Cowboys Good, Bad & Ugly: Tolbert & 4 Stars, Overshown & 4 Injuries - Notebook
FRISCO - The Dallas Cowboys are home now in Frisco now after having fallen flat late in the second half of Saturday's preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field in what ended as a 22-14 loss.
The Cowboys are 0-2 in this preseason, but that doesn't matter as much as the four injury concerns ... and the bright play by four of the team's young guys.
The Good, the Bad and the Ugly? The final score and some sloppiness represents the latter. The good? Those four guys. The bad?
“You never want to see any of your guys get hurt,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “That’s what is so tough about these games. We had a couple young guys go down, and you just say your prayers ...''
Rookie linebacker DeMarvion Overshown will have a Sunday MRI on his knee with an injury that could be season-ending. Rookie tight John Stephens (knee), offensive lineman Matt Waletzko (shoulder) and defensive back Sheldrick Redwine were also hurt.
"Just hopeful,'' McCarthy said of the coming exams. "We'll see how (Sunday) goes.”
As the Cowboys deal with those "bads,'' they also feel good about four players who stood out on Saturday ...
Jalen Tolbert has arrived If not for a big 48-yard catch-and-run from Seahawks rookie receiver Jaxon Smith-Njigba, way more talk would be directed toward Tolbert after his productive night. Tolbert was the game's leading receiver with four catches for 66 yards.
Going against Seahawks starting cornerback Mike Jackson to begin the game, Tolbert still made a handful of nice grabs that had the Seattle secondary slapping hands in frustration. Despite the fact Jackson was called for pass interference, Tolbert still managed to bring down a tough 35-yard catch on third down on Dallas' fifth play of the game.
He had another third-down grab on a slant later in the quarter that went for 15 yards, but also had a drop on a short throw from Rush to begin the second quarter. Tolbert and quarterback Will Grier then connected for 11 yards about eight minutes before halftime.
“I am just building on what I have been trying to build on the whole training camp,” Tolbert said. “My takeaways can be play speed and being able to play faster than everybody else. ... Not thinking too much, just going out there and really trying to be comfortable and confident.''
Aside from the drop and another low-to-the ground catch that was overturned, Tolbert displayed confidence and effortlessness against a Seahawks defense that played a few starters. It's exactly the kind of thing he needed to show before heading into a season where he'll be expected to do much more than he did as a rookie.
Sam Williams aggressive toward opponent this time The second-year defensive end had a notable week at practice after getting into a scuffle with offensive linemen Brock Hoffman and Tyler Biadasz. But on Saturday, he got to let some of his frustrations out on the Seahawks o-line and starting quarterback Geno Smith.
Williams sacked Smith in the first quarter after beating 2022 first-round offensive tackle Charles Cross. He also helped stuff the run lane early on.
He did, however, get called for roughing the passer on Drew Lock late in the second quarter that moved the ball into the red zone. Regardless, Williams was one of the lone bright spots for a defense that felt inconsistent on Saturday.
Rico Rumbles A week after Deuce Vaughn made his case to be the RB2 behind Tony Pollard, 25-year-old running back Rico Dowdle got a chance to show off too. He displayed toughness both as a runner between the tackles and as a pass blocker before showing off some sneaky-good instincts as a receiver. In the second quarter, he snagged a short pass from Rush and tip-toed into the end zone for a six-yard score to give Dallas the lead.
Altogether, he rushed eight times for a team-high 38 yards to go along with two catches for nine yards and the score. He also had the longest kick return of the night (23 yards) between Deuce Vaughn and Malik Davis, as all three running back were given a chance to return one.
As of now, the Cowboys are lacking a true power back with experience. Dowdle proved he can be that and then some, as he looked like a guy capable of contributing based on Saturday's first-half performance. But ...
Deuce scores again It's not like Vaughn had lost his spark in a week's time. It was his time to shine in the second half on Saturday, and though it wasn't as pretty as last week, he was the reason Dallas was in the game late against Seattle. On his first carry of the game, the rookie spun off of a defender and walked into the end zone for a 14-yard score to cut into the Seahawks' lead and make it a 17-14 game with a little under 12 minutes to play.
This scoring run would account for all of his rushing yardage on the night, as he finished with five carries for 14 yards and the score while adding one catch for -1 yard (a screen pass that he snagged with one hand). Despite Vaughn's forgettable stat line, his proven offensive ability and nose for the end zone has him in prime position to make an impact on the team this season.
“I feel like I was more comfortable as far as playing faster,” Vaughn said. “Last week, I felt like there was a couple times, whether it was in pass protection or running the football, I wasn’t playing as fast because I was thinking a little more. But another game under my belt and I felt like I played faster.”
You can follow Zach Dimmitt on Twitter at @ZachDimmitt7
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