Did Rookie RB Hunter Luepke Earn Cowboys Roster Spot?
The Dallas Cowboys' final preseason game was another chance for players on the roster bubble to showcase their talents one last time before the big roster cull.
Head coach Mike McCarthy stated midweek that he wanted to see former North Dakota State back Hunter Luepke more against the Las Vegas Raiders, and on Saturday in the preseason finale at AT&T Stadium, we saw a great deal.
But did the Cowboys see enough to keep the big UDFA rookie?
Luepke was the featured back to begin proceedings, and he was on the field again to close.
With just under four minutes remaining in the half, Grier led a nine-play, 75-yard touchdown drive with Luepke the main focus.
Luepke caught a 29-yard pass out of the backfield as he made several Raiders defenders miss, and on the following play, Grier found his back again as he hauled in a 15-yard pass that he took to the house.
McCarthy wanted to see Luepke in action, and all of his talents were on show. He would finish the first half with four catches for 62 yards and a touchdown to go with his 35 rushing yards on nine carries. And for the game? The 6-2, 240-pound back ended his night with 15 carries for 58 yards while also catching five passes for 60 yards and a touchdown.
The Cowboys backfield starts with Tony Pollard. Rookie Deuce Vaughn seems so in he didn't even play in this game. Rico Dowdle, Malik Hunter and maybe Ronald Jones are also in the mix.
Whether or not Luepke's efforts will be enough to warrant a spot on the final 53-man roster is unknown - cuts will roll in soon before the Tuesday deadline - but the Cowboys now know what they have in Luepke. And the league now knows it, too.
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