INGLEWOOD, California: With quarterback Trey Lance making his preseason debut for the Dallas Cowboys, all eyes were on him. Following Cooper Rush’s initial drive, all of Dallas’ snaps were taken by the team’s third-string quarterback.
Even though Lance’s debut was the main event, a lot of insightful information about the roster was discovered. Let us examine the most noteworthy aspects of the Cowboys’ 13–12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams.
For Tyler Guyton, the past 10 days have been quite the journey. He was struggling with an illness and missed a few practices. In the days preceding Sunday’s contest, he made his way back to the practice field and received the all-clear to take against the Rams.
Guyton was a substitute at left tackle, where Chuma Edoga began. Guyton took Edoga’s place after the first drive. Edoga’s evening was cut short by a toe injury, although Dallas was unable to provide a specific update on his condition after seeing him in a boot following the game. With solid practices in Oxnard prior to Edoga’s injury, Guyton was already in the running to start at left tackle. His actions on the SoFi Stadium field fueled the flames.
Guyton was obvious right away, especially when it came to pass protection. During his first drive, Guyton blocked a pass rusher with a two-play sequence, allowing Lance to get up and throw downfield. The next play, Lance tucked the ball and raced up the middle for a large gain as Guyton (number 60 in the video below) washed his man inside on a called pass play.
Guyton had a meager and irregular workload. After his first drive, he did not participate again in the first half, but he returned in the second half and was also a member of the field goal team. He performed well in practices against the Cowboys’ best players, such as Micah Parsons, and it showed in the actual game. Though there is still plenty of time before the Cowboys and Myles Garrett square up in Cleveland for the regular-season opener, it appears that Guyton will be assigned to that position.
Trey Lance using his legs
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More O-line notes
• Asim Richards at left guard, Brock Hoffman at center, T.J. Bass at right guard, and Matt Waletzko at right tackle comprised the starting offensive line in addition to Edoga.
• The coaching staff wants to see how versatile their 2023 fifth-round pick is, and they discussed this with Richards following the game. On Sunday, he played left tackle as well, but during training camp, he has primarily played guard.
• Cooper Rookie Beebe received snaps at center and guard. The Cowboys are working with the assumption that Beebe will eventually play center, but depending on how much longer Zack Martin can play, playing guard should not be written off. In addition, Hoffman will be able to choose the center for Dallas, a position he has been losing since training camp started. That Sunday, nothing changed.
• Earl Bostick played left and right tackle.
• Bass appears to be the top backup interior offensive lineman, particularly at guard.
The running back room
Rico Dowdle opened the scoring and, in his little playing time, produced some quality tape. He ended with three carries for fourteen yards, including a nine-yard rush. Head coach Mike McCarthy remarked following the game that he saw everything Dowdle needed to see.
Seeing how much Dowdle plays in the final two preseason games will be fascinating. He will be the starting running back for the Cowboys. Another member of that committee will be Ezekiel Elliott, who did not play as anticipated. And Royce Freeman did not play.
Malik Davis, Snoop Conner and Nathaniel Peat got opportunities, but none did anything to make a strong case.
Mazi Smith has a strong argument to be ranked second if Lance is the Cowboys’ preseason standout story. The second-year NFL player had a lackluster rookie campaign and has not shown much in camp.
Positive indicators were present regarding the Rams. Smith ended with three tackles in his limited playing time. He and rookie Marshawn Kneeland both participated in the game’s first tackle. His best play was spotting a second-down screen deep in Cowboys territory, which forced the Rams to settle for a field goal after he helped stall a drive.
Smith plays defensive tackle, therefore statistics will not fully capture his development. His effectiveness in controlling the line of scrimmage and opening up lanes for linebackers to fill in on run defense will be largely determined by how well he performs in the trenches. Although Smith’s performance against the Rams was not particularly stellar, it was better than his rookie campaign, which is not saying much. Although the Cowboys have stated that Smith is now more advantageous in the scheme, his problems from the previous season were not entirely related to the scheme. He lacked both strength and quickness off the snap. That is where gaining weight has helped, but he still needs to improve.
Dallas needs to see more out of Smith, but Smith is already starting defensive tackle due to the team’s lack of depth at the position, so his preseason playing time will be fascinating. It will be up to the coaching staff to thread that needle.
Secondary depth
The Cowboys’ pass defense looked amazing on paper—Stetson Bennett of the Rams was intercepted four times by them. A true appraisal needs context.
Caelen Carson, a fifth-round pick, has demonstrated his ability on the practice field by making plays, including an interception on Thursday during a combined session with the Rams. Carson’s coverage issues on Sunday can be attributed to his early development as a rookie. There was a brief break in the enthusiastic buzz Carson had created. Carson has time to mature and a bright future as the team’s fourth (at most) cornerback.
Sixth-round pick Eric Scott Jr. from the previous season had a difficult afternoon. During the opening drive, Jordan Whittington found a throw, eluded Scott’s tackle, and dashed thirty yards while Scott was in coverage. Scott had a horrendous needless roughness penalty for a late hit two drives later. Whittington overcame Scott to convert a fourth down on the Rams’ last drive of the first half. Later in the drive, he made amends by making an interception, but Bennett deserves more of the credit for making it impossible for Scott to lose the ball.
At least two more interceptions, one by Brock Mogensen and the other by Markquese Bell, bear the same comparison. Bennett was also taken out by Julius Wood.
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Quick hitters
• Cooper Rush began the game and participated on just one drive. The best play was a deep pass to Jalen Brooks, who caught the ball with a great adjustment. Rush appears to be the dependable backup that he has always been, while Brooks appears to be in command of the five receiving role.
• Not a beat has been missed by Brandon Aubrey. Out of his five field goal attempts, he made four of them. His only miss came on a 65-yard attempt that was accurate but incomplete. McCarthy stated that special teams coach John Fassel was not into the idea of trying Aubrey from farther than 70 yards. After the game, Aubrey raced out of the stadium to cater to his wife, who was due any moment now.
• The group of recipients was not uniform. Jalen Cropper led the team with four catches, continuing his impressive camp. Ryan Flournoy, a rookie, mishandled the ball on one of his two catches and also dropped it badly. Tyron Billy-Johnson, a star of the first training camp, was not singled out. Late in the game, veteran Kelvin Harmon was brought down with a few throws.
(Photo: Jevone Moore / Icon Sportswire via Getty Images)
