Dallas Cowboys: The risers and the fallers of preseason

The Dallas Cowboys have played their second preseason game and there are some players on the rise, and some who are falling out of grace.

With the Dallas Cowboys preseason well underway, the discussion regarding who makes the final-53 is in full swing. Truth be told, it’s really hard to judge how well a player will perform in the regular season based on preseason games. The defenses are fairly vanilla (although Wade Phillips didn’t stick to this), and the roster is a mashup of starters, backups, and roster hopefuls. Over the first few games there are a few players who are on the rise and some on the decline.

There will be some hard decisions made for the Dallas Cowboys coaching staff. Some may be due to injuries or suspensions, others will be performance, and a few might come down to a fear of not making it through waivers. There was some positives from the game for the backups, and a few players may have seen their roster bubble burst.

The Risers

There is a ton being written by just about every one about Rico Gathers, and rightfully so. Gathers has impressed just about every one this preseason as an offensive weapon. In fact, his threat on offense has gotten the Dallas Cowboys to put him on the field at the same time with Jason Witten in practice this week.

The only knock on Gathers right now seems to be his blocking. If he can steadily improve that, the Dallas Cowboys may have their tight end of the future. His hands and route running look sharp, and he will be a matchup nightmare for any team.

Related Story: What's the ceiling for Rico Gathers?

Cooper Rush is another player on the rise. There are even rumblings that he could be the next Tony Romo. No, Rush will not be challenging Dak Prescott anytime soon, but he may have a future. Kellen Moore (more on him later) hasn’t impressed and it has allowed Rush to challenge for a roster spot. As of today I believe Rush will at the very least be on the practice squad, however if he can keep showing up like he has and make passes like he did to Gathers, he may just challenge Moore. I’m not locking Rush into a roster spot yet, but right now he is the third quarterback on the Cowboys, by a lot.

Rod Smith is a name that fans should watch for. Listed a fullback, Smith has impressed enough that Jason Garrett mentioned him in his press conference. When speaking about the running back situation with the Ezekiel Elliott suspension Garrett said,

"“We feel that we’ve built our team the right way and we have some veteran experience, guys who have been productive in this league, at the running back position in Alfred Morris and Darren McFadden. We feel good about Rod Smith. We’re going to focus on the guys we have available to us.”"

Garrett usually mentions players on the depth chart when he is impressed with them. Smith has done well and could be getting more touches in preseason.

Xavier Woods did everything he could against the Rams to show why the Dallas Cowboys drafted him. Woods was blowing up everyone who touched the ball. While the Cowboys have struggled against the pass so far this preseason, against the run they have been stout. Woods showed that if you want to run against the Dallas Cowboys, you will have to run away from him, or someone will get laid out. Expect Woods to get some more playing time.

The Fallers

I could simply say the entire left guard depth chart is falling, but that wouldn’t be entirely fair to Chaz Green since he has been injured. But then again, the best ability is availability and Chaz hasn’t been available.

The left guard position has been terrible. For all of the strength on the offensive line for the Dallas Cowboys, no one has given a case for being the starter. Jonathan Cooper and Nate Theaker are both responsible for much of the pressure the Dallas Cowboys have given up this preseason. It didn’t help that Wade Phillips was using regular season defensive strategy, but it would still be something to watch moving forward.

Lance Lenoir, what exactly were you trying to do on Saturday? The muffed punt was a terrible way to make a case for a roster position. In a stacked wide receiver corps with one maybe two openings, Lenoir did not help his case. He was probably trying to make a play to show he deserved a roster spot, but instead, it now looks like Lenoir is on the outside looking in. With Ryan Switzer about to make his preseason debut, Lenoir is now looking like a long shot for even a practice squad position.

Related Story: Cowboys: Scouting WR Lance Lenoir

Kellen Moore has looked bad. When I say bad, I mean he looks like he doesn’t want to be the Dallas Cowboys backup. He has underthrown players, missed open players, and seemingly refuses to throw for the chains on third down. Moore is still better than Brandon Weeden and Matt Cassel, but that isn’t saying much. Moore looked better before this season, but something isn’t right with him. Right now, Moore is fighting to keep his roster position. With Josh McCown and Cooper Rush behind him, Moore has to look better, and quickly.

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The pass rush as a whole is a faller. It was nice to see Taco Charlton get his first sack, and Charles Tapper has been a bright spot, however, the pass rush has been mediocre, and that is being fairly nice. Right now with suspensions looming, the Dallas Cowboys need players to step up and provide a pass rush. Sadly, no one has stood out as a steady, reliable source. There is still another three preseason games, but Rod Marinelli may have to get creative.

Moving Forward

Remember this is just the second preseason game when considering all of the risers, fallers, and what the roster will look like. Over the next two games, the Dallas Cowboys should be looking hard for help on defense and shoring up the last few spots on offense. They may decide to go heavy on defense and a little lighter on offense. The depth chart is hard to predict as there is still a lot to go through before decisions must be made. With the starters not playing much or at all, the picture could become clear on where they will go deep or thin.

Next: Cowboys at Rams: Preseason G2 standouts and observations

At this point I would think they will go lighter at wide receiver and heavier at offensive line and running back on offense. The defense should look deeper on the line and secondary, and thinner at linebacker and safety. Although this is conjecture and the Dallas Cowboys have been known to surprise with who they keep and who they release.