For the most diehard of Dallas Cowboys fans, their preseason begins on Tuesday, as the team scrimmages against a bona fide conference contender, the LA Rams. Paired with a Saturday visit to another NFC West contender, the defending Super Bowl champion Seattle Seahawks, for the real preseason game number one, and this is a huge week for Brian Schottenheimer’s team to put their competitiveness to the test.
The Cowboys have been doing so against themselves for a sustained period of time in Oxnard already,
which can develop a feistiness that shows a team is ready for some live competition against another opponent. Dallas potentially reached this point in their final practice before Tuesday’s Rams scrimmage on Sunday, with coach Schotty rallying the team together, unhappy with the start to that day’s work, and making them do conditioning afterwards.
Let’s take a look at six players, three offense and three defense, that need a strong start to the preseason later this week to continue their fight for a spot on the final roster, a role on gamedays, or even a starting job.
WR Anthony Smith
Wide receiver has become the quickest position to become a pet cat of Cowboys fans in recent years, an annual tradition to hang your cowboy hat on even when a lot of these receivers that stand out in the summer don’t make the team. Anthony Smith, as the team’s seventh-round pick, came into his rookie camp with every trait to be this next pet cat, but has been outshined a little by other under-the-radar pass catchers so far.
One of the things working in Smith’s favor is his unteachable speed, which has more of a chance to start standing out with live reps against real opponents. Many of the highlight reel catches coming out of Cowboys camp have been contested with defensive backs in good position, but without full contact or always having pads on, the receivers are winning a lot of reps. Separation is still king when it comes to prolific passing offenses though, and Smith’s speed will give him a chance to separate from defenders who have authority to play at full speed.
If the rookie out of Eastern Carolina, starting with the Rams scrimmage or at the Seahawks, can make a big play over the top, it will go a long way in a bottom of the WR depth chart competition that’s seen UDFA Camden Brown and Jonathan Mingo stand out so far.
LT Nate Thomas
A wrinkle of the Cowboys having incredible continuity on offense is how the coaching staff will find unique ways to challenge players still expected to start come the regular season, but ones that could use some competition behind them to bring out their best play. The best example of this so far is the way the Cowboys have declared something of a competition at left tackle between expected starter and former first-round pick Tyler Guyton, and Nate Thomas.
The best case scenario has played out so far in Oxnard, with Guyton finding consistency and playing more than well enough to distance himself from Thomas. This doesn’t mean that, starter or not, Thomas won’t have a role – starting four games last season.
Having Schottenheimer as well as Klayton Adams back as OC, with his expertise in both offensive line and tight end coaching, gives the Cowboys a chance to get really creative with different OL combinations when they want to get into heavier personnel.
So far, we’ve heard more about rookie fourth-round pick Drew Shelton getting these creative types of looks than we have Thomas.
What Thomas does with these preseason reps and how much versatility he can show, as well as just how well he protects the Cowboys backup quarterbacks from the left tackle spot will be very important to keep an eye on come Saturday and beyond.
RB Phil Mafah
Phil Mafah and Jaydon Blue have been neck and neck in their fight for the primary RB spot behind Javonte Williams so far. We’re highlighting Mafah here because he profiles more similarly to Williams, where as Blue has a different skill set entirely with home run ability on the ground or in the pass game.
With that said, the Cowboys are seeing the value in the year two jump Mafah has shown in camp so far, turning heads with long runs on a near daily basis. The next step to see just how much the Cowboys value last year’s seventh-round pick is seeing how they incorporate him into a game script in a preseason game. Dallas will likely be out to keep things fairly vanilla and not give away too many wrinkles of their scheme, which means even more potential for reps in the “base” run game grinding a back like Mafah between the tackles – where he’s looked good in camp.
How much this type of rushing approach will remain in front of mind for the offense once all of the starters, mainly the firepower at wide receiver, are on the field is another question entirely. Strong preseason reps are always worth taking seriously though, and if Mafah stays hot and becomes a star of this preseason for the Cowboys, it will be harder and harder to ignore the fact he could have a real role on Sundays this season.
DL LT Overton
LT Overton is in an interesting spot as a promising draft pick out of Alabama for the Cowboys defensive line. Overton has been active as a run defender as a down lineman, which was always going to be his calling card compared to any high upside in pass rush.
Where the Cowboys did just make a splash in the interior pass rush department is with Quinnen Williams’ extension. It may be William’s ability to penetrate the pocket that went the longest way in landing this deal, but make no mistake that run defense should be expected to come with the price the Cowboys paid as well. The same goes for last season’s big pickup at DT Kenny Clark, and the Cowboys also added veteran Jonathan Bullard and 1-tech Otito Ogbonnia this offseason.
This stacks the depth chart pretty considerably against Overton getting meaningful reps as a rookie, but the preseason should see plenty of opportunity for him to get on the field.
The Cowboys best true pass rush in camp has come from standup players off the edge, which could create a premium on keeping defensive linemen that can hold the point of attack and occupy blocks while setting a hard edge. Overton fits this description, and having reps against two physical NFC West teams like the Rams and Seahawks this week will put his first-year readiness to the test.
LB Tyrus Wheat
The Cowboys have come a long way from that faithful late night win in Pittsburgh in 2024 when Tyrus Wheat was a defensive starter due to injuries, and that is a very good thing. That doesn’t mean that a depth player like Wheat still doesn’t have value, but this training camp is likely the toughest uphill battle Wheat has faced to make the roster in his career. The reason for this is the overall approach to pass rush the Cowboys are now going with, valuing the outside linebacker type rusher more than ever under Christian Parker.
Not only are the Cowboys valuing this position, they’ve gotten great early returns from players like Donovan Ezeruika and Rashan Gary, and still have James Houston and Sam Williams, plus converted inside linebacker Marist Liufau. Even middle linebacker Jaishawn Barham might see some time rushing the passer from the outside.
Wheat has experience on his side as well as a track record of playing special teams, but he will likely need to make some splash plays this preseason to become a roster lock.
SAF Julius Wood
For the second straight training camp, 2024 undrafted safety Julius Wood is doing nothing but making plays. A little bit like Tyrus Wheat though, Wood unexpectedly finds himself in a deep safety group for the Cowboys, something fans could only dream about in seasons past.
Top pick Caleb Downs is still getting reps at safety when not in the nickel, Jalen Thompson and P.J. Locke are here as veteran additions, as is incumbent Malik Hooker, and then there’s Zion Childress, Markquese Bell, Alijah Clark, and Julius Wood.
Both Wood and Clark had a case to make this list as the dark horses at safety, and both have done their best to make an impression in Oxnard so far. Wood gets the nod because he has impressed both in coverage as well as with physicality coming downhill. Christian Parker has already made it clear that position flex is of high value in his scheme, and having that trait in a safety is a big deal.
The Cowboys know they have this in Downs, and having an unexpected running mate as another chess piece safety would go a long way.
With Wood being a natural safety that can flow down into the box, he has an excellent chance to throw his name into the unknown of the depth chart here and fight for both a roster spot and an active role. Another one of Wood’s best traits is his ability to finish hits, which will have the best chance to shine against real opponents, making this a big week for him as well.
