Cowboys newest crop of rookies made their mark on Sunday

Sunday’s 13-12 loss to the Los Angeles Rams marked the first time several rookies stepped out onto an NFL field as Dallas Cowboys.

The game may not count officially, but for them, it will always be special. More than a few stepped up on Sunday.

For the most part, the eight draftees had solid games.

They definitely are on pace to have better overall seasons than the 2023 draft class posted.

And a few of the undrafted players showed up and showed out for Dallas too.

Here’s a quick recap of how the rookies fared in the opening week of preseason.

Tyler Guyton

Tyler Guyton was the beneficiary of Chuma Edoga’s first quarter toe injury. With Edoga out for the game, Guyton saw a lot more action than was likely planned.

For the most part, Guyton looked impressive.

His pass-blocking looked good, he even picked up a blitzing linebacker like a seasoned vet. And he made solid blocks in the run game as well.

Better still, I didn’t hear his name called for holding – or for a blown assignment.

A solid start for the rookie.

Marshawn Kneeland

The second-round pick made two tackles on the Rams’ opening drive of the game.

With Sam Williams’ season done after an ACL tear in camp, Marshawn Kneeland will likely be expected to step into the void.

For the most part, he delivered in his first NFL game. It’s a good start.

Cooper Beebe

Coope Beebe split time at center and at guard on Saturday and for the most part acquitted himself well.

The third-round pick from Kansas State showed why his versatility caught the Cowboys front office’s attention on draft day.

Like Guyton, he didn’t draw any flags. Nor did his name come up as far as any blown assignments.

Marist Liufau

Marist Liufau was credited with a tackle on a third-and-three play that forced a fourth down.

Normally, that would have led to a field goal attempt, but the Rams went for it on fourth down instead. While the Rams eventually settled for three points, getting the stop on the play was huge.

Liufau is in the mix for playing time as a starting linebacker.

Plays like this will improve the fourth rounder from Notre Dame’s chances.

Caelen Carson

Fifth-round pick Caelen Carson made six tackles on Sunday. As a cornerback, that meant he was targeted – a lot.

Still, four of them were solo tackles.

He might have given up some receptions, but he brought his man down when they made the catch.

Carson wasn’t in on the interception fest the rest of his teammates enjoyed on Sunday, however.

Ryan Flournoy

Sixth-round pick Ryan Flournoy showed some signs of why he was drafted on Sunday.

He was targeted three times by Trey Lance. Flournoy caught two of the three passes for a total of eight yards.

He did fumble once.

Fortunately, the ball eventually wobbled out of bounds before a Rams player could recover it.

Nathan Thomas

An offensive lineman, Nathan Thomas, had a pretty good scoreline.

His name doesn’t show up anywhere in the stats. Which means the seventh-round pick wasn’t called for a penalty and didn’t have to recover a fumble by his quarterback after a blown assignment.

Overall, a good day.

Justin Rogers

Also a seventh-round pick, Justin Rogers collected two tackles.

The defensive lineman had a solo tackle – for a loss at that – as well. Not a bad debut for a rookie.

The Undrafted Free Agents

Right now, there are quite a few undrafted free agents in the Cowboys camp. Far too many to list each and every one.

But some of the UFDA’s showed up on Sunday, enough to earn a shout out.

Tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford may have sealed Peyton Hendershot’s fate on Sunday. Spann-Ford caught two passes for 13 yards.

He’s battling second-year player John Stephens Jr. for the third tight end spot.

Stephens had three catches for 19 yards on Sunday. Luke Schoonmaker, also a second-year tight end, is currently the backup to Jake Ferguson.

Schoonmaker was targeted twice but did not make a catch.

Running backs Snoop Conner and Nathaniel Peat are also trying to make the team as UDFAs.

Conner had three carries for 10 yards and two receptions for six yards. Peat had two carries for five yards and one catch that lost three yards.

Jalen Moreno-Cropper took a step forward on Sunday with four catches for 26 yards.

On the defensive side, linebacker Brock Mogensen out of South Dakota had two tackles and an interception in Sunday’s loss.