The first preseason game is in the books, and the Dallas Cowboys dropped what was a pretty intriguing game to the Jacksonville Jaguars.
There's plenty to be excited about for Dallas and other items that need more time baking.
Deuce Vaughn reaffirmed for everyone how good he was at Kansas State University, and he's firmly entrenched in this RB2 conversation.
Will Grier may not win the backup quarterback role, but he displays talent that will get other teams' attention.
Yes, the defense didn't have all the starters, nor did they look perfect. However, Dallas will have one of the top units in the league.
I enjoy watching matchups within the games. One I paid attention to included none other than undrafted free agent Isaiah Land. He wants to make this roster, but getting him there will take more than talent alone.
Making the 53-man roster will be a long shot but not impossible
Let's start with the softball facts.
Isaiah Land played his collegiate football at Florida A&M University with a specific skill set. This guy was able to get to the quarterback, and he did so quite well in Tallahassee.
From 2018 thru 2022, he collected 29 total sacks against opposing quarterbacks. In 2021 alone, he brought 19 different signal callers to the ground.
Regardless of the level of play or competition, achieving this feat deserves recognition.
Fans might wonder why Land was not selected in the 2023 NFL Draft.
Your guess is as good as mine. Dan Quinn had his eye on Isaiah two off-seasons ago. He liked what he got in Markquese Bell and doubled down with Land the following season.
Most draft experts had him as a draftable player. He is a very long and explosive athlete; the relative athletic scores below supported that.
Isaiah Land is a LB prospect in the 2023 draft class. He scored a 8.60 #RAS out of a possible 10.00. This ranked 372 out of 2652 LB from 1987 to 2023. https://t.co/I7m03fddN5 https://t.co/aDGSULwfTe pic.twitter.com/OyEnhC7DaD
— Kent Lee Platte (@MathBomb) April 30, 2023
Did he do enough on Saturday to catapult him into the roster conversation?
Obviously, the jury is still out with two games left in the preseason.
When Land entered the game, he caused trouble for the entire left side of the offensive line.
He had the highest win rate on the team, although the team's top two sack artists, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, were not playing.
Isaiah Land was the #Cowboys' best pass-rusher vs. JAX, finishing with four total pressures and a 26.7% pass-rush win rate on first review.
— John Owning (@JohnOwning) August 13, 2023
His one noticeable mistake was on the read option that crossed his face, resulting in a touchdown. He played downhill for most of the snaps he was in on, and the Jaguars used that to their advantage.
Outside of that, the eye test told me this young man could play football. He forced multiple holding calls with his consistent pressure.
It even got to the point where the running backs attempted to chip him to slow his momentum down.
He will have to put on weight and get stronger at the point of attack, but ultimately, it will depend on the roster spots allocated for that position.
Unfortunately, the position he plays is the one where Dallas has a surplus.
With Parsons, Lawrence, Armstrong, Fowler, Williams, Golston, and Fehoko, snaps will come at a premium.
Even still, Dallas would be wise not to try and hide Land on the practice squad. He has two additional games to showcase his ability.
The front office tried this before with Azur Kamara. He wasn't as good as Land, but it would have the same results.
Kamara cleared waivers in 2021 after playing sparingly for Dallas. Carolina Panthers snatched him up for the remainder of the season.
We can let the same happen to Isaiah Land.
