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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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GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 26: Wide receiver Michael Floyd #15 of the Arizona Cardinals celebrates with teammates John Brown #12 and Jonathan Cooper #61 after scoring a three-yard touchdown against linebacker Zach Orr #54 of the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter of the NFL game at University of Phoenix Stadium on October 26, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Nils Nilsen/Getty Images)
GLENDALE, AZ – OCTOBER 26: Wide receiver Michael Floyd #15 of the Arizona Cardinals celebrates with teammates John Brown #12 and Jonathan Cooper #61 after scoring a three-yard touchdown against linebacker Zach Orr #54 of the Baltimore Ravens in the second quarter of the NFL game at University of Phoenix Stadium on October 26, 2015 in Glendale, Arizona. (Photo by Nils Nilsen/Getty Images) /

JONATHAN COOPER, GUARD

One of the biggest concerns going into training camp was how the Dallas Cowboys were going to fill in the voids along their offensive line. Although the Cowboys bolster three perennial Pro Bowlers along their O-line in left tackle Tyron Smith, center Travis Frederick and Zack Martin at right guard, Dallas also lost two vital support players this offseason.

Starting right tackle Doug Free up and retired this offseason after ten years on the team. And left guard Ronald Leary found a nice payday in free agency, signing with the Denver Broncos.

Those two starting roles on the offensive line were supposed to be worked out early into training camp. From day one, lineman La’el Collins was penciled in as the likely starter at left guard, the position he previously occupied. Instead, Dallas opted to switch him over the right tackle.

With Collins cemented elsewhere, the focus then became that left guard position. And here we are on the precipice of Dallas’ fourth preseason game with training camp nearing it’s end and we still don’t have a defined winner of this position battle.

Certainly the favorite is former first round bust Jonathan Cooper. And his play Saturday night will be vital in determining if he is the answer to the position or if Dallas chooses to look elsewhere to find themselves a starter. That’s certainly a good reason to watch #64 against the Raiders’ front seven.

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