After the Dallas Cowboys fell short to the Jacksonville Jaguars 28-23 in their first preseason game of 2023, there are some areas of concern for them to address going into their next contest.
What should the Cowboys focus on this week, and what position groups could be impacted the most?
Biggest Concerns for Dallas Cowboys in Week 2 Preseason Game
Offensive Line Depth
The biggest concern coming out of the game against Jacksonville was the offensive line’s depth.
Although the Cowboys sat 25 of their top players, the backups are still a concern for this line, primarily if injury occurs during the regular season.
The O-line allowed four sacks, which is never ideal, even in a preseason game.
Jacksonville made Will Grier uncomfortable in the pocket and kept the pressure high.
The offense also struggled to establish the run, only having 94 rushing yards in the game. Going into the second preseason contest, this group needs to show improvement.
With Zack Martin returning to camp, it’s encouraging for the younger players to learn more under him.
Pass Protection
Although pass protection has been an area of emphasis for the team, it needed to be patched up during this game. Not only did the offensive line struggle to block, but so did some of the other position groups as well.
Even despite this, the offense had 246 passing yards. Yet, since pass pro has been something that head coach Mike McCarthy wanted to correct from last season, it is worth noting that it was still an issue in the game.
It is well known that Ezekiel Elliott brought elite pass pro and blocking abilities to this offense, which would require more work to find a new solution.
This could be figured out sooner rather than later. It’s just a matter of who or how many people it will take to fill this void.
Could a Fullback Take Away From the Tight End Room?
This is where the conversation of having a fullback on the roster comes into play, which could create a sticky situation for multiple position groups.
Having a fullback who can block on the roster makes the most sense for everyone involved, and after the game, it seems like the Cowboys could utilize one in multiple ways.
The fullback battle is between undrafted rookie Hunter Luepke and tight end Sean McKeon.
According to PFF, Luepke had the top blocking grade (79.7%) for the Cowboys in the game. If he makes the roster, that could add one more player to the running back room, but it would likely take away a roster spot for a tight end.
If this is the case, McKeon and Peyton Hendershot could be on the chopping block from the final roster. Hendershot has not had his best camp or preseason and has yet to do much to get noticed like the other guys in the room.
If McKeon can sure up a roster spot as a tight end, they could also use his versatility at the fullback position.
Ball Security
Ball security is another issue that will need to be a focus ahead of the team’s second preseason game.
KaVontae Turpin muffed a punt and turned over the ball to Jacksonville during his first return in the first quarter.
This would get the Jaguars on the board with their first touchdown and successful two-point conversion to shift the momentum in their favor for a better part of the first half.
Then in the second quarter, running back Rico Dowdle fumbled the ball on the 1-yard line, and the Jaguars recovered it again.
When looking back at the fumble, it was clear that Turpin accidentally bumped into him while trying to block a defender so Dowdle could get into the end zone.
The Jaguars wouldn’t score on the following drive but remained in the lead going into the second quarter. This shouldn’t be an ongoing issue for either of these guys or the team as a whole.
Kicking Consistency
Brandon Aubrey is the only kicker on the current roster, so the position is his to lose at this point.
Although Aubrey was nailing field goals from the 56-yard line in pregame warm-ups, he missed an extra point attempt during the game.
During Tuesday’s practice, he went 11 of 12, according to Todd Archer, and on Wednesday, he went 5 of 6, according to Calvin Watkins.
During training camp, Aubrey has only had one day of making all his field goal attempts.
The question is, how thin is the margin for error for Aubrey during the next two weeks if he keeps consistently missing kicks?
It would be a good start to see Aubrey have a perfect game in Seattle.