two pass rushers with Shaka Toney and Al-Quadin Muhammad to battle out for a position left by Sam Williams, who is now officially on injured reserve. Toney has since been let go by the team.

The front office also placed CeeDee Lamb on “Did not report” and waived Byron Vaughns while adding two linebackers, Darius Harris and Nick Vigil, plus defensive tackle Albert Huggins.

So what did the pass rush look like with the recent changes?

Jess: Even Sam Williams hadn’t proven that he was going to replace Dorance Armstrong, so we probably shouldn’t have felt too good about it before his injury. Now it’s a major concern and nothing from Sunday’s game helped soothe that feeling. Marshawn Kneeland barely played and the rest of the pack generated very little pressure. Even the commentators noted how much time Stetson Bennett had in the pocket. Recent signings like Al-Quadin Muhammad may need more time, and Carl Lawson coming on board seems to be a direct response to limited depth at the position.

Tom: I have a different takeaway from Kneeland’s playing time. They kept him off the field because he is their only answer for Williams’ loss, and whether or not he was proven, Williams was the likely successor to Armstrong. However, depth is shallow to nonexistent. The fact that losing one player threatens to upend the entire plan for the defensive line is a symptom of some real illnesses on this roster. Maybe the addition of Carl Lawson will help remedy it.

David: I feel the same way I did when the Sam Williams injury first happened. I really wish Williams was still around to be part of this defense, but I’m not terribly worried. Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence are still your top two edge rushers on obvious passing downs. Between Chauncey Golston, Marshawn Kneeland, Al-Quadin Muhammad, Carl Lawson, and the potential to add someone from another team during roster cuts, I feel confident that someone will rise to the occasion. Plus, more than anything, I trust in Mike Zimmer’s tried and true ability to scheme up pressure with his creative designs.

Sean: The Cowboys only bubble wrap players in the preseason that they know are going to make plays when it matters, and the need to do so with pass rushers DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons is only bigger now without depth behind. Any concern that the secondary wouldn’t get a fair chance to be evaluated because of a lack of pass rush was put to bed quickly, as they picked off Stetson Bennett four times despite him having plenty of clean pockets to throw from. This team is not going to terrorize quarterbacks the same way they did under Dan Quinn, but they can absolutely still get the same results and be a productive defense with Zimmer’s focus shifting to where the stars are in the secondary.

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What are two major positives and two major negatives for you after watching the Cowboys first preseason game against the L.A. Rams?

The Dallas Cowboys and the L.A. Rams squared off last Sunday. It was a fantastic defensive effort with the Cowboys scooping up four interceptions. The Rans quarterback, Stetson Bennett, was able to make a remarkable comeback by delivering the decisive touchdown pass, guiding the home team to a narrow victory of 13-12 against Dallas.

The 43-yard reception by Jalen Brooks from Cooper Rush, who participated in only one drive, established the foundation for Dallas’ initial score during the Cowboys’ opening drive. The catch was a huge game highlight.

Markquese Bell delivered an impressive performance, recording nine tackles and hauled in the team’s first interception. Cornerback Eric Scott Jr., safety Julius Wood, and rookie linebacker Brock Mogensen were the other contributors with interceptions.

Jess: Positives: Tyler Guyton and DeMarvion Overshown. While it came against backups, Guyton looked dominant and continues to inspire confidence about his future at left tackle. Overshown seemed just as athletic and impactful as we saw last year, justifying the hype about his return to action. Negatives: tough day for Caelen Carson who gave up several completions early. The rookie’s allowed to be a rookie, though. One guy who doesn’t get that excuse anymore is Trey Lance, who still looked underdeveloped for how long he’s been in the league. More on him below.

Tom: I was encouraged by the fact that the offensive line generally seemed functional despite multiple combos rolling out there, but my two main positives are that they played a full half of football with only one penalty, the frustration shove by Eric Scott, and the way they were picking off the ball. However, that last thing also was tied to one of my biggest negatives, the absolute inability to capitalize on those turnovers. That is linked to my other negative, that Trey Lance just isn’t playing up to snuff yet. All he needed was one touchdown drive. Good quarterbacks find a way, especially when given so many opportunities.

David: Major positives from this game are the offensive line and linebacker groups. Tyler Guyton looks like the real deal, Cooper Beebe had some really nice moments, and even Josh Ball was doing some great work in the run game. The linebackers, from DeMarvion Overshown down to Brock Mogenson, all had plenty of impressive moments too. As far as negatives, it has to be the inconsistent play of Trey Lance and the way that Eric Scott Jr. was getting picked on all night. Scott had the nice pick to redeem himself a bit, but if he keeps playing like that going forward he’s going to be in big trouble come roster trimming season.

Sean: Going slightly off the beaten path here, my more under-the-radar positives are Cooper Beebe and Juanyeh Thomas. Beebe did not displace Brock Hoffman as the starter, nor play perfectly once he did come in at center, but the upside plays where there to warrant more first team practice to see if Dallas can quickly get him ready for the regular season. Whether it’s at guard or center, this looks like a player that is going to help the Cowboys significantly this year, which we haven’t always been able to say right away about linemen not drafted in the first round under McCarthy. For Juanyeh Thomas, the versatile safety was able to play well both going backwards in coverage and coming down to support the run, and could even play cornerback in a pinch, showing he’s adapted quickly to a new scheme and remained well in the mix for a prominent role on the backend. On the negative side, I’ll go with Villiami Fehoko on defense and Luke Schoonmaker on offense. Fehoko was pinned this offseason as one of the players that may have the hardest time adjusting to this new scheme, and the lightning fast speed at which others around him are doing so has not helped the young defensive lineman adjust. Fehoko needs to start making splash plays on the line or on special teams if he’s going to secure a roster spot. For Schoonmaker, just being on the field may be a small positive, but he caught neither of his two targets, and was never able to present as a checkdown option for Trey Lance, who struggled getting through his reads anyway.

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What does Trey Lance need to do to change public opinion on him for the future? Or is he destined to be a failed trade?

Trey Lance had a sluggish beginning to his first game as a Cowboy. He completed 8-of-17 passes in the first half, but Lance did gradually established a rhythm as the game unfolded. In the second half, he successfully completed 17-of-24 attempts, orchestrating two scoring drives along with two additional drives that had the potential to yield points. Furthermore, Lance emerged as the leading rusher for the Cowboys, accumulating 44 yards on six carries. He failed to score a single touchdown during the game however. Redzone offense was most definitely his worst enemy.

The team’s only points came off Brandon Aubrey, who scored four field goals off five attempts. His only miss came off a 65-yard attempt.

Jess: History has never been on his side as reclamation projects rarely succeed, especially with someone drafted so high. Barring a night-and-day difference in how he looks in the next two preseason games, Lance is unlikely to earn much consideration beyond this year. Even if he does come back on some minimal deal to compete, seeing him as a factor in the team’s future feels like a reach. It’s probably going to take circumstances that put him in real-game action, meaning injuries to both Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, for needle-moving opportunities to come.

Tom: Obviously, it was not the performance we wanted to see on Sunday. He seems more like a rookie late-round flyer than a former first-round pick. It would take significant improvement over the two remaining preseason games, and probably one really lights-out performance. I don’t think that is going to happen. He will get every opportunity, however, as I would not be surprised to see him on the field for all but one or two series the rest of the way before the team rolls into the season with Dak and Cooper.

David: Trey Lance has all the physical tools you could ask for, and by all accounts he’s a great teammate and hard worker. That makes it even harder to believe he’s entering his fourth season in the league and is still having these accuracy issues. He struggled in a 49ers offense designed to give the quarterback layup after layup, and his first bit of experience in Mike McCarthy’s offense – one that positioned Dak Prescott as the MVP runner up last year and previously delivered Aaron Rodgers two MVP trophies – has been a very mixed bag. Still, the tremendous physical tools make you wonder what he could be with a little more consistency in how he throws the ball. But with Lance’s contract up after this year and only two more chances to play in a live game (barring disaster in the regular season), he’s running out of time to prove the Cowboys were right to deal for him.

Sean: Trey Lance just needs to play more football. Which he will. I’m in no way finding the nearest soapbox to stand on and defend his performance against the Rams, but we are starting to reach absurd levels of overreaction to how he played and what it means for the Cowboys QB room. Obviously, Dak Prescott is still the most important player to this entire team. This staff has good reason to trust Cooper Rush behind him, and he is still here. Lance just looked like he needed more time executing Mike McCarthy’s playbook, but he gave receivers chances to make plays at times and didn’t put the ball in harm’s way. If he is a QB3 at this point, there isn’t much more you could ask for. The Cowboys would still like to say they made this trade for a QB2 with upside, which may still be possible, but splitting hairs between where Lance falls on the depth chart when we all know what QB1 brings to the field is peak preseason water cooler talk.