The Dallas Cowboys were able to navigate their way through the Week 1 preseason matchup against the San Francisco 49ers, although they probably would've preferred a different outcome. Despite that though, there was quite a bit of good that took place last Saturday night and not so surprisingly some bad as well. It's to be expected this early in the preseason.
Heading into Week 2 of the preseason the Dallas Cowboys and the coaching staff are looking to see players show some consistency and quite possibly raise the level of their game from last week. With that in mind, I thought I would share with you some players I will be keeping a close watchful eye on in Hawaii when the Cowboys take on the Los Angeles Rams this weekend.
Let's get started…
- You've probably guessed it since his name is in the title, but Kicker Brett Maher is someone I want to further evaluate this week. He managed to make three out of four of his FG attempts last week, but I still think it was a shaky performance at best. I believe he may be the weakest link on the entire roster and I don't know if he can do anything to ease my concerns about the current state of the kicking game. Hit or miss, I have Maher under a microscope.
- Wide Receiver Jon'Vea Johnson is also someone who had a shaky performance against the 49ers last week. He's been one of the most hyped up receivers since joining the Dallas Cowboys as an undrafted free agent, but he unfortunately developed a case of the dropsies in his first NFL action. Maybe it was just a case of butterflies, but he'll need a bounce back performance in Week 2 of the preseason if he wants a chance of earning a roster spot.
- Add backup QB Mike White to the players I'll be watching against the Rams. There was a lot of bad last week in the 49ers game, but he was able to finish strong and put some good things on tape. He'll need to build on the positive this week in Hawaii and prove to the Cowboys coaching staff he's worth keeping around.
- Rookie defensive ends Joe Jackson and Jalen Jelks are making waves so far both in practices and in their first preseason game. They are starting to shake things up at the DE position and it could have a huge impact when it's time to make roster cuts. I'll be watching No. 56 and No. 74 closely this week to see if they can raise the level of their game.
- Another rookie I'm wanting to see a lot more of against the Rams is Safety Donovan Wilson. I was impressed with his performance last week against the 49ers and I'm hoping he can build on that this week against the Rams. He may be starting to put himself into contention for quite a bit of playing time in 2019, quite possibly as the starter opposite Xavier Woods.
- I was really disappointed last week RB Tony Pollard played so little and Mike Weber didn't perform as well as I thought he would have. I want to see more from these two rookies this week against the LA Rams. If they can find running room against a talented Rams DL it would help ease any concerns about the state of the RB position minus Zeke.
- Lastly, there is no shortage of defensive tackles to watch this week against the Rams. I however will be focusing on three DTs particularly… Trysten Hill, Daniel Wise, and Ricky Walker. All three rookies stood out to me last week against the 49ers and I'm hoping they can build on that performance. If they can it could really shake things up along the Cowboys DL.
These are just a few of the players I'll be watching a little extra closely in Week 2 of the preseason for the Dallas Cowboys. For one reason or another they have all piqued my interest and made me want to further evaluate them. Of course, they aren't the only ones.
