Cowboys Have 53-Man Roster Upset Brewing at Wide Receiver After Preseason Week 1

Camden Brown was the star of the night for the Dallas Cowboys in preseason Week 1 and he's making the case he should be the team's WR5.

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Camden Brown. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If Dallas Cowboys fans didn't know the name Camen Brown before the team's preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday night, they do now.

The undrafted rookie out of Georgia Southern flew under the radar when the team signed him following the 2026 NFL Draft, but he has been making a name for himself by routinely pulling off standout catches during training camp.

More importantly, Brown was able to continue his momentum in preseason Week 1, when he led all Dallas pass-catchers with 62 receiving yards and two touchdowns in the 17-7 win.

But it wasn't just Brown's production that turned heads. The rookie made two very impressive catches during the contest, both of which came on his scores.

Brown came up with his first reception in the second quarter on a contested ball in the end zone. The ball from Sam Howell was a bit underthrown, but Brown came back to it and wrestled it away from the defender to complete the 39-yard score.

Then, Brown made the catch of the night in the third quarter when he reached out with one hand on a fade in the end zone before pulling in that awesome scoring grab.

Cowboys rookie WR Camden Brown 👀 pic.twitter.com/6uaApr05XG

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 16, 2026

“The games not too big for him, he does it everyday in practice," head coach Brian Schottenheimer said, according to Nicole Hutchison of DallasCowboys.com.

"(Brown) does the little things, too," he added. "Special teams. He’s intentional. But he’s got to keep stacking them like he’s been doing.”

One of the more important points about Schottenheimer's comments on Brown is his noting the special teams work.

If Brown wants to make the roster as a bottom-of-the-depth-chart receiver, he's going to have to contribute in that area, also. Based on what Schottenheimer said, he's excelling there, too.

A 53-man roster upset brewing?

Dallas Cowboys receiver Camden Brown. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

At the very least, Brown is a major threat to beat out the rest of his competitors for the No. 5 wide receiver spot, which could very well be the only one up for grabs at the position with a depth chart that includes CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy and KaVontae Turpin, all of whom are locked in.

Jonathan Mingo, Marquez Valdes-Scantling and seventh-round pick Anthony Smith are the top competitors for that role along with Brown.

But Brown outperformed all of them on Saturday night. Mingo, who is viewed as the favorite for that spot, reeled in two chain-moving, third-down catches for 20 yards in the first half before going quiet the rest of the way. MVS did not record a catch and Smith's two grabs for 28 yards came in the second half versus Seattle's threes.

At this point, the only reason to keep Mingo ahead of Brown in the race is his advantage in experience and the fact that the Cowboys have a lot invested in him after a head-scratching trade in 2024.

But if we're going on just camp and preseason performance alone, Brown should be the front-runner for what could be the final spot at wide receiver.

And if Brown can grab that spot over the other three, that would amount to a significant upset on the 53-man roster.

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