The Dallas Cowboys will take the field late on Saturday night as they visit the Las Vegas Raiders in the second week of the 2024 NFL Preseason. Last week, the Cowboys were defeated by the Los Angeles Rams on a last-minute touchdown pass by Stetson Bennett.
While the outcome wasn’t important, that game told the coaches a lot about the players who are fighting for a roster spot. With only two more preseason games left until they cut the roster to 53, there’s limited time left to make an impression.
That’s why these six players need to stand out against the Raiders.
Early in the offseason, Josh Ball appeared to be in danger of losing his place on the roster. The Cowboys’ fourth-round pick in 2021 struggled to get the job done at tackle but moving him to guard was a wise move.
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Ball played 40 snaps in their last game and was the highest-rated player on the team according to PFF. He especially stood out in run blocking, earning a 91.7. Dallas still has capable backups including T.J. Bass and Asim Richards, so Ball can’t take his foot off the gas. He needs to prove Week 1 wasn’t a fluke if he wants to secure his spot.
Dallas signed Willie Harvey this offseason and it seems as though he has a good chance of making the team. The problem is that while he had three tackles, he didn’t do much to assert himself. With Jason Johnson having a strong showing and Brock Mogensen picking off a pass, the UDFAs behind him could make a leap. Harvey needs to have a strong performance to keep them from surpassing him.
Eric Scott, Jr. finished the first preseason game on a high note by picking off a pass from Stetson Bennett. Before that, he was having a game to forget. Jordan Whittington especially gave him fits, including hauling in a pass on fourth-down with Scott in coverage.
Scott has plenty of talent and the Cowboys liked him enough to move up in the 2023 NFL Draft to bring him in. Having said that, he’s working for a new defensive coordinator and suddenly has to fend off Andrew Booth. That’s why he needs to rise to the occasion against the Raiders.
Viliami Fehoko, Jr. was an intriguing selection at No. 129 last season. Standing 6-foot-4 and 267 pounds, he had the size to be a powerful pass rusher on the edge. His growth might have been stunted, however, by former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn.
Quinn felt Fehoko would be a good fit as a 3-tech, so he had him working inside. This was the same thing he did with Chauncey Golston, who has similar size. Golston has shown improvement as he lined up outside more often against the Rams. Fehoko, unfortunately, did not.
He played 37 total snaps with 29 on the edge, finishing with just one assisted tackle. He seemed slow but considering he ran a 4.77, that’s not the case. Instead, he was likely overthinking things as he’s adjusting to a new scheme and re-familiarizing himself at defensive end. Hopefully, he can perform at a higher level this week, which would help ensure he makes the team.
The hype around Ryan Flournoy was at an all-time high entering Week 1 of the preseason. A sixth-round pick from Southeast Missouri State, Flournoy was the star of the offseason. The 6-foot-1, 200 pound wideout was even drawing comparisons to Dez Bryant.
Perhaps there was too much pressure put on him since he didn’t live up to expectations in his debut. Flournoy had eight yards on two receptions, and fumbled once. Fortunately, the ball rolled harmlessly out of bounds but that was his second gaffe as he had a drop earlier in the game.
We shouldn’t judge too harshly since this was a far different environment than he played in for SE Missouri State. Flournoy will need time to adjust but he has to show improvement this weekend with so many other young wideouts playing well against the Rams.
The idea of starting Trey Lance in 2025 and beyond always felt like grasping at straws but that’s even more true after his peformance in Week 1 of the preseason.
Lance made his first appearance ever as a Cowboy and had some fun moments. He ran for 44 yards, with a long of 19, as he showed off his speed. However, he was just 25-of-41 for 188 yards passing the ball. That’s just 4.6 yards per attempt, which is less than inspiring.
Some of that can be attributed to playing with backups but at the same time, that means they were mainly playing against backups. Lance also didn’t appear to trust his eyes all the time. He was doing far too much thinking rather than just letting his talent do the work.
On the opposite spectrum, Cooper Rush calmly dropped a 43-yarder into the arms of Jalen Brooks before calling it a day. He has the QB2 job in his grasps and now Lance needs to prove he deserves a spot by playing better against Vegas.
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