Cowboys Tonight - 'Projects' Or Suspect?
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(105.3 THE FAN) ARLINGTON - Tonight's Cowboys preseason finale here at AT&T Stadium against the Texans isn't really "against the Texans,'' in terms of what matters.
The battles are for jobs. And the battles are in-house and league-wide.
This fourth preseason game is all about crafting the back of the roster. Some of that will be determined by which youngsters perform well in the 7 p.m. start. But much of it will also be out of the control of present-moment members of the team … because when it comes to, say, the 49th-to-53rd roster member, or the 10-man practice-squad selectee … the best candidates might not be the guys who have spent all these weeks laboring in training camp, in practice and in the preseason outings.
Some examples:
*Do the Cowboys keep rookie Geoff Swaim to make it four tight ends?
*Is another draftee, end Ryan Russell, better than Ben Gardner and Lavar Edwards in terms of helping as a backup defensive lineman? Or are any of the three worthy?
*Shane McDermott is an undrafted offensive lineman who is starting to come on. When Dallas scours the waiver wire this weekend, do they find blocker they like better than this kid?
*Gus Johnson is a coaching-staff favorite but may be more of a practice-squader than a roster candidate. Same with fellow running backs Ben Malena and Michael Hill. Do they impress the Cowboys tonight? Do they impress enough that another team gives them a look if/when released? And while none of them are good enough to break into Dallas' top-three rotation, might there be another young, cheap NFL runner who is — and who will require a Cowboys late-round-pick trade to keep him from hitting the waiver wire, where Dallas sits at 27, too low to hope for primo gets?
*The Cowboys think they have a unique weapon in undrafted rookie Lucky Whitehead. And fellow backup receiver A.J. Jenkins has some pedigree. But if Whitehead isn't going to be the No. 1 return man, what's his role? And if Jenkins doesn't excel tonight, aren't there waiver guys about to pop up who have more than pedigree?
*Jameill Showers and Dustin Vaughan have lots to prove at QB. Showers is also playing on special-teams; Vaughan has enough time under his belt in Dallas that the coaches should have a good feel.
Tonight will help the staff decide if these guys are "prospects'' or just suspect.
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