Brandon Aubrey continued to be Aubrey-matic on Sunday in Dallas' 31-10 loss to the Bills in Buffalo.
First-round pick Mazi Smith drew his first NFL start due to Johnthan Hankins' injury. It was a mixed bag for the Michigan alum.
Fellow rookies Luke Schoonmaker, Hunter Luepke and T.J. Bass also saw some action with varying degrees of success.
But, overall, the Cowboys are not getting a lot of help from the 2023 rookie class.
Mazi Smith
(1st Round – Michigan – Defensive Tackle)
With Hankins sidelined by a high ankle sprain, this was supposed to be Smith's time to shine.
He did have his highest number of snaps for the year, 32 defensive snaps and five special teams plays.
Smith was credited with a quarterback hit, his third of the year. He was credited with two tackles, including one for a loss.
He was also credited with his first career quarterback sack.
But it was more of a gift as the referees probably shouldn't have blown the play dead. It really looked like Josh Allen was about to break free of Smith when the whistle blew.
And when it came to helping stop the run?
Smith was too busy getting shoved out of the way when he wasn't getting plowed over.
If the Cowboys were hoping Smith would step up, they left Buffalo disappointed.
Luke Schoonmaker
(2nd Round – Michigan – Tight End)
Schoonmaker saw a dozen snaps on offense and another 13 on special teams.
He was not targeted for a single pass. Nor can I recall seeing him doing much when he on the field.
At least third-string tight end Peyton Hendershot got into a shoving match with one of the Bills' players. Did Schoonmaker even get his jersey smudged?
It may be time to ask the front office to put an embargo on drafting or signing players from Michigan for a while.
DeMarvion Overshown
(3rd Round – Texas – Linebacker)
Overshown continues to rehab from a pre-season knee injury suffered in Seattle.
Viliami Fehoko
(4th Round – San Jose State – Edge)
Fehoko was inactive once again. He has yet to see any action in a regular season game this year.
Asim Richards
(5th Round – North Carolina – Offensive Tackle)
Richards was inactive for the sixth straight game.
He has been inactive in eight of the Cowboys' 14 games this season.
Eric Scott Jr.
(6th Round – New Mexico – Defensive Back)
Scott was inactive once again. He has yet to see any action in a regular season game this year.
Deuce Vaughn
(6th Round – Kansas State – Running Back)
Vaughn was inactive for the fifth-straight game and eighth overall for the year. He has 38 rushing yards and 11 receiving yards for the year.
Barring an injury, Vaughn's time as the darling of Dallas appears to be over.
Jalen Brooks
(7th Round – South Carolina – Wide Receiver)
Brooks was inactive, the ninth time in 14 games he has not suited up. Brooks has five catches for 63 yards on the season.
T.J. Bass
(UDFA – Oregon – Guard)
With Zack Martin's early injury in Sunday's game, Bass saw 47 snaps on offense and two more on special teams.
He was not flagged for any penalties. Nor did I hear anyone calling him out for nearly getting Prescott killed.
In a day with few victories for the team, much less the rookies, Bass might have had a good day after all.
Hunter Luepke
(UDFA – North Dakota State – Running Back)
For the first time since Oct. 1, Luepke was handed the ball in the backfield on a running play.
(Brief pause as this writer collapses to the ground and is administered CPR)
The carry came on a 3rd-and-1 and resulted in a first down. Gee, maybe if they gave him the ball in short yardage and on the goal line on occasion?
He is a full back that specialized in pounding the ball on the goal line at North Dakota State. Just saying…
Luepke only saw four snaps on offense and another 17 on special teams against the Bills.
Brandon Aubrey
(UDFA – Notre Dame – Kicker)
Let's face it. When your rookie kicker was your best player of the game, you probably got your backside booted.
And clearly, Aubrey was the only Cowboys' player to have a good game on Sunday.
Admittedly, the weather reports had me worried about Aubrey and his NFL record of consecutive field goals made to begin a career.
But he handled the weather nicely. The rookie connected on a 32-yard field goal to extend his record to 31.
He made his only extra point try as well to improve to 40-of-43 in that area.
Aubrey has hit nine straight point after attempts since missing one against the Commanders on Thanksgiving Day.
