"It's All Real Now"

For the last three weeks, Cowboys QB Dak Prescott has had to watch from the sidelines as Dallas went through the preseason. It's been over seven years now since Prescott appeared in a preseason game.

The next time the Cowboys suit up for a game however, Prescott will be under center for his 11th season as the kingpin of Dallas' offense. He made sure to remind his teammates of that on the way back to the locker room, saying "it's all real now" as he trotted in postgame.

The Cowboys open the regular season on September 13 on the road against the New York Giants, whom Prescott holds a 14-3 all-time record over as Dallas' starter.

The Ball Cap Club

In the preseason, earning a ball cap on the sidelines usually means you've done enough as a player to secure your spot on the 53-man roster. Joining that club on Friday night was wide receiver Jonathan Mingo, who earned high praise from Brian Schottenheimer.

"I think Mingo's played really, really well, not just in the preseason games, but throughout the course of training camp," Schottenheimer said. "He played really well on offense, played really well on special teams and he deserved to not play tonight."

Earlier in the week, Mingo said he and Schottenheimer had a man-to-man conversation over the offseason where Schottenheimer pushed Mingo to continue to improve, which it appears he's done enough of to warrant a spot on the team.

"He gave me things I needed to work on," Mingo said. "We kind of butted heads over some things, but he told me what he needs me to do. Just trying to learn the whole offense, knowing every spot in case somebody goes down, somebody needs a break. That's what he challenged me to do, so that's what I've been focusing on."

Job Interview

For players that could be on the Cowboys' roster bubble ahead of roster cut down day, the tape they post in the preseason could help them land on another team. That's how OLB Sam Williams viewed his preseason in 2026.

"I think I did pretty good," Williams said. "A lot of people emphasize, I'm in a position where I'm interviewing for all 31 other teams also, so I had to basically show that last season wasn't the defining aspect of Sam. So we'll see what happens."

Williams, who was drafted by the Cowboys in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft, said he felt like he was "back" after being two years removed from knee surgery. While the interview may extend around the league, Williams said he still feels like he can help Dallas by the way he practices and approaches every day.

Not Up to Standard

When the Cowboys went to the locker room at the end of the first half trailing 17-9, a very frustrated head coach in Brian Schottenheiemer was waiting for them, and made sure his team knew how frustrated he was.

"I got after them pretty good at halftime," Schottenheimer said. "It wasn't our standard in the first half. I think we were giving up 6.8 yards of rush in the first half and we had three penalties on offense. I basically told them, you know, third preseason game my ass. I said a little bit more colorfully than that."

His team responded, scoring 15 points in the fourth quarter to tie things up late. Dallas did not win the game as the Saints kicked a late field goal to take the lead, but Schottenheimer was impressed with the effort.

"The heart of this football team, the heart of those guys, most of those guys out there were playing 80% playtime," Schottenheimer said. "They were gassed. The defense I thought really stepped up in the second half. The pass rush got a lot better."

Smooth as Butter

Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey finished his preseason missing just one field goal, a 57-yarder on Friday night. He would respond on the next opportunity by drilling a 58-yard field goal with :23 seconds left in the first half to take Dallas into the break down by a possession.

In total, Aubrey connected on six of his seven total field goals through the first three preseason games.

This offseason, the Cowboys made Aubrey the highest-paid kicker in the league, signing him to a four-year, $28 million deal. Dallas believes Aubrey can be a weapon for them offensively with his range, and he showed it again during the 2026 preseason.

Calling the Shots

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer handed off his offensive playcalling duties to second-year offensive coordinator Klayton Adams on Friday night. Adams has called plays at various times throughout the offseason in training camp, and Schottenheimer let him call the shots to close out the preseason.

"I wanted to give Klayton the opportunity to do that. He deserves it. I want to develop our staff. I think that's important…" Schottenheimer said. "I know he was a little nervous and anxious going in. That's all part of it. But I thought he really settled in…"

"I thought he did a really good job and I don't have to tell you guys how much I love him and appreciate him for the coach and leader that he is."

In the end, Adams' offense put up 24 points on 328 total yards, 237 of which came through the air and 91 on the ground. Schottenheimer was happy to give Adams some advice throughout the night, but likely won't relinquish his playcalling duties in the regular season anytime soon.

"It really was weird not calling the game," Schottenheimer said. "I don't like it. I feel like I'm not in control as much as I like to be. But again, I tried to stay out of it. I gave him a few things throughout like any head coach would do. But it really gave me a good chance to really be more involved on defense and special teams."

Mingo Was His Name-O

Jonathan Mingo is actively rooting for and helping to coach up breakout undrafted rookie Camden Brown, but he also isn't being overshadowed by him.

The veteran has had his best camp thus far with the Cowboys, and it's translating into preseason games as well. His effort was a highlight last week, but this week it was his ability to stretch the field, by way of a 53-yard touchdown catch-and-run toss by Joe Milton.

Mingo is absolutely still in the WR mix as camp shifts to Dallas. — (Patrik Walker)

Navajo's Own

The Navajo Nation is the largest Native American reservation in the United States, with an estimated population of over 300,000 members. One of them had a star on his helmet Sunday night, Cowboys offensive lineman Shiyazh Pete, who is the first member of the Navajo Nation to sign an NFL contract.

With the Navajo Nation located a few hours north of Phoenix, it was a homecoming of sorts for Pete, and ended up being one he'll never forget. After Pete's first drive on the field resulted in a touchdown, he returned to the bench to a standing ovation from hundreds of Navajo Nation members in the crowd, who he acknowledged as his teammates on the sidelines cheered him on as well.

"I have to say this – I saw something that I've never seen before – an entire fan section cheering for [Pete]," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "That was really cool. It was really awesome. We had him break it down and his comments were really cool – talking about the brotherhood. He talked about The Star and the importance the Star holds for him. These guys love him."

Blue Streak

For the second preseason game in a row, I saw Jaydon Blue doing some very heavy lifting behind a struggling offensive line.

The young running back wouldn't be denied, running hard in-between the guard and center and, at one point, hurdling a defender to avoid a tackle for loss, turning it into a healthy gain instead.

Blue ended with 75 rushing yards against the Cardinals on 15 carries (5 yards per carry) and complemented served up a healthy dose of film he can smile about going into the preseason finale vs. the Saints. — (Patrik Walker)

Wood's Injury

Late in the third quarter, Cowboys safety Julius Wood spent a few minutes in the medical tent before being placed into the NFL's concussion protocol after a big collision on an earlier drive.

Wood was understandably left frustrated by the news, and was consoled on the sidelines by some of his defensive teammates before being walked back to the Cowboys locker room.

Even with Wood missing over a quarter of action, he finished second on the team in tackles with five, and added a tackle on special teams as well. Wood has been one of the hardest hitting players on Dallas' defense at training camp, and is aiming to make the 53-man roster in his second stint with Dallas.

Busy Night

The Cowboys only suited up two tight ends on Saturday night: Luke Schoonmaker and Zack Kuntz, after Jake Ferguson and Brevyn Spann-Ford have earned the right not to play in the preseason and both of Dallas' UDFA tight ends, Michael Trigg and DJ Rogers, suffered injuries earlier in the week.

However, Schoonmaker only played in eight total snaps, and they all came relatively early. That meant it was a longer day at the office for Kuntz, the former seventh-round pick by the Jets in 2023 who the Cowboys claimed off waivers on August 6 after Princeton Fant suffered a season-ending injury.

Kuntz would end up playing 42 offensive snaps (72.4%) and 11 special teams snaps, leading the Cowboys in receptions with three for 36 yards after his only reception against Seattle was for a two-yard loss.

Barhammer

It seemed as though the anticipated debut of Cowboys rookie LB Jaishawn Barham lived up to the expectations against the Cardinals. Barham tallied five tackles, a quarterback pressure and a run stuff on just 18 total snaps in his first NFL preseason game after missing last week's matchup with a groin injury.

"I saw the physicality that I thought I'd see," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said of Barham's play. "But I want to see the film before I speak too much on it. I saw him rocking heads, if you will."

Barham also had a tackle for loss on the third defensive snap of the game for the Cowboys, which came on a play where he showed off his full skillset. The linebacker portion of his game saw him come downhill, find his gap and lay a hit on the running back. The EDGE portion, which is where he spent most of his final collegiate season, showed up when he dipped around the right guard in order to get to the backfield and record the TFL.

Cleaning Up Penalties

As is typical in the preseason for most teams, penalties were a thorn in the Cowboys' side. Dallas had 13 flags thrown on them for 103 penalty yards, from procedural penalties like false starts to defensive pass interference and even having too many men on the field before a punt.

Things that we obviously need to clean up, the penalties," Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said. "They threw a lot of penalties really on both teams. That's what the preseason is for, work on your hand placement, get better. But overall, I'm really, really proud of our guys."

For comparison, the Seahawks had eight penalties called against them for 71 penalty yards. In their preseason opener a year ago, the Cowboys were penalized 11 times for 83 yards. The following week, Dallas cut down to seven penalties for 59 yards. While Schottenheimer certainly will hope they make a larger cut this time around, they can improve.

Davis Leads the Backs

A year ago, Cowboys RB Malik Davis signed back with Dallas a day before their preseason opener against the Rams, and would go on to lead the team in rushing 24 hours later with 63 yards on seven carries. Davis did not have to be brought in last minute this time around, but once again led the Cowboys running backs in yards with 39 on seven carries.

"It's a big difference this year," Davis said of this training camp with the Cowboys. "I'm able to be with the guys, be around the guys in camp, and build relationships with these guys. Going into the game, you know, these are my brothers. Last year, I was coming in not knowing guys' names and trying to figure out coaches' names. This year, it's just a big difference. I know everybody, we're family. I believe in them and they believe in me. I'm grateful that I was able to be here during camp and OTAs."

All four of the Cowboys' active running backs played on Saturday. Behind Davis was Israel Abanikanda, who had seven carries for 36 yards. Then there was second-year back Jaydon Blue, who had eight carries for 19 yards. Phil Mafah rounded out the room with four carries for nine yards, but left the game early with a chest injury. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said he spoke with Mafah postgame, and he appears to be fine.

Special Teams Struggles

The third phase of the game is an area where the Cowboys know they need to improve in 2026. In their first preseason game, there were some struggles for Dallas, as the Seahawks' average starting field position was their own 42, compared to the Cowboys averaging beginning their drives at their own 19.

There were three accepted penalties against the Cowboys' special teams on Saturday night. The fourth was declined after WR Traeshon Holden muffed a punt at the Dallas two-yard line, which was recovered by the Seahawks. Seattle did not end up scoring after the Dallas defense stopped three straight runs before Isaiah Land sacked Jalen Milroe on fourth down.

So, there will be work to do for ST coordinator Nick Sorensen and company before Dallas' second preseason game.

Checking in on the QBs

It appears that the Cowboys' backup quarterback battle, which has been neck and neck up to this point between Sam Howell and Joe Milton, will continue to be that way heading into the second preseason game.

Howell, who started the game, completed eight of his 12 passes for 92 yards and a touchdown. He also added 15 yards on the ground. Milton completed 12 of his 15 passing attempts for 107 yards and a touchdown, with 10 yards on seven carries as well. The common factor between the two? Both of their touchdowns went to UDFA WR Camden Brown. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer thought his quarterbacks both did what they were asked to do.

"I thought both guys functioned outstanding," Schottenheimer said. "They both were tasked with going out there and playing against heavy pressure… They brought a bunch of things against us that, not that we weren't prepared for, but we didn't handle very well, so they were taking some shots, but they just hung in there. Made the throws when they had to make them, and they're both very efficient, and that's what we want. We evaluate quarterbacks by a couple of things. One, moving the team, scoring points. And then two, protecting the football. And I thought both guys did that."

Mingo's Effort

Cowboys WR Jonathan Mingo is in the midst of an important training camp as he tries to stay in Dallas for his second full season with the team. Coaches around the NFL will say that effort is something that helps any player make the roster, and Mingo exhibited it on Saturday night.

Late in the third quarter, Seahawks returner Rashad Rochelle fielded a 53-yard Bryan Anger punt at the Seattle 16, and found some room on the right side of the field. Just when it looked like he was headed for the end zone, Mingo tracked him down after crossing the field from the opposite side to chase him down for a touchdown saving tackle that Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer commended him for after the game.

"I'm trying to go out there and put on plays," Mingo said. "Put out good film out there for me in general and for the coaches to see too. Just showing that they can have somebody, and just trying to make the team, make the receiver rotation so they can depend on me during the season. I know I can make plays. I'm ready to get back out there on the field consistently. It's been a up and down road the last couple years, but trying to go out there and show I can make plays."

A Defense's Day

It is still only the preseason, and there's plenty to learn about the Cowboys defense especially since most of the team's starters did not play on Saturday. Still, Cowboys defensive coordinator Christian Parker had his depth players ready to go in his first game calling a defense, which he did from the sidelines.

Dallas allowed just 156 total yards of offense, 80 of which were given up on the opening drive of the game, with Seattle putting up just 76 yards in their following seven drives. The Cowboys kept the Seahawks out of the end zone on three of their four red zone trips, including one where Seattle's drive began at the Dallas five-yard line following a muffed punt by Traeshon Holden. The Cowboys had three sacks, five tackles for loss, five quarterback hits and two pass breakups.

"The defense's job is to keep people out of the end zone," Schottenheimer said. "That's what they're tasked to do. I'm fine winning games 7-3, 10-7, I don't care. But I thought they were terrific. We were a little sloppy early on, and we gave them some 10-yard penalties early on. But I thought they really buttoned down, I thought the pass rush was really good. We let [Jalen] Milroe get out a few times, which he's very athletic. Overall, I was very, very pleased. Anytime you can get three-and-outs and four-and-outs and the red zone stops, that's what you want."