ARLINGTON, Texas -- That's a wrap on the 2024 preseason for the Dallas Cowboys following their 26-19 defeat against the visiting Los Angeles Chargers.
Dallas' starters and any other backups who had a 53-man roster spot locked up had the day off, allowing for players who needed to prove why they deserve to be on the roster after the cutdown from 90 to 53 on Tuesday to soak up the playtime. Here is a look at how some of the Cowboys' roster bubble and/or notable players performed on Saturday and how they either helped or hurt their chances of remaining in Dallas in the lead up to the 2024 regular season.
Just to be clear, Cowboys owner and general manager Jerry Jones already declared Lance will be on the team's 53-man roster. He put together a rocky performance on Saturday, excelling on the ground (90 rushing yards and a touchdown -- a 46-yard read-option run -- on 11 carries) and struggling through the air (323 passing yards, one passing touchdowns and five interceptions while completing 33 of his 49 passes). His fifth and final interception of the day came on a throw to the end zone off of his back foot that sailed on rookie wide receiver Cam Johnson and into the hands of Los Angeles rookie corner Robert Kennedy.
"Shame about our interceptions because I thought Lance was really, in many ways, had some good things happen out there. That will be a reflection on numbers, but I saw him do some good things."
"Ups and downs for sure," Lance said when describing his afternoon. "I turned the ball over too many times. I think that's kind of the story. We had a chance to still win it at the end and yeah, I just have to take care of the ball better. Super proud of these guys. We competed our asses off, regardless of coming off the turnover, and the defense as well kept us in it, so excited for that. My confidence isn't going anywhere. This sucks. This is one that I'm not going to forget about anytime soon, but it's part of it. You just have to flush it, turn the page and be able to do that. Give me 12 hours, and it'll be all good tomorrow. But yeah, these suck."
Lance's overall preseason performance was a mixed bag, much like his Saturday afternoon. Dallas struggled to move the football in their preseason opener at the Rams, failing to score a touchdown. In their second preseason game in Las Vegas, Lance played the best football of his Cowboys career. His preseason finale at home against the Chargers was a rollercoaster.
"Well, I saw good and some things you would like to have back," Jones said. "I hate that those five interceptions are going to be a stat on a game that I couldn't have asked for more reps and a better situation to watch him play. He needed that because the one thing he's missing more than anything is the lack of reps, much less NFL reps. Saw some good things. Saw some things you'd like to have back. Overall, I'm glad to have that outing with us. Certainly, we're planning on him being on our roster for sure."
Jones called the reps Lance received at quarterback in preseason games this offseason "priceless."
"Priceless, priceless for him to get that experience and very valuable to us to see the good," Jones said. ..."It's all good. I saw some things out there that you can win with."
"It was great," Lance said of receiving consistent play time in the preseason. "Great to be back out there, starting with the Rams game. Learned a ton. Going back to Vegas, learned a ton and learned even more from today. So, it was a ton of fun to be able to compete with these guys, and hopefully a lot of them are still with us."
Trey Lance This Preseason
| Week 1 at Rams | Week 2 at Raiders | Week 3 vs. Chargers | |
|---|---|---|---|
Comp-Att | 25-41 | 15-23 | 33-49 |
Pass Yards | 188 | 151 | 323 |
TD-INT | 0-0 | 1-0 | 1-5 |
Carries | 6 | 7 | 11 |
Rush Yards | 44 | 34 | 90 |
Rush Yards/Carry | 7.3 | 4.9 | 8.2 |
Rush TD | 0 | 1 | 1 |
Lance, starting quarterback Dak Prescott and fellow backup quarterback Cooper Rush are all entering 2024 on expiring contracts, so Jones was asked what about the 2021 third overall draft pick whom he acquired for a fourth-round pick a year ago gives him the idea he could be an NFL starter one day. His response was simple: Lance's athleticism.
"His athleticism," Jones said. "I think the main thing is the improvement over the last six weeks [training camp and preseason]. That's impressive, very impressive. What you're looking for is are they going up? He's going up dramatically really. Every practice and every game. I'm going to use that word because he is doing a lot of things that he wasn't doing as well that he's doing well now. ... Bottom line is there was some good and bad out there for him tonight."
There were some other positions, interior defensive line and running back, that could have been addressed with the 2024 fourth-round pick Jones sent to San Francisco in exchange for Lance, but after seeing him for a whole year, the Cowboys owner remained adamant it was the right decision.
"For a fourth-round pick? Are you kidding me?" Jones asked. "Although, we did get Dak, we did get Dak with our second fourth-round pick [in 2016], so you got a point there. But we've had some that didn't play in the fourth round too."
Vaughn put together a solid preseason finale with 53 rushing yards on nine carries (5.9 yards per carry) and a 23-yard kickoff return. The diminutive running back is one of the players that is right along Jones' cutline when filling out the Cowboys' 53-man roster.
"He obviously has got some very special talent, and you've got to find a place for that," Jones said of Vaughn. "You've got to find a place for that on Sunday to get it on the field. That'll be the job of the next few days, of weighing what a roster spot means. He's sitting right there though. He is gadget juice at non-gadget times. So, he is going to be interesting for us."
After making the team as a sixth-round pick a year ago, Vaughn feels like he's done everything he possibly can to earn another 53-man roster spot in his second season.
"Just coming in and just pulling myself all over again. Just trying to get one percent better every single day throughout camp throughout these times and come out here and play my brand of football," Vaughn said postgame on Saturday. "I just try to put things on the table every single day and it's a testament to everybody inside our building, learned a whole bunch over this past year and this summer going into this season. I'm excited. ... "I feel like I've done everything I can do as far as the hard work and preparation and just doing everything I can do to put my best foot forward. Now it's the God's hands at this point for these days, I'll be here with my family, just be thankful for the opportunity."
Another week, another goal line fade touchdown pass from Lance to rookie sixth-round pick Ryan Flournoy. Last week at the Raiders, it was a one-yard throw to the right corner of the end zone, and on Saturday Lance floated the football to Flournoy 11 yards to the left corner of the end zone. The rookie of out Southeast Missouri State appears to have secured a spot on the Dallas' 53-man roster.
"Flournoy missed some time during training camp, but boy he's bouncing back so strong," Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy said postgame on Saturday. "Such a physical player, tough player, smart player. Without seeing the video, I was impressed."
Cowboys linebacker Buddy Johnson, a 2021 fourth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers out of Texas A&M, flew all over the field on Saturday. He totaled three tackles in the first half, and Johnson recorded a critical pass breakup on a third-and-goal throw by Chargers backup quarterback Easton Stick that forced Los Angeles to settle for a field goal. His activity puts him in a good spot entering Tuesday's roster cutdown.
Andrew Booth, who came over in a trade with the Minnesota Vikings on Aug. 9, hurt himself with his play on Saturday. On the Chargers' first offensive play from scrimmage, Booth gets blocked all the way to the sidelines, which allowed Los Angeles wide receiver Derius Davis to complete a 78-yard rushing touchdown on an end around.
He also got cooked down the right sideline by former Cowboys wide receiver Simi Fehoko, falling down as Fehoko stayed in bounds and ran away with a 78-yard receiving touchdown. Rough day at the office.
Dallas Cowboys undrafted rookie safety Julius Wood is up against it in a crowded safety room, but he continued to make plays on Saturday. He intercepted an Easton Stick pass after 2024 seventh-round rookie Justin Rogers deflected the throw at the line of scrimmage. Wood had strong enough positioning on the play that he may have still come up with the takeaway even if Rogers hadn't batted the ball.
Wood finished the preseason with two interceptions, the one off of Stick on Saturday and one off of Rams quarterback Stetson Bennett in Dallas' preseason opener. He may make the 53-man roster, but if he doesn't, he's a player the Cowboys would love to bring back on the practice squad.