Well, we are down to the last week of preseason, and as of now, we have a pretty good idea whose stock is up and did well, and those still struggling and will need a good showing this week and Friday in the last preseason game against the Saints.
Most of the guys on the list have probably either done well enough to earn a spot, or backup, starting spot, etc. while the others are still battling to show the coaching staff that they can provide enough good things rather than bad.
I could fill out this list with a handful of both, but I am going to list two players with stock up after last week and two with stock down after last week.
Joe Milton
The backup quarterback job was probably a 50/50 shot before Joe Milton played extremely well against the Cardinals. It was preseason and all backups, but that is what we needed to see from a guy like Milton heading into the season.
Yet, head coach Brian Schottenheimer thinks it still could swing back the other way and will not say who has yet won the backup role.
“This is long from over,” Schottenheimer said after the win Saturday.
“We’re going back to Frisco, thankfully, get a chance to be home and put some more training camp days in. You’ve got to give Joe his credit. He’s played really well the past two games, but we have a lot of confidence in Sam as well.”
If I had to guess, I would expect Howell to start this Friday and see if he can give the same type of performance that Milton did in the first half of the weekend.
I think Milton now has the upper hand, but we will see what happens last this week.
He was once know a strong arm qb who could throw it a long way:
“Go to the fair, win a teddy bear”
It takes a lot more to play quarterback. Milton is showing that now.
Malik Davis
I think Malik Davis has won the backup running back job, and you may not agree, but I think the main reason is clear.
Jaydon Blue led the team in rushing yards with 75 against the Arizona Cardinals, but it was Davis who was the more efficient rusher.
Davis recorded 29 yards on just five carries, averaging 5.8 yards per run. He added an 8-yard touchdown catch. Blue had one nice hurdle in the second half, but he is not a guy that can make guys miss until he is in space.
He gets taken down way too much when touched by the first tackler. Blue has his role and that is getting him involved in the offense when you can get him into space. That is when he thrives.
As of this moment, I am pretty sure that Davis has full control of the driver’s seat when it comes to the backup running back spot.
Let me also say I could add five or ten more guys to this stock-up post, but I would be here all day, guys like Revel, Mingo, etc. Those guys are some we had questions about, but have looked really good thus far.
Now for a few guys that stock took a hit this past weekend.
Drew Shelton
Man, I thought Drew Shelton would have a chance to maybe earn a starting spot, being completely honest.
He struggled pretty bad on Saturday.
His 47.9 grade was easily the lowest of any Cowboys offensive lineman who played at least 10 snaps.
Pass protection remains a massive concern for Shelton. Across 25 pass-blocking snaps, he surrendered four pressures, two hurries, and a sack. The result? A 3.0 pass-blocking grade from PFF. Not 30.0. He had a THREE.
“They need to continue to grow.”
That is so bad.
It is really looking like Terence Steele and Tyler Guyton are going to remain the starts. Those are the only two that had questions, but it seems like those two are going to at least start the season. We will see what happens when the regular season starts.
Marist Liufau
I think time is just ticking for Marist Liufau, and he has not really made the impact in switching positions that he and all the fans had hoped.
Liufau’s chances of making the roster are all about special teams. For the second consecutive week, he struggled to show up on defense. In the third quarter, he missed what could have been a sack on Gardner Minshew.
I really wanted him to make the roster and do well, and I think he can if given more time, but he will need to probably spend a year on the practice squad, and be around if someone gets hurt this year if he remains apart of the Dallas Cowboys.
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