ARLINGTON, Texas — As the second preseason rolls along, the ¶¶ÒõÊÓƵ found themselves squaring off against the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium in yet another early test of physicality as Brian Schottenheimer works to tweak things ahead of roster cuts and the start of the 2025 regular season.
It's still very much an evaluation period for players over the remaining two contests this August and, considering who jumped off of the tape in the preseason opener against the Rams, it was interesting to see if those players could duplicate their highlight-worthy play and/or if others would step up to take or share the spotlight this time around.
That said, there was no denying the impact made on Saturday afternoon in Arlington by these several standouts:
[Note: This list is unranked.]
Andrew Booth, CB
When the Cowboys desperately needed to make a house call, they stepped into the Booth. After giving up a key conversion on third down earlier in the game, Booth stayed confident and essentially baited Cooper Rush into making a throw that would end in the Cowboys' cornerback running the ball back for a pick-six. It's just the kind of dynamite needed by a position group seeking answers with injuries halting its offseason development.
Damone Clark, LB
Goodness gracious, great balls of fire. Clark wasn't just a linebacker for the Cowboys against the Ravens. The former fifth-round pick was an incendiary device aimed at Baltimore's offense and, every chance he got, he burned the feathers off of whatever play they threw his way. Clark has easily had the best camp of his NFL and Cowboys' career thus far, and it's translating onto the field in preseason games.
James Houston, DE
Let's talk sleeper for a second. To me, that's exactly what Houston has been this summer for the Cowboys. Due to the defensive end group containing an embarrassment of riches regarding both talent and depth, Houston has flown largely under the radar, but those with a keen eye have long noticed his impact in practices and, now that the world is watching under the lights of the Cowboys' preseason outings, he's also doing it in games. Multiple pressures against Cooper Rush and the Ravens prove this point fairly easily. And considering he was hand-picked to sign with the Cowboys by Matt Eberflus, things are off to a fast start for him.
Tyler Booker, OL
When you're a first-round pick, there's pressure to perform immediately. When you're the first-round pick of the Cowboys, multiply that pressure exponentially. Booker looks as if he understands the assignment though, because while he was held out of the preseason opener against the Rams, he took the field against the very physical Ravens and had himself quite a day in both run blocking and pass protection. There was success running behind him and he routinely walled off pass rusher in what I'd describe as a forehead-raising preseason debut.
Jonathan Mingo, WR
If at first you don't succeed, try try again. Joe Milton and Jonathan Mingo simply could not get on the same page through the first half-plus of football, and it resulted in the former tossing an interception on the very next play following Kemon Hall's takeaway. But when the two finally found their connection, a spark happened. On third down in the middle of the third quarter, Milton showed great pocket awareness and dropped a dot into the bucket downfield with Mingo doing the rest — the 49-yard grab being, far and away, the best offensive play of the night for Dallas' struggling offense. He'd unfortunately leave the game with a knee injury and would not return, making him one to watch over the next several days as far as his availability is concerned.
Shemar James + Jack Sanborn, LB
Sanborn didn't take the field against the Rams in the preseason opener, but he did against the Ravens and it was impossible to not notice him flying around against Baltimore. His veteran presence, along with that of Clark, blended well with how rookie linebacker Shemar James was performing on defense — the three leading a linebacker corps that was exceptional on Saturday night at AT&T Stadium. And if you'd like an example of how James played, rewind to the Ravens' fourth drive and watch the hit on 1st-and-10 that jarred the ball loose. Whew.
Kemon Hall + Troy Pride + Zion Childress, CB
If it's preseason, you can bet Hall will find a way to snatch a possession away from an opposing offense. Last year, he had the lone pick-six of the preseason for the Cowboys. This time around, he reminded Cooper Rush that he still has the gusto, intercepting the former Cowboys' backup quarterback just ahead of halftime — not long after an impressive pass break up. Pride got in on the PBU action a time or two as well, and there's not much more I can say about how outstanding Childress has been other than to remind you this outing is yet another example of how outstanding his camp has been.
