Training camp can make just about anyone look better than they really are. That’s just the nature of the beast with no pads and tackling.
One deep catch goes viral on social media, or somebody shoots through a gap untouched, and before practice is over, fans have already found their next breakout star. I’m guilty of this and so is every other person who follows an NFL team.
The two players I’m going to call my dark horses are guys that haven’t had much fan fare so far, but have looked good. Rookie wide receiver Anthony Smith and second year linebacker Shemar James are my guys.
What I see in these two are players who have a real path to seeing the field or at least the 53-man roster.
Anthony Smith has enough pure athletic ability and playmaking skills to make the Cowboys think twice about exposing him to waivers.
While Shemar James is past the point of simply trying to make the roster. The Cowboys are going to need him, probably sooner rather than later.
These aren’t two guys who will carry the team we just need them to make something out of the chance in front of them.
Anthony Smith Might Force Dallas to Keep Him After Training Camp
I know seventh-round receivers usually walk into camp with almost no room for error. Anthony Smith gives himself a chance because he has something this offense could use.
16.5 yards per reception in his final collegiate season at East Carolina caught my attention. He averaged 2.8 yards per route run, so Smith was making plays without needing to run downfield every play.
None of this matters much to me if a young player can’t catch the ball, and Smith had 64 receptions and 6 drops, which comes out to about an 8.6% drop rate.
The top receivers in the draft had a drop percentage of 3% or lower. To make this team, Smith can’t leave plays out there. A seventh round pick doesn’t always get the benefit of the doubt.
He has made an impression early in camp.
![Patrik [No C] Walker avatar](https://pbs.twimg.com/profile_images/1946640157798494209/XNWwENH__bigger.jpg){kind=small}
he looks like Sonic the Hedgehog out here with the ball in his hands — just juked a defender into the year 2075. #Cowboys
There’s room for him in this receivers room. After the top three of Lamb, Pickens, and Flournoy. Smith will be battling Turpin, Holden, and Mingo for the possible fourth or fifth final spot.
Anthony Smith doesn’t need 50 catches as a rookie. I just need him to make a few plays in camp, help on special teams, and make the front office nervous about trying to sneak him through waivers.
That may be enough to get him onto the 53, but after that, one injury or one big play could change the whole conversation.
Shemar James Doesn’t Have Time to Ease Into Year 2
Shemar James is in a different spot because he is going to play. As we all know, Dallas doesn’t have the linebacker depth to bury him on the bench and give him a redshirt year.
His rookie season gave us glimpses of why the Cowboys were interested in him in the first place, but it also showed why he didn’t start many games.
James finished the 2025 campaign with 91 tackles, 9.5 stops, 1.5 sacks, and a forced fumble while getting more than 540 snaps. He was definitely at his best when he could get downhill and attack.
The rest of his game, well, it was all over the place.
I don’t think anyone would question whether he can run and hit. He can close space, finish tackles, and do all that stuff, but things got ugly when… the play got crowded, and he had to sort through the trash, and he struggled in coverage.
He is so young (21) and played way more than anyone expected last year (almost 600 snaps).
Those are very fixable, and I think he will be a big contributor this season if he stops taking extra steps, and don’t give quarterbacks free completions underneath.
That speaks volumes about what they think of Caleb Downs.
@DLLS_Cowboys
The linebacker room, as unsettled as it is entering camp, gives him a real opening, but it could also put pressure on him. If he hasn’t cleaned up those mistakes, which are more mental than anything, there isn’t much room for a player who flashes every other week.
Anthony Smith will try to make Dallas afraid of losing him, while Shemar James is trying to show Dallas can leave him on the field without worrying about his mental mistakes.
That’s why both work as dark horses for me. Both of these players are very replaceable, but also have traits that show up on tape. If they can consistently tape into those traits, lookout for these two to make some noise in training camp.
Was this helpful?
Comments