The Dallas Cowboys disappointed in Week 1 of the preseason, falling to the Denver Broncos 17-7. At least they can take some solace that the exhibition opener featured a fair number of players who won't play a snap once the 2022 season really kicks off.
As the regular season draws closer and closer, the Cowboys' roster picture is starting to come into focus. Week 2 at SoFi Stadium against the Los Angeles Chargers could feature some more impact players on both sides of the ball. Any number of storylines could emerge from Saturday night's game, including these four predictions on what the story Cowboys' second preseason game of the year could tell.
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Cowboys Preseason Week 2 Predictions
4. Tyler Smith will take snaps at left tackle
The Cowboys are without an established swing tackle with just over three weeks left before their regular season opener against the Buccaneers on Sept. 11. Tyron Smith has become more and more injury prone during the twilight years of his career, and he's already missed the Cowboys' first preseason game to rest an ankle injury. If the Cowboys aren't going to bring in another tackle, they're going to have to find another way to staff their offensive line if Smith goes down.
Presumably among the candidates to fill that role would be Tyler Smith. The Cowboys' first-round pick played left tackle as well as left guard at the University of Tulsa. His early career has seen him almost exclusively at the left guard position. Unless Josh Ball can make a serious turnaround against L.A., Smith could be in line to play left tackle for the Cowboys during his rookie season at some point.
There is no telling how involved the Chargers' starting pass rushers will be in the game on Saturday. If Khalil Mack plays, it would provide a good opportunity for Tyler to take snaps in a game-speed environment against one of the league's premier pass rushers.
If Dallas is at all interested in preparing their young offensive lineman to play left tackle in his rookie campaign, Saturday would be a good time to do it.
3. Either Nahshon Wright or Kelvin Joseph will play their final game with the Cowboys
Week 1 of this preseason was a bad night for the Cowboys' secondary across the board. The lone bright spot for Dallas' pass defense was the arrival of DaRon bland in the competition for the fourth cornerback spot on the roster. Nahshon Wright and Kelvin Joseph both struggled against Denver, which made Bland's performance look that much better. For the first time in both Wright and Joseph's careers, the two find themselves in danger of not making the 53-man roster.
If Bland's upward trajectory continues in Los Angeles, Wright and Joseph could find themselves competing against each other for a single roster spot. Chargers wideouts Michael Bandy and Joe Reed both impressed in L.A.'s preseason opener against the Los Angeles Rams last week. Jalen Guyton also played some snaps in the Chargers' Week 1 matchup, making the group of L.A. receivers set to test the Dallas secondary on Saturday a formidable.
Average football won't be enough for Wright and Joseph against the Chargers. They'll need to impress, especially if Bland builds on his Week 1 performance.
2. A clear frontrunner in the kicking competition will emerge
The Denver game didn't offer much insight into the Cowboys' kicking competition. Lirim Hajrullahu missed from 56 yards, and Brett Maher's only attempt was an extra point. The Cowboys had a few opportunities to test their kickers in Denver, but ultimately decided to leave the offense on the field to get an extra snap instead.
With time running out to choose a placekicker for the 2022 season, the Cowboys need to fish or cut bait before long.
The only starters expected to be on the field for Dallas' offense Saturday night are Jalen Tolbert and a handful of offensive linemen. Hajrullahu and Maher will be able to kick off on an artificial surface with no weather conditions inside SoFi Stadium, but they also won't get to lean on Denver's elevation to add distance to their kicks.
Week 2 of this preseason is the perfect backdrop for the Cowboys to see exactly what they have at the kicking position. Expect them to test both players thoroughly.
1. The defensive line will look even better than they did in Denver
Easily Dallas' most successful defensive unit against Denver was their line, particularly the interior run stoppers. The Cowboys might not have the best defensive line in football, but they are certainly deep. Dallas' second and third stringers handled Denver's backups well in the trenches, and Neville Gallimore, Dante Fowler Jr. and Sam Williams all made plays in the backfield.
The Chargers' offensive linemen had a rough night against the Rams in their preseason opener. A smattering of L.A.'s depth linemen could only clear the way for 86 total rushing yards in the game, and they allowed three tackles for loss. The Chargers' pass protection wasn't any better. The Rams hit Chargers quarterbacks Easton Stick and Chase Daniel a combined six times last weekend, and they sacked each passer once.
The Cowboys have some tough decisions to make on the defensive line when the time to make roster cuts comes. Another good night for the unit in L.A. wouldn't make those decisions any easier.
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