The Dallas Cowboys have high hopes of competing with the Philadelphia Eagles and potentially taking away their status as NFC East champions this year. However, nothing that happened in the Cowboys 22-14 loss to the Seattle Seahawks in the team's second preseason game is going to make owner Jerry Jones and head coach Mike McCarthy feel better about those chances.

The Cowboys suffered a pair of devastating injuries to a couple of key rookies in the loss. Both linebacker DeMarvion Overshown and tight end John Stephens suffered torn ACLs in the game. The injuries were obviously quite serious when they occurred, and MRIs confirmed that both players would be sidelined indefinitely.

Overshown and Stephens have both been impressive in training camp, and had a chance to be contributors in the 2023 season. Instead, both players will have to recover from their injuries and then begin a lengthy rehab process that will almost certainly keep them sidelined throughout the season.

Overshown, a 3rd-round pick from Texas, appeared to be the kind of player who could dominate on special teams and also make contributions as a linebacker. Stephens is a rookie free agent and has been impressive with his effort and performance, but almost certainly needed to stay healthy if he was going to make the roster.

The Cowboys open the season with a road game against the New York Giants and follow that with a home opener against the much-improved New York Jets. While they will depend largely on their impressive defense and along with an impressive group of wide receivers and quarterback Dak Prescott, the loss of 2 impressive rookies will not help them get off to a great start.