FRISCO, Texas – Time flies, but we have made it through the first half of the preseason. The Cowboys have played two exhibition games, and they've got two more to go.
As always, the coaches and the front office will utilize every moment they can before deciding how to trim down this team. But with less than two weeks until final cuts are due, you can start to form an idea of how this thing is going to play out.
Before the Cowboys leave for Seattle to take on the Seahawks, I wanted to fire off some leftover notes – taking a look back at the last game and also looking forward at what's still to come.
- I expect we'll see Benson Mayowa and Maliek Collins back to practice full-time this week, which means they should play against the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night. Both were starting to work their way back before the Miami game on a limited basis. That should help the numbers that were thin last week.
- I really don't see a problem with Tyron Smith and his stinger going forward. The club is being cautious about him playing, but I also believe it's an excuse to give him a little rest before the season and see what they have in Chaz Green and how he will respond.
- This will be the first week fully back for Ezekiel Elliott, and we may see him get some snaps against the Seahawks. What will be interesting for him is the fact that he hasn't practiced much in camp. Will he be assignment-sound and ready to go mentally? Before his injury he appeared to be where he needed to be, but as these practices have gone along, the offense has added more and more to its scheme. These coaches are now in a mode where they don't have the time to wait, so how quickly Elliott gets back in the flow will be important.
- Just playing a hunch, but there is a side of me that believes Darren McFadden will stay on the Non-Football Injury list, and they'll re-evaluate where he is six weeks into the season. As much as people want to move on from McFadden, you can't trade a hurt player and he might be a nice insurance policy down the road.
- It doesn't appear that talented rookie Anthony Brown will be out of the lineup much longer. He was dealing with soreness in his hamstring and I was getting the feeling on Sunday that he is closer to being ready to return. I see Brown as one of the six corners on this squad, playing a major role in the dime packages.
- I was under the belief that this front office would look for a veteran quarterback to help with the workload this season. With roster spots the way they are and the way that Dak Prescott has played to this point, I'm not sure that's still how they want to play it. I expect that we will see two quarterbacks on the final roster and one on the practice squad when they work their roster to 53 players.
- Something that I noticed from the game against the Dolphins, is that Alfred Morris' teammates love him. Every time Morris carried the ball and was tackled, there would be two-to-three linemen and receivers hustling over to help him up. These players show a ton of respect for him by how hard they play in front of him and how much they appreciate his efforts.
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