The Dallas Cowboys preseason has come to a close, and the story of the preseason has taken many twists and turns.
The front office’s inability to secure contract extensions for star players has been the primary story of the offseason and preseason games.
Fans have watched the team sign unknown players, past their prime stars, and trade with division rivals.
These paths have guided the team through the offseason, and now they’re charging full steam ahead toward the highly anticipated first regular-season game against the Cleveland Browns.
Let’s take a step back and examine the offseason as a whole to see what was written.
Trey Lance’s preseason lacked starter qualities.
Many fans believed that Trey Lance should be the starter over Dak Prescott. This storyline should be wiped from everywhere because he cannot be a starter.
As everyone watched the three preseason games, they witnessed Trey Lance’s impressive running abilities, which are fantastic.
However, they also saw some accuracy issues and timing problems, which are areas he needs to work on to improve his overall quarterback play.
Trey Lance’s preseason game statistics.
Through three preseason games, Trey Lance had a stat line that reflected a third-string quarterback.
In his first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams, Trey Lance completed 25/41 passes with no touchdowns and no interceptions. He had 188 yards passing with 4.6 yards per catch.
A 60 percent completion percentage will not work in the NFL. Neither will the quarterback rating of 72.
The one bright spot is he ran the ball six times for 44 yards, averaging 7.3 yards, but was sacked three times.
The second preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders was a much better game.
Trey Lance completed 15 of 23 passes for 151 yards and one touchdown. He ended the game with a quarterback rating of 98.3.
The running took a step back in this game. Trey Lance had seven carries for 34 yards and a touchdown, averaging 4.9 yards.
In the final preseason game, fans watched Trey Lance take more risks with the ball. He threw the ball 49 times and completed 33 passes for 323 yards and one touchdown.
This game not only saw Trey Lance throw the ball more, but his running ability was on full display. He ran 11 times for 90 yards and a score.
The downside to Trey Lance’s passing was more evident by the five interceptions he threw, which ended a few promising drives.
The Trey Lance story could have had a great ending, but what was shown was a quarterback who is not ready for the spotlight yet.
This story is still unfinished and may never be finished, at least not with a happy ending.
The defense has some weapons outside the stars.
The defensive stars did not see the field for the Dallas Cowboys, but the reserves got plenty of time to prove their worth.
Several players stepped up and showed they belonged, including Caelen Carson, Marshawn Kneeland, and a few veterans who were added late in the offseason.
One player who stood out in almost every preseason game was Safety Julius Wood. This young man made several plays in each preseason game, showing he belonged.
The defensive tackle has always been a weakness, but stopping the run should be much easier with the big boys who were picked up, one a free-agent signing and another by trade with the New York Giants.
Jordan Phillips will give the defense a massive pass rusher from the 3-tech position. He can also help stop the run and is OK not stuffing the stat sheet. He said in an interview,
“I don’t care about stats, people look at stats and think you have a great game. For me, as long as my linebackers are making All-Pro, Pro Bowler, I did my job for the year. They didn’t do that by themselves, I kept people off of them and on the way I’m getting some sacks and tackles.”
Linval Joseph is a space-eater who will eat up blocks and clog running lanes. He is not an every-down type of lineman, but he should get the job done when he’s in the game.
The defense will be a major strength of the team, and, as seen during the preseason, fans should not worry about takeaways in the new scheme. The defense created plenty of turnovers.
A masterpiece could be written by the defense.
The running game is a work in progress.
The running game could be the offense’s Achilles heel this year. Several running backs are on the roster, but which one will step up and take charge?
After the preseason games were over, Deuce Vaughn was the running back with the most potential if given the chance.
Fans witnessed the quickness and ability to hit holes created by the offensive line. This young man has potential and should make the 53-man roster over some of the other running backs in the stable.
Many fans, including myself, were high on Malik Davis. The problem is that he did not show half of Deuce Vaughn’s potential.
The other running backs, Snoop Conner and Nathaniel Peat, looked like practice squad guys.
Royce Freeman is a big back, but the team already has Ezekiel Elliott for this job. The team does not need a second bruiser or short-yardage back.
The preseason games wrote a story about the running backs. The problem is that the story is a mystery.
The preseason story was written.
A preseason story was written, and it was not pretty, but it was written nonetheless.
The preseason showed that the quarterback of the future may not be the quarterback of the future. The running back room will be a mystery, and the defense will be the main character.
Luckily, the Dallas Cowboys stayed pretty healthy, and young players got to show what they were capable of on the field.
Now, onto the regular season, where the only story that matters is one with an ending that brings the Super Bowl trophy back to Dallas.