ARLINGTON — There’s a tendency for fans to roll their eyes and tune out when it comes to the preseason finale.
Players competing for those final roster spots don’t have that luxury. This is a game that can determine if a veteran continues his career or a new player gets to start one.
Saying someone played their way onto the roster with their performance in the Cowboys’ 26-19 loss to the LA Chargers on Saturday afternoon at AT&T Stadium is a bit strong. Head coach Mike McCarthy was confident there were more than 53 players capable of making the final roster.
It is fair to say a player already in the mix for one of those spots could strengthen his argument. That happened in last year’s preseason finale with Hunter Luepke, who rushed for 58 yards and caught five passes for another 60 yards and a touchdown.
Did anyone do that in this game? Let’s take a look:
Deuce Vaughn gets a chance to impress
The Cowboys will have a running back-by-committee approach. Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle and Luepke are secure in a group that is unlikely to swell beyond four players.
That leaves Deuce Vaughn, Royce Freeman and Malik Davis battling for a spot. Who did the Cowboys hope would emerge?
You can tell by the number of early touches.
Vaughn carried the ball nine times for 53 yards in the first half to lead the Cowboys in rushing. That included a strong 18-yard run that got the Cowboys in position for their only touchdown of the first half. Vaughn was also open in the flat for what would have been a first down — he’s gotten additional work at receiver in the offseason — except the ball was overthrown.
“He obviously has got some very special talent and you got to find a place for that on Sunday to get it on the field,’’ owner Jerry Jones said. “That will be the job the next few days, to what a roster spot mean. He’s sitting right there.
“He is gadget juice and at non-gadget times. He’s going to be interesting for us.’’
Freeman, one of the club’s few veteran free-agent additions, had his moments, the best when he ran for 15 yards on third-and-long to pick up the first. He finished with eight carries for 35yards and got more work in the second half.
Davis? He struggled. His failure to pick up the blitz resulted in a sack in the first half. He was flagged on a holding call in the third quarter to negate a long run by QB Trey Lance.
He finished with five carries for 28 yards.
More mixed results for Trey Lance
The Trey Lance experience is done for 2024. The results were mixed.
This game was a wild ride that saw Lance throw a touchdown and run for another. He had a chance to lead the Cowboys to victory at the end but threw his second end zone interception of the day _ and his fifth for the afternoon.
“Ups and downs for sure,’’ Lance said. “I turned the ball over too many times. I think that’s kinda the end of the story.
“Had a chance to still win it at the end and yeah, just got to take care of the ball better.’’
The coaching staff was under no delusions that Lance would play to a level that he would threaten Cooper Rush’s hold on the backup quarterback job. This preseason was about getting him as many snaps as possible.
Lance was the quarterback for all but three possessions in the first two games. He was the man from start to finish against the Chargers.
The young quarterback threw five picks, one in the end zone in the third quarter, a pick-six in the fourth and another in the end zone to end the game. On a third-and-goal from the 9-yard line in the first half, he dumped it short over the middle giving the Cowboys no chance to score the touchdown. He dumped another short pass over the middle on a third-and-15 later in the half, again with no shot of picking up the first.
But Lance also flashed promise, as he did in the team’s preseason game against Las Vegas last week. He had a nice touchdown pass to rookie Ryan Flournoy and showed how dangerous he is with his feet, picking up a 46-yard touchdown run in the third.
Lance’s final line: He completed 33 of 49 passes for 323 yards with two touchdowns (one passing, one rushing) and five interceptions. He was 73 of 113 for 662 yards with two touchdowns and five interceptions for the preseason.
“Gosh, he’s just an exciting, young talented quarterback who loves to be coached,’’ McCarthy said. “I wish we had three more pre-season games just to get him out there.
“He had tremendous production. But yes, the turnovers are always the first thing we talk about.’’
Later roster push for rookie receiver
Flournoy, who was hurt early in camp, has made a strong push to make the 53 over these final two weeks.
The team’s sixth-round pick had three catches for 30 yards and a touchdown. He scored against the Raiders as well and is a very good blocker.
The question: Has Flournoy done enough to convince the coaches to keep six wide receivers on the final roster? If he has, that spot will likely come from the tight ends room, reducing their number to three.
John Stephens Jr. led the tight end this evening with three catches for 40 yards, but his longest reception of 24 yards ended with a fumble.
“Flo missed some time there in training camp but boy, he’s bouncing back so strong,’’ McCarthy said. “Such a physical player. Tough player. Smart player.
“I was impressed with him today.’’
Catch David Moore with The Musers every Monday-Friday at 9:35 a.m. and on the Hardline every, Monday, Wednesday and Friday at 4:35 p.m. on The Ticket (KTCK-AM 1310 and 96.7 FM) during training camp.
X/Twitter: @DavidMooreDMN
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