Top 10: Ranking Cowboys’ Top Performers Sunday
One might suggest it would be difficult to find 10 players that stood out individually in Sunday's 16-8 loss to the Panthers in the season opener.
10. Maliek Collins – Despite missing nearly all of camp and the preseason, the third-year defensive tackle was active, including recording one of the Cowboys' three sacks.
9. Zack Martin – There were problems all across the line and Martin likely wasn't perfect, but he was rather good in his assignments. Let's not forget there was some concern whether or not he would play this game after the Aug. 26 knee injury but he showed no signs of rust.
8. Byron Jones – This position move has been discussed for so long, but remember this was his first game back at cornerback and it wasn't easy to tell. Jones was on point with his coverage and didn't allow many passes his direction. So far, so good there.
7. Ezekiel Elliott – It was hard to think he'd make this list at halftime, but Zeke found some room to run in the final two quarters and scored the Cowboys' only touchdown of the game. He did average 4.6 yards a carry and we all know he needs more than 15 carries for this offense.
6. Taco Charlton – Got the start at right defensive end was active early, providing heavy pressure on Cam Newton and even got a pass deflection at the line of scrimmage.
5. Tyrone Crawford – Played most of the game inside at tackle, and like most players at that position, made more of an impact than stats would show. Crawford was disruptive, getting a holding call against him and forcing errant throws.
4. Cole Beasley – Like Zeke, Beasley did a lot of his damage in the second half. He led all receivers in the game with seven catches for 73 yards. More importantly, he was back to being that reliable target again, catching all but one of his targeted passes.
3. Chris Jones – The Cowboys were constantly in poor field position but Jones was keeping them close with his directional punts that also had great distance. He averaged 48.8 yards on his six punts and had two downed inside the 20.
2. Kavon Frazier – There was some doubt just how healthy he would be after suffering various injuries in camp, but Frazier not only played well, but virtually the entire game plus special teams. He had seven tackles, including one for loss and a pass deflection.
1. DeMarcus Lawrence – Who else? Clearly the best player on the field for the Cowboys and perhaps for both teams, although Carolina's middle linebacker wasn't too bad. But D-Law filled up the stat sheet with seven tackles, three for loss with a sack and a fumble recovery down by the goal line. In his first game after signing his $17 million franchise tender, Lawrence looked to be worth every bit of it.
