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LAS VEGAS — Mazi Smith made an appearance in last week's Gamebreakers for his impressive showing in the preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams, going on to get additional reps in the Dallas Cowboys' second scrimmage against Sean McVay's bunch, but the former first-round pick won't take the field against the Las Vegas Raiders.
Having experienced an allergic reaction on the day he was set to travel from Oxnard with his teammates, Smith required medical treatment and, on Saturday, it was announced he would not make the trip after all.
This meant more reps for rookies Justin Rogers and Denzel Daxon, along with veteran Albert Huggins, but that wasn't the only position battle to watch at Allegiant Stadium. With the return of Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freeman, the running backs battle kicked up a notch, as one example.
Another is behind Dak Prescott, as Trey Lance attempted to improve upon last week's disappointment to try and make waves for Cooper rush in the battle at backup quarterback — one tied to the fiery battle at wide receiver.
With so much at stake ahead of roster cutdowns and only two games left to prove themselves, who stood out the most in Las Vegas??
[Note: These are unranked.]
Deuce Vaughn, RB
Hey, who needs a hamstring anyway, amirite? Vaughn returned not simply like he never left, but better than he left — having struggled at camp before having his best practices thus far and parlaying them into one hell of a show against the Raiders' first-team defense that included Maxx Crosby on the defensive line. Vaughn wasn't simply shifty in how he stole ankles in the game, but he also demonstrated power on a couple of occasions that involved pushing the line forward after they contacted him in the backfield. He averaged seven yards per carry at the half on four handoffs and, yes, that'll do nicely.
Kemon Hall, CB
One hawk, two hawk, red hawk, blue hawk. How many ball hawks can you count on the Cowboys' defense going into 2024? No matter what tally you came up with, you're probably missing someone and Kemon Hall is a reminder of that. Claimed off of waivers from the 49ers early in camp, Hall has been a dog sniffing around the ball for two preseason games now and he finally got his chance to make the opposing QB pay for targeting him. His 69-yard pick-six against Aiden O'Connell, intended for Harrison Bryant, marked the fifth INT in only seven quarters of preseason play for Mike Zimmer's defense.
Trey Lance, QB
It was another rocky start for the young quarterback in the first quarter of this contest but, lo and behold, he found his swagger and settled in when the middle of the second quarter rolled around. Lance was decisive and made the throws he needed to make, putting touch on a first-down toss to Luke Schoonmaker in the face of a blitz and then another on a touchdown throw to Ryan Flournoy to earn the first TD of the Cowboys' preseason. He'd end the first half with a 112.7 passer rating and as team leader in rushing yards (34 yards, 4 attempts). That quarter told the entire story of what Lance's potential is, along with what he showed on the ground over the course of the contest, and he simply needs to figure out how to rinse and repeat.
Ryan Flournoy, WR
There would be no touchdown for Lance to end the aforementioned drive if not for the bodybag of a route from Flournoy against cornerback Jack Jones in single coverage. The rookie had Jones dead to rights after putting him in a blender and to create space for Lance to drop a lob into the bucket on the right side of the end zone. There was nothing Jones could do except hope Lance overthrew the ball, but it was not to be. Lance did his job because Flournoy did his first — having come alive on that drive to lead the Cowboys in receiving yards and receptions at the half.
Brandon Aubrey, K
In the preseason opener against the Rams, Aubrey accounted for 100 percent of the Cowboys' offense. That wasn't the case in Las Vegas because it didn't need to be, but leave it to Butter to still find a way to be smooth. So when he effortlessly booted a 66-yard field goal to end the first half that would've been good from roughly 72 yards out, you could only sit back and grin because, I mean, seriously, who does that? Oh, Brandon Aubrey does that, and not long after returning to practice following the birth of his newborn child immediately after last week's game.
Tyler Guyton, OT
When you put a rookie up against the likes of Maxx Crosby, one of two things will happen and nothing in-between. They'll either get mauled and humiliated by one of the best pass rushers in the entire league, or they'll shock the world by negating one of the best pass rushers in the entire league. Guyton did the latter, and to the point where the Raiders began moving Crosby to the opposite side of the line. The Cowboys also didn't pull the reins on their rookie first-round pick, letting him play the entire first half to get him as many reps as possible after being on a pitch count due to illness one week ago. Guyton looks every bit the real deal at starting left tackle.
Cooper Beebe, C
Speaking of rookie offensive linemen who opened plenty of eyes on Saturday, introducing Cooper Beebe who, for the first time in only two preseason games, proved he is ready to take on the role of starting center for the Cowboys after an entire offseason of working to convert to the position from guard. The third-round pick allowed virtually zero pressure and routinely opened up holes in the run game for former Kansas State teammate Deuce Vaughn, and Royce Freeman, to operate and, quiet as it's kept, his chemistry on combo blocks was a sight to behold — as was when he put a couple of guys in the dirt (his specialty). If he does this again in the preseason finale, Brock Hoffman could find himself switching seats at the position despite having a damn fine camp himself.
Royce Freeman, RB
It's easy to look at what Deuce Vaughn was able to do and forget about Royce Freeman, but you'd be unwise to do so. After all, Freeman returned from injury this week just as Vaughn did and, just like Vaughn, he made an impact against the Raiders. Freeman did a lot with "dirty" runs to the tune of 32 rushing yards on seven carries for a strong 4.6 yards per carry. He was brought in to add some oomph to the corps when running between the tackles, and I see exactly what the Cowboys were looking at when they decided to give him a test drive.
Marshawn Kneeland, DE
No, his stat line won't floor you but that's why you should watch the film in addition to looking at the numbers to get the whole story. Kneeland had only one tackle in the game but he was disruptive on nearly every snap and was a handful for anyone who lined up against him, and that includes in passing downs as well. Call me crazy, but I felt strongly after this pick was made that Kneeland was the possible sleeper in this year's draft, but simply because most didn't know his name or of his collegiate program. Just know he's a second-round pick for a reason, and he's beginning to show it in the absence of Sam Williams.
Juanyeh Thomas, S
Last week, it was Markquese Bell stealing the show for the Cowboys as they combated the Rams. This week, it was a different young safety making his presence felt, namely Juanyeh Thomas who, despite being on a limited snap count, had two breakups in the first quarter and one was very nearly an interception. Throwing at the Georgia Tech product is proving more and more to be a risky venture for opposing quarterbacks, stemming back to his 2023 film when he was nearly always in the right place at the right time. Believe it or not, but the Cowboys have an insanely talented, and deep, room of safeties.
Marist Liufau, LB
Liufau is yet another player whose stat line won't knock your wooly socks off but who did really good things with limited reps as a rookie in a preseason game in hostile territory. The third-round pick is turning into Nightcrawler on the field, effectively teleporting from one dimension to the next and back to this one to be in the right position to make the tackle before the ball carrier ever gets there. He's playing more freely as camp goes along and his extremely high football IQ is allowing him to absorb the playbook quickly so that he can think less and attack more.
Honorable mention: Andrew Booth, CB; Julius Wood, LB; Jordan Phillips, DL
He gave up a 48-yard bomb early in the game but acquitted himself mostly well thereafter, Booth settling in to deliver quality coverage and tackles over the remainder of the game. He wasn't perfect, but he showed enough to make you consider him in the depth equation. The same can be said about rookie linebacker Julius Wood, continuing to make plays that include hard hits to add to an LB corps that is wildly upgraded over last year's version. And what can be said about Jordan Phillips other than "wow", seeing as he arrived in Oxnard only 48 hours prior to the game from a trade that acquired him from New York/New Jersey, starting this contest against the Raiders with nearly zero practice time.
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The Cowboys will host 2024 "Cowboys Night," presented by American Airlines, at The Star in Frisco on Aug. 27-28. For more details visit www.DallasCowboys.com/TrainingCamp.
