FRISCO, Texas – The Cowboys wrapped up the 2025 preseason on Friday night, defeating the Atlanta Falcons 31-13.
As the team inches towards narrowing down their roster to 53 players, Brian Schottenheimer and his coaching staff now dive into the process of making those tough decisions ahead of Tuesday's 3:00 PM CT deadline.
With multiple position battles across the roster, who are some players that helped their case throughout the offseason and especially in their last game setting?
On Saturday, Schottenheimer mentioned seven players that caught his eye when going back and watching film:
DE James Houston
The Cowboys signed James Houston the day that training camp began after a successful workout, and he took full advantage of the opportunity.
From multiple strong days of practice, Houston translated his pass rush ability onto the field in Dallas' three preseason games. He notched nine total tackles and capped off his preseason with a sack against the Falcons.
"You watch him rush the passer and his traits, his quickness, his change of direction, his counter moves, they jump off the film," Schottenheimer said. "The consistency that he's done it, really in all three preseason games."
Schottenheimer went on to add that Houston got dinged up early in the game with an elbow contusion but came back and recorded the sack on the next play he stepped onto the field. That's the toughness Schottenheimer is looking for, but are the numbers too much at defensive end for Houston to earn a spot on the roster?
QB Joe Milton
It was no secret that Joe Milton's first two preseason showings with the Cowboys weren't what he or the team wanted to see.
The third and final preseason game against Atlanta was a step in the right direction, where Milton looked comfortable and finished his day with 132 passing yards and a touchdown on 10 of 18 passing, and 33 yards and a rushing touchdown on four carries.
"The things that we challenged Joe to do after the first two preseason games, it showed up on film…" Schottenheimer said. "It was cool to see him take what he did in the first half, which was a really good, solid half of football, and then come out and do it again in the second half."
Milton's performance certainly helped ease concerns about the backup quarterback position, but there's still work to do for Milton to take the next steps in his development.
S Alijah Clark
After missing the second preseason game against the Ravens with an injury, rookie UDFA DB Alijah Clark was back on the field against the Falcons and finished the day with three tackles and a TFL, good enough to catch Schottenheimer's eye.
Clark was a player the Cowboys were excited to get in the UDFA ranks following the 2025 NFL Draft, as he was given the most guaranteed money ($259,000) of the team's UDFA class.
In the team's first preseason game against the Rams, Clark finished with five tackles. He's got the versatility to play in the slot or at safety.
RB Deuce Vaughn
After recording just 22 yards on seven carries in the Cowboys' first two preseason games, Deuce Vaughn ran for 42 yards on ten carries Friday night, the third most rushing yards for Vaughn in a game in the preseason over the course of his three years with the team.
"I really felt like Deuce played really well," Schottenheimer said. "He did some good things."
With a mixture of veteran experience with Javonte Williams and Miles Sanders on one side, and an influx of youth in Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah, how does Vaughn fit in to the RB equation?
WRs Ryan Flournoy, Jalen Brooks
In terms of a straight up numbers battle, Ryan Flournoy and Jalen Brooks are giving the Cowboys a lot to consider in terms of whether or not they should take five or six wide receivers.
CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Jalen Tolbert and KaVontae Turpin are on the roster. With Jonathan Mingo expected to start on IR, will the Cowboys take one of the two or both?
Regardless, Schottenheimer came away pleased with their performances on Friday night, as Flournoy led the team in receiving yards with 45 on four catches, and Jalen Brooks added 35 including a 29-yard touchdown to add to the highlight reel.
DB Mike Smith
The Cowboys went heavy at the defensive backfield in the UDFA market, and Mike Smith was another player that they liked out of Eastern Kentucky, giving him the third most guaranteed money with $175,000.
Smith has been a consistent tackler for Dallas throughout the preseason, with a combined 10 through his first two games before leading the team in tackles against the Falcons with eight.
