Saturday night went about as well as you could have expected it to for the Dallas Cowboys. They scored. And they did so often. Players answered important questions like who will serve as key backups at quarterback and running back for example.
Young and future stars like Jaishawn Barham corroborated the hype that they have had for the past month. Heck, it was only the preseason, but the Cowboys even beat the boogeyman in the Arizona Cardinals. Hopefully that translates to November 1st.
As you can imagine
our stock report is full of high marks, but there are some notes for improvement as well.
Let’s begin.
Stock Up: Jaishawn Barham
We have all seen someone shine in training camp just for them to fade when the lights actually turned on. In his first test, Jaishawn Barham said that this would not be the case for him. Only a preseason game and all of that, but Barham looked incredible in Arizona.
It isn’t just that Barham presents an answer for the Cowboys at middle linebacker. That is a big deal given the team’s need for one all offseason, clearly. It is the force with which Barham plays. He is of a different breed, and thankfully that breed took him to the Cowboys.
Stock Up: Shavon Revel
Camp has also seen second-year cornerback Shavon Revel shine at different times. We have told ourselves that this is indeed impressive because he was going against the likes of CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens on a regular basis, but doing it against someone else is still a different thing.
For so long it has seemed like confidence may be a catalyst for Revel, and that came to him against the Cardinals by way of getting on the board with an interception.
More of this, please.
Stock Up: Malik Davis
Ladies and gentlemen, we have found the RB2 for the Dallas Cowboys.
People on social media are equating Malik Davis to Jourdan Lewis in terms of how he is just hanging around the roster and refuses to let the team move on from him. I love that comparison, and it is certainly apt.
We can quibble about how some of Davis’ roster security is because of how others haven’t fully taken the bull by the horns regarding the RB2 spot, but the point is that if you give him an inch he is going ot make the absolute most with it. I want that dude on my team.
Stock Up: Jonathan Mingo
Speaking of people who refuse to go away!
The Cowboys are definitely going to carry Mingo, right? I mean, they should. Right? Right?
There is no doubt that Jonathan Mingo’s time with the Cowboys has been… unique. His arrival coincided with the peak of toxicity that the front office was stirring up over the last two years, and in some ways people made up their mind about him the moment the trade was struck. He hasn’t performed, it was noted that this was actually his first ever NFL touchdown (preseason or regular season), but he seems to be turning a corner.
Stock Up: Joe Milton
The jury is back. They have conferred and determined that Joe Milton is in fact QB2 for the Dallas Cowboys.
This particular moment was hardly Milton’s best one from the night, but that’s because the other highlights are scattered around to the players who he helped perform. He had that many moments to pick and choose from.
It was clear that the Cowboys wanted to see what Milton could do from a passing perspective and he absolutely cleared whatever bar anybody had. He has come so far in his second season with the team and is now marrying his rocket arm with proper anticipation and overall reading of defenses. He has a different feel for the game and that he is under contract through next season gives the team some serious stability behind Dak Prescott.
Stock Up: Camden Brown
Camden Brown had already made the roster in many people’s minds, but in case you were still doubting:
We have seen more than enough at this point in time.
Tell me that reach near the end didn’t give you PTSD from the Dez catch, though.
Stock Up: LT Overton
What a night Saturday was for the rookies!
Being fully honest here, this was clearly a coverage sack. Everybody deserves credit for making it happen, but LT Overton is the person who the box score rewards as he was the one who brought down the quarterback.
For all of the discussion about new rookies and defenders there hasn’t been a ton of mention around Overton. Time will tell how the roster math shakes out, but it is great to see him thrive nonetheless.
Stock Up: Phil Mafah
Let’s give it up for the Mafah Man!
Phil Mafah got one carry on the night, and he sure did make the most of it by cashing in for a score.
As awesome as this moment was, it is a bit telling that Mafah received only a single carry, especially given how much the team ran the ball in the second half. Any hope that he could grab the RB2 spot dissipated a while back, but he can definitely help in his own way.
Stock Down: Zack Kuntz
Due to injuries the Cowboys only had two tight ends in this game in Zack Kuntz and Luke Schoonmaker. You can argue that Kuntz was on the outside looking in as far as roster discussion before this game even began, but he didn’t exactly have a game that would make anybody change their mind.
Sometimes that’s just the way it goes. Maybe this is a practice squad situation.
Stock Down: Devin Moore
This game marked the debut of fourth-round rookie Devin Moore, and it was a bit underwhelming to say the least.
Cornerback has been among the biggest question marks on the overall roster for some time. We have given a fair bit of leeway to the idea that Christian Parker will just naturally raise the floor there, but there was definitely hope that a player like Moore would battle his way into some conversations.
That has not happened yet and that is okay.
Stock Down: Sam Howell
If it was Joe Milton’s night then it was also not Sam Howell’s.
Milton left a very high bar to clear when he sat on the bench for the second half, and the calculus of the game hardly worked in Howell’s favor as a result. The broadcast, the Cowboys one to be clear, even discusses this as the Cowboys had a rather large lead and were not in the same sort of passing mode that they were in the first half. This naturally inhibited the opportunity from a volume standpoint for Howell.
Still, he had a chance. The Cowboys drove down and were well within striking distance when it seemed like Howell was trying to force something. Maybe Milton having a hat trick’s worth of scores made that feel necessary. Whatever the case, throwing an interception when points are within reach is never a good thing, but especially after your direct competition put together such a clean game.
Howell is still a valuable member of this team, but he may now officially be QB3 on the depth chart.
