Biggest Takeaways From Cowboys' Dominant Preseason Week 2 Win Over Cardinals

The Dallas Cowboys are now two preseason games deep into their exhibition slate after beating the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday night in preseason Week 2, 34-13.

The Cowboys didn't play their starters once again, but we did see the team's draft picks in action, with the exception of Caleb Downs, who got the night off after playing last week.

Among those draft picks was linebacker Jaishawn Barham, who was one of the biggest standouts of the contest in what was his preseason debut after injury kept him out in preseason Week 1.

We'll talk about Barham's performance and much more as we take a look at the biggest takeaways from the Cowboys' exhibition victory over Arizona.

Malik Davis takes the lead in RB2 battle

Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis. — Dallas Cowboys running back Malik Davis (20) scores for a touchdown against the Arizona Cardinals during the first half at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Davis saw the field before both Phil Mafah and Jaydon Blue, which was not the case last week, and he had the best overall showing of Cowboys backs on Saturday night when it mattered most.

Davis tallied five carries for 29 yards (5.8 yards per carry) over the first two quarters and, maybe more importantly for a player who has had questions about his pass-catching abilities, Davis recorded an eight-yard touchdown reception.

Davis also showed his chops in pass protection by successfully picking up a blitz, which is more evidence he's the best pass protector at running back outside of Javonte Williams.

Brian Schottenheimer & co have hinted that Malik Davis is in the RB2 competition after last week’s performances by Jaydon Blue and Mafah

Somewhat out of necessity Malik Davis was getting the 2nd reps this week

Certainly seems the part tonight - started (but rotated with) Blue pic.twitter.com/lo92PUGzzU
— Zain Dhanani (@DhananiZain) August 23, 2026

In the same span, Blue posted nine carries for 45 yards (five yards per carry) and didn't record a catch. Blue did, however, look better as a runner than he did last week and finished with 15 carries for 75 yards, so he had a strong night, also.

This race is still close, but we're giving the edge to Davis for now after he showed more and was the more consistent runner when he rotated snaps with Blue over the first two quarters before not seeing a single touch in the second half.

As for Mafah, he didn't see a single carry until the fourth quarter, so he's clearly the RB4 right now.

Jaishawn Barham was exceptional

Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaishawn Barham. — Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaishawn Barham (55) greets fans at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If we didn't know any better, we would have guessed that Barham was an experienced starting linebacker because he looked the part on Saturday night.

It didn't take long for Barham to make his presence felt, as he had two tackles, one tackle for loss and a pressure on a blitz over the first two series of his NFL debut.

Look at Barham knife through the defense for this TFL. His ability to diagnose and react is eye-opening.

Barham makin’ plays right away #DALvsAZ | @JaishawnBarham

📺: #DALvsAZ on CBS11
📲: Stream on NFL+ https://t.co/7pAfvQ9tid pic.twitter.com/kuZmG9kwXv
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 23, 2026

Want more? Here ya go.

This is just silly from Jaishawn Barham pic.twitter.com/z5KARJ4qGS
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) August 23, 2026

My. Goodness. This man is going to be a problem.

In all, Barham finished with five tackles, including one for loss. We have seen enough and he doesn't need to play another preseason snap. That's how good he looked.

As if his night couldn't be any more impressive, Barham also wore the green dot, which is a huge vote of confidence.

At this point, nobody should be writing Dee Winters' name in pen for the starting job next to DeMarvion Overshown. Barham is very much alive for that job, and we're already convinced he should get it after what we saw in preseason Week 2.

Even if he isn't technically the starter, Christian Parker is going to find a way to get Barham involved plenty.

A new favorite for QB2

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III. — Dallas Cowboys quarterback Joe Milton III (10) throws a pass in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Joe Milton started tightening the gap between himself and Sam Howell for the QB2 job after playing better in preseason Week 1, and we believe Milton has pulled ahead after an outstanding showing in preseason Week 2.

Milton completed 9-of-13 passes for 179 yards and two scores through the air while adding a rushing touchdown, also.

His best throws of the night were an absolute dime to Jonathan Mingo for a 53-yard scoring strike, and a 70-yard completion to Camden Brown that saw Milton throw across his body on the run to find Brown, who did the rest.

Joe Milton III put his arm on full display tonight 🚀

9/13, 179 YDS, 3 Total TDs, 0 INT.

What team needs to call up Dallas for Milton? pic.twitter.com/U1Nq7Drx8c
— Football Performances (@NFLPerformances) August 23, 2026

All of that and we didn't even mention how Milton could have had another scoring drive on the opening series if not for a drop by Zack Kuntz.

Through two preseason games, Milton has completed 21-of-28 passes (75%) for 289 yards and four total touchdowns.

Howell did not fare as well after completing 7-of-10 passes for 65 yards and one interception on what was a poor decision from the veteran signal-caller.

In fairness to Howell, his protection wasn't anywhere near as good as Milton's was, but even taking that into account, Milton was still clearly the better player for a second week in a row.

Advantage Milton.

Cowboys should keep six WRs

Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Camden Brown. — Dallas Cowboys wide receiver Camden Brown (6) carries the ball at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

If the Cowboys are only going to keep five wide receivers, neither Camden Brown nor Jonathan Mingo made that decision any easier.

As we already mentioned, Brown and Mingo were both on the other end of Milton's best passes of the night, with Mingo's going for his first career touchdown (yes, you read that correctly: Mingo hadn't scored either a preseason or regular season touchdown).

It's hard to fathom the Cowboys cutting Mingo given what they invested in him in the 2024 trade, and with Mingo having a good offseason. We also can't see the Cowboys cutting Brown after what he has shown in training camp and the preseason, which should lead to him getting claimed if he gets cut.

Don't be surprised if the Cowboys keep six wide receivers, which seemed highly unlikely going into the offseason with how strong Dallas is atop the depth chart.

Shavon Revel's strong offseason continues

Dallas Cowboys cornerback Shavon Revel Jr. (28) runs with the ball after intercepting a pass in the first half against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Revel only saw one drive in the game, but he made the most of it and kept the good times rolling in what has been a strong offseason for him.

The 2025 third-round pick notched his first career interception on a pass from Gardner Minshew. Granted, the Cardinals wide receiver fell down, but Revel was in the perfect spot.

For good measure, Revel returned the pick 22 yards to set the Cowboys up for an easy scoring drive.

Don't look now, but the Cowboys might actually be deep at the cornerback position if Revel and DaRon Bland can rebound, and if Cobie Durant plays at the level he has throughout the offseason.

Better showing from the second-team OL

After an abysmal showing in preseason Week 1, the twos along the offensive line were much better in the first half this week.

The Cowboys started Drew Shelton, Trevor Keegan, Nick Leverett, Ajani Cornelius and Nate Thomas from left to right. The changes from last week were Shelton and Thomas swapping spots and Leverett starting over T.J. Bass, who got the night off.

Milton had enough time to throw and wasn't sacked, and there were holes to run through in the ground game, something we couldn't say last week.

Sure, the Cardinals are a bad team and their backups don't present much of a challenge, but that does not totally erase just how encouraging this performance was.

Big improvement with penalties

Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer. — Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer looks on prior to the game against the Arizona Cardinals at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matt Kartozian-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

The Cowboys had 13 penalties in the preseason opener but managed to reduce that number big time on Saturday.

Dallas was far more disciplined against the Cardinals, with the team totaling just four penalties for 20 yards. That was a much-needed showing after the abomination that was last week.

Another statement from Christian Parker's defense

Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker. — Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker at training camp at River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

For the second straight week, we didn't see any communication issues or other big miscues from Parker's defense like we have seen from Cowboys units the past two years.

Dallas made a pair of stops in the red zone to hold Arizona to field goals and Arizona only found pay dirt once and scored 13 points. The Cardinals also barely crossed 300 yards of offense.

Yes, all of this came against Arizona's backups, but the Cowboys didn't have their starters out there, either. Considering the circumstances, this was another impressive showing.

Add us as a preferred source on Google