For the first time since their disastrous loss to the Green Bay Packers in the NFC Wild Card Round, Dallas Cowboys football is officially back. With much to look forward to regarding young players and potential future pieces, a little bit of everything was thrown Dallas’ way in its 13-12 loss to the Rams.
Let’s get into the best and worst performances from the Cowboys’ preseason opener.
Best Players for Cowboys in Loss to Rams
OT Tyler Guyton
The Cowboys’ first-round pick has been dealing with an illness that hampered his week leading up to tonight’s game, but you wouldn’t be able to tell by watching him on Sunday night. Tyler Guyton stepped in on the second offensive series of the game and looked like a guy who was completely comfortable out there.
Pass protection doesn’t have to be passive. Cowboys first round rookie Tyler Guyton shows that here.
Trey Lance with the impressive scramble on third for a first down. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/JiZVJ7zabU
— Joseph Hoyt (@JoeJHoyt) August 11, 2024
His athleticism and physicality were on display for much of the afternoon as he efficiently neutralized pass rushers and cleared out run defenders. Guyton spent much of his college days playing on the right side of the offensive line, and many wondered how he would look switching sides in the NFL.
Through one game, albeit a preseason one, Guyton checked all of the boxes and gave the front office a nice boost of validation in his first outing.
RB Rico Dowdle
Ezekiel Elliott wasn’t in pads as he earned the highly-coveted veteran rest that many established starters get in the preseason. However, after just a few plays, one began to wonder when Rico Dowdle was going to get the same respect.
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Dowdle only had three carries on the day, finishing with 14 yards, good for 4.7 yards per carry. However, it wasn’t the volume but the production that caught many people’s eye. When Dowdle touched the ball, he brought burst, decisiveness, and a spark that the Cowboys’ running game has been missing over the last couple of seasons.
Add the fact he proved to be stout in his pass-blocking opportunities, and there are some not-so-quiet rumblings that Dowdle may actually be the best running back on Dallas’ roster right now.
S Markquese Bell
A Swiss Army Knife of a player, Markquese Bell is officially back to his regular spot in the safety room after spending all of 2023 as a starting linebacker, and he made his presence felt early and often in preseason game No. 1.
Bell saw limited action, with much of his time on the field coming in the first quarter. However, looking at his stat line, you would’ve thought the playmaker was on the field for the duration. He finished with a team-leading nine tackles and one interception.
Dallas’ safety room is loaded with Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson penciled in as starters, but with Bell back at his most comfortable spot, he is set to factor into the rotation heavily in 2024.
Players Who Struggled in Cowboys-Rams
QB Trey Lance
Tonight was Trey Lance’s chance to show the Cowboys and the rest of the NFL world that he is, in fact, a QB1. He was given all but one drive to show what he had, and unfortunately, he left Dallas’ decision-makers with more questions than answers.
Lance struggled with layering the football, lacked the touch to fit balls in windows, and was indecisive with his reads. Granted, he hasn’t played much football over the last two years, but for a guy who has been lauded for his arm talent since his college days, it was not his best showing.
READ MORE: NFL World Reacts to Lance’s Long-Awaited Cowboys Debut
He finished the night 25-for-41 with 188 passing yards and a 72.0 QB rating while failing to put the ball in the end zone despite starting multiple drives starting in plus territory. There is no reason to be completely out on Lance right now, but it’s clear that he is a long way away from ever actually being a threat to Dak Prescott if that’s what Jerry Jones and Co. were thinking.
CB Eric Scott Jr.
There really is no other way around it—even with an interception, Sunday afternoon was a tough outing for Eric Scott Jr. The second-year cornerback is already behind the eight-ball this season as he was selected by a coaching staff that is no longer in the building, and unfortunately, tonight’s performance did him no favors.
Rams wide receiver Jordan Whittington finished the evening with six receptions and 74 receiving yards, with much of that coming while Scott was in coverage. He struggled to stay on the hip of receivers, found himself out of place quite a bit, and even drew a personal foul for unnecessary roughness that clearly stemmed from frustration.
Scott faces an uphill battle to make this roster with an already deep cornerback room and rookies who have shown more promise this offseason. Something will need to change quickly, or his stay in Dallas could be short-lived.
DT Albert Huggins
The Cowboys came into the offseason desperately needing interior defensive line help, and while there were some positive signs there tonight, Albert Huggins, unfortunately, was not one of them.
The big man struggled at the point of attack, was blown off the ball in the run game on several occasions, and struggled mightily to get off of blocks. He even met Rams running back Boston Scott in the hole one play and was bullied for an additional four yards after many thought he had him wrapped up.
Dallas is throwing things at the wall at the defensive tackle position and hoping it sticks. With roster cuts looming in a couple of weeks, they may not be done searching. However, Huggins did himself no favors tonight on a roster that is desperate for any type of help at the spot.