For the most part, as was the case with the rest of the team, the 2024 rookie class had a solid night on Thursday in New York.
One rookie, however, didn’t much enjoy his night against the Giants.
Tyler Guyton was on the receiving end of a lot of yellow laundry. He found none of it to his liking.
It was clearly his roughest performance of his young career.
However, rookies are expected to have games like this on occasion.
He needs to rebound with a strong game on Sunday against the Steelers. He also needs to quit beefing with the officials, before, during, and after the game.
The best way to ensure even more incoming yellow flags is to mouth off about it.
As for the rest of the group, it was a solid night in support of the veterans. One that will need to be repeated as the Cowboys’ defense is going into Sunday night’s game banged up.
Here’s how the rookies fared in the Big Apple.
Tyler Guyton
The first-round pick out of Oklahoma, Guyton, started and played all 56 offensive snaps in the game. He also saw five snaps on special teams.
Guyton was flagged for several holding calls in the game. While he disagreed with all of them, during and after the game, he was clearly guilty as charged on all of them.
Guyton had a rough night against the Giants’ pass rushers.
The good news is that Dallas won the game. The bad news is that he’ll likely get a healthy dose of T.J. Watt thrown at him on Sunday night.
The rookie left tackle is going to have to put Thursday’s game in the rearview mirror and step up his game on Sunday in Pittsburgh.
Marshawn Kneeland
After two weeks of reduced play, the Cowboys’ second-round pick, Marshawn Kneeland, saw 36 snaps on defense and another 5 on special teams in Thursday’s win.
Mostly, his increased snap count was due to injuries suffered by Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Still, he made the most of his opportunity.
Kneeland was on the field for 36 defensive snaps (52%) and five special teams snaps as well.
He was credited with three tackles, two solo, one for a loss, and a quarterback hit.
It was comparable to his efforts in the season opener in Cleveland. He’ll likely get his first career start on Sunday. He’ll need to put up those numbers or better.
Cooper Beebe
The third-round pick from Kansas State, Cooper Beebe, has taken all but one of the Cowboys’ 269 offensive snaps at center this year.
In Thursday’s win, he saw 56 snaps and five more on special teams. Beebe has only been flagged for two penalties in his 268 snaps.
Better still, he’s been near-perfect at protecting his quarterback.
Marist Liufau
The third-round pick from Notre Dame, Marist Liufau, got his second start of the season and didn’t waste the opportunity.
Liufau finished with four tackles, three of them solo. He also added a tackle for a loss.
Impressive numbers considering he was only on the field for 27 defensive snaps (39%) and 12 on special teams.
Caelen Carson
The fifth-round pick from Wake Forest, Caelen Carson, had started the first three games of the season.
But he was inactive for the game against the Giants. He was ruled out due to an injured shoulder suffered in the loss against the Ravens.
McCarthy did say last week that Carson was closer to being ready than fellow defensive back Markquese Bell.
With 10 more days of rest, Carson could be back in action against the Steelers on Sunday.
Ryan Flournoy
The sixth-round pick from SE Missouri State, Ryan Flournoy, was once again inactive. It remains to be seen if Flournoy will ever get to see some game action in 2024.
Nathan Thomas
Offensive Tackle Nathan Thomas, the seventh round pick out of Louisiana, is on injured reserve.
But at least he is still in the organization. His fellow seventh round pick, Justin Rogers, was cut before the season began and is now on the Bengals practice squad.
The Undrafted
Tight End Brevyn Spann-Ford, out of Minnesota, saw five snaps on offense and another nine on special teams on Sunday. He did not record a single stat in Thursday’s win.
The other three undrafted rookies are currently on the practice squad.
Safety Emany Johnson, Defensive Tackle Denzel Daxon, and linebacker Brock Mogensen will likely remain there until an injury necessitates a call-up.