Who impressed? What disappointed? One shouldn’t draw too many conclusions, if any, from the first preseason game. However, the Dallas Cowboys finally took to the field after over 200 days and it was great to see some action. There was more than enough going on to start to evaluate individual efforts.
In a 16-3 loss, there are probably more poor efforts than good ones but with so many players sitting this one out for Dallas, evaluation happens on a sliding scale. Here’s a look at a few players, or positions, which stood out for different reasons. It’s the first stock report of the 2021 season.
Stock Up: RB Rico Dowdle
Ken Blaze-USA TODAY Sports
The Cowboys know what they have in Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard, but Dowdle only had seven touches as a rookie in 2020. On Thursday night, he looked the part of a back capable of being in the mix, breaking off a 25-yard run en route to an eight-carry, 43-yard night for a 5.4 per carry average. He also caught both targets for 16 yards.
Stock Down: LT Ty Nsekhe
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Forgive Cowboys’ fans if they have PTSD over last year’s backups to Tyron Smith. The club signed Nsekhe to be a veteran presence for the inevitable missed games in 2021. On the first series, Nsekhe allowed Gilbert to get sacked then flushed out the pocket on consecutive plays down in the red zone, thwarting a touchdown opportunity.
Stock Up: Sean McKeon
(AP Photo/David Richard)
The Cowboys signed Jeremy Sprinkle to be the third TE in the offseason, but the 2020 UDFA may just be making that a difficult decision. Already having a strong camp, he turned that into game performance on Thursday night, making solid catches and breaking tackles for YAC yards. He’s one to keep an eye on over the next several games, including whether or not the staff pulls the string and tries to hide him for a practice squad role.
Stock Up: CB Nahshon Wright
The box score says Wright didn’t have a great game, giving up three completions at over 20 yards per. However despite not playing through a pushoff, a pushoff was needed by Chase Claypool to get free for the 45 yarder. Other than that, Wright acquitted himself really well for the game. There were three passes downfield, including the missed pushoff, where he stayed in stride with the receiver. He also had a tremendous game tackling, even in the open field. Impressive debut for someone who was seen as a big reach on draft weekend.
Stock Down: Backup QBs
It was a less-than decent day for Garrett Gilbert who had a couple turnover-worthy plays and didn’t show the best pocket awareness. But it was still a lot better than the other two guys. Ben DiNucci barely looked any more competent than he did last year against Philadelphia, throwing an interception among several bad tosses. Cooper Rush didn’t resemble anything one would see on a 53-man roster. Backup QBs who are serviceable in the NFL are rare commodities unless a team is grooming a future No. 1. Dallas will need to see a lot more though to keep them from going outside the org to resolve this issue.
Stock Up: DT Quinton Bohanna
Big boy can move! The sixth-round tackle did his job, playing a large number of snaps in a game where the Cowboys held the Steelers running backs to just 2.6 yards a carry. He was a disruptive force despite not getting any quarterback pressures, but the standout play was on a completed pass. Bohanna, all 330+ pounds of him, chased down the receiver 15 yards down the field. He showed the kind of skillset that will allow him to be more than only a run-down player if he can consistently be what he showed on Thursday night.
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