I am curious. If I was a guy on the roster bubble, is it better that I perform well in the joint practice sessions or the preseason games? Which impresses coaches more or which do they place more value on? – Anthony Coleman/Lindenwold, NJ
Nick Eatman: If you shine, you shine. I don't know if it matters that much but I still think the preseason games hold more weight. We always say things like, "under the bright lights" and the lights shine a lot brighter in an NFL stadium. If you were terrible at practice for three weeks and had a couple of good preseason games, that might not lift you over the top and out of the bubble, but it will help. Look at the flip side, Jalen Brooks was amazing in camp last year but rather quiet in the preseason games and still made the team. So it's got to be the entire body of work. But for your question about joint practices vs. preseason games, I would say it's close with a slight advantage to the games because at least there it's real football with tackling.
Patrik: The answer is yes. Every player on the roster should be trying to compete and win on every rep, every time, but that's even more of a reality if you're on the bubble because, let's be honest, what reps can they afford to take off? I hate to be ominous here but the reality is the Cowboys, like every other NFL team, have to reduce their roster from 90 men to 53 by the end of August, and that means some players who are in this camp might be in another uniform come September, or not one at all, and that's more than enough motivation for them to show up to normal practices, joint practice and especially the preseason game with their A-game in the holster. The bottom line is they're auditioning for not only the Cowboys, but for all 32 teams, and their dreams are on the line. The coaches view it similarly in that if you aren't giving your best when your career is literally on the line (as it is for fringe guys), then why would you when theirs is the one on the chopping block?
