Yes, it is just preseason, but Jalen Brooks, the 7th-round pick from South Carolina, is making a solid case to have his name announced on the 53.
Brooks has had a very productive camp thus far. The Cowboys' first preseason game is next Saturday against the Jaguars.
Last week Brooks caught a pair of touchdowns in the red zone and had a nice comeback route in solid coverage for a catch.
This week, he continued to impress.
Jalen Brooks with a nice catch; Sheldrick Redwine with a good hit pic.twitter.com/59j6Tylm5w
— Todd Archer (@toddarcher) August 4, 2023
I only particularly appreciate getting into these stories once we see a few preseason games.
Usually, a player like Brooks only has a solid one or two days and then falls off.
On the other hand, Brooks has been solid in both weeks of padded practice.
He should get a lot of solid time next Saturday when the second and third-string guys want to make the team see some action.
I don't expect to see anything significant out of them, but it will be nice to see if Brooks can stay up to game speed.
Brooks started in Division II at Wingate.
After landing at South Carolina, he started all 12 games in 2022 and caught 33 passes for 504 yards and one touchdown.
He doesn't jump on the screen with his college numbers.
That is why it has been surprising to see him be very consistent through the first couple of weeks of camp.
Let's be honest, though, if he does indeed make the 53-man roster; he won't see the field, ever.
The wideout No. 4 spot is still WIDE open, but Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin have also been balling, and most of their time comes with the first-team offense.
Simi Fehoko has a slim to no chance of taking that job; he has had an awful start.
Maybe when the preseason games start rolling in, things will change, but right now, Brooks has put himself in the best spot possible to make the roster.
It will come down to how he does when he is on television and playing an actual game.
Other News
The Cowboys are thinking about sitting Dak Prescott for the entire preseason.
I disagree with sitting in all four games. I would be fine if he played the first drive of games 3 & 4, then was done.
Zack Martin has yet to report to camp.
He likely will hold out until week one, but we all should trust that the future Hall of Famer will be ready to go in week one against the Giants.
Malik Hooker signed a worth $24 million, with $16.5 million in guaranteed money and an $8 million signing bonus.
I can't tell you I saw that coming.
Hooker has had an up-and-down career after being selected in the first round by the Colts in 2017.
He had an excellent bounce-back year under Dan Quinn, so he has another name he can trust.
Quinn had to have some call on this. This defense locked up another piece of the future.
Things are picking up, and I love it. Football is back, baby.
