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Dallas Cowboys vs. Raiders: 5 players to watch

By Steven Mullenax

ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 19: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys and Dez Bryant #88 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrate on the sidelines after Smith's tackle against the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter of a preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 19, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - AUGUST 19: Jaylon Smith #54 of the Dallas Cowboys and Dez Bryant #88 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrate on the sidelines after Smith's tackle against the Indianapolis Colts in the first quarter of a preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 19, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /
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As the Dallas Cowboys enter into their fourth preseason game against the Oakland Raiders on Saturday night, here are my five players to watch.

ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 15: Head coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys leads his team onto the field prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on January 15, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX – JANUARY 15: Head coach Jason Garrett of the Dallas Cowboys leads his team onto the field prior to the NFC Divisional Playoff game against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium on January 15, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images) /

Despite it being their fourth of five preseason matchups, the Dallas Cowboys will have their dress rehearsal game Saturday night versus the Oakland Raiders. You can expect to see a majority of the Cowboys starters make an appearance in this contest.

This will be an important measuring stick for the Cowboys, as the Raiders are a quality opponent that finished 12-4 last season. And Oakland would have likely made a deep playoff run if not for their starting quarterback, Derek Carr, breaking his leg in late December.

For the Cowboys, Saturday’s contest is vital not only as a barometer of the current status of their team, but also as an evaluation tool.

With the final cut down from a 90-man roster to just 53 players happening in less than a week, Dallas has some difficult decisions looming. And this contest could be the deciding factor in whether a player secures a job on the Cowboys active roster or is waived come September 2nd.

Starters from both teams should see heavy minutes in this exhibition, as some could play even into the second half. This is likely the final opportunity for those first-teamers to put in work in an actual game before the start of the NFL regular season, which is only a couple weeks away.

Although there will be several storylines to follow all over the field Saturday night, I believe there are five specific players Cowboys fans should take a special interest in against the Raiders.

Without further ado, here are my five Dallas Cowboys players to watch in their fourth preseason matchup of the year…

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