ARLINGTON, Texas — The regular season is quickly approaching, and the Dallas Cowboys will play their final exhibition game against the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium.
Much like the other two preseason contests this summer, don’t expect to see many of the starters on the field for Dallas. The team knows what they have in their regulars and they want to protect their health for when the real games begin with Week 1 on September 10.
Even with the starters out of action, it doesn’t make Saturday’s game a meaningless contest as there will be jobs on the line with many of the bottom roster decisions potentially coming down to performances in the preseason finale. The journey toward the 53-man roster is about to come to an end.
Here’s what to watch for in the Cowboys’ final exhibition game of 2023:
Position battles
The Cowboys have only a few roster spots open for competition, and they’ll try to sort some of it out based on what happens against the Raiders. Most of what the team will be looking for will come at a few positions where they are in need, such as linebacker and offensive line.
With the injury to rookie DeMarvion Overshown, the defense is short at LB, and the quest to find the best solution is on. The Cowboys could just keep their best five at the position and go from there, but they could also continue to use their talented and deep pool of safeties interchangeably between both spots and find the best combination to address LB.
If the Cowboys do the latter, which it looks like they are exploring, safety Markquese Bell will get playing time at LB in this contest.
Bell taking on a bigger role at LB could open a roster spot at safety, which might mean Juanyeh Thomas will get a longer look as well. Thomas is on the bubble and a solid performance could warrant a place on the roster.
The offensive line is another spot where the Cowboys will be mixing and matching to find the best options to solidify their depth. After the starting lineup, everything is on the table and the team will rotate many of their offensive linemen throughout the game in search of the right alignments.
Rookie Asim Richards has been getting more looks at tackle as the summer has worn on, third year man Josh Ball had his best game last week against the Seattle Seahawks, and Brock Hoffman has been getting his opportunity at center to compete with Matt Farniok behind starter Tyler Biadasz.
Rookie assessments
Eyes will be on the rookies as they make their final case to be included. The offensive line features a pair of first year players to watch, and a third who has an outside chance at making the roster.
Fifth-round selection Richards is a safe bet to make the team, and will continue to get looks at LT, while undrafted free agent T.J. Bass’ impressive summer will warrant further looks. Bass has been getting first-team reps recently, a sign that could mean the Cowboys want to give him as much exposure as possible before deciding on his fate.
Another undrafted free agent offensive lineman, Earl Bostick, has a chance to make a lasting impression in the finale. Bostick has intrigued the Cowboys, and is currently on the outside looking in, but a good performance might allow him to make the final cut.
The drafted rookies who will continue their auditions include RB Deuce Vaughn, TE Luke Schoonmaker, Viliami Fehoko, CB Eric Scott, and WR Jalen Brooks. Each of these members of the draft class are in good shape to make the initial roster, but Scott and Brooks are fighting to ensure their inclusion. Scott started out as a pleasant surprise early in camp but hasn’t played as well in the preseason. The sixth-round CB is fighting to be one of the last corners to gain a spot.
Brooks has continued to be one of the summer standouts and he’s on track to be one of the last WRs kept, another solid showing against the Raiders would only confirm his spot on the roster.
Last stand for veterans
For every rookie who is making their case for the roster, a veteran is in danger of being cut. The roster spots for defensive tackles Neville Gallimore and Quinton Bohanna are in peril after the Cowboys used two draft picks on the defensive line in April. The re-signing of veteran Johnathan Hankins is also an indicator that the numbers might not add up for Gallimore and Bohanna to make the 53-man roster. This will be the last chance to make their case to stay.
At WR, Simi Fehoko has faded deeper on the depth chart with the emergence of the Jalens – last year’s third-round pick Jalen Tolbert and seventh-rounder Jalen Brooks – exacerbates Fehoko’s descent. Fehoko’s role was expected to grow due to the new West Coast-tinged offense fitting him better than the previous scheme, but the former Stanford standout hasn’t taken the expected step up. The three-year veteran might still have a place on the roster with his special teams prowess, but that is not guaranteed. It will perhaps take a big game from Fehoko to secure a roster spot.
Third-year CB Nahshon Wright could be in the same boat as his 2021 draft mate Fehoko. Wright hasn’t done enough work at his position to ensure his place on the team, but he does have a role on special teams. This could be Wright’s last game with the Cowboys, but putting together a better showing than he’s had this summer would help his cause.
Kicker conundrum
Figuring out who will make kicks for the Cowboys has been a part of the weekly drama at training camp this summer. Dallas needs to see more from Brandon Aubrey, who hasn’t performed well enough to earn much trust, but also hasn’t had very many opportunities in games to prove himself.
Getting a chance to see more of how the rookie USFL signee responds to game conditions on multiple kicking chances would be a good start. Regardless, it’s a big game for Aubrey and the Cowboys. If he makes his kicks, he’ll have perhaps earned the job with enough trust. If he doesn’t impress, Dallas could go back to the drawing board in search of a dependable veteran.
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