Dallas Cowboys who earned their Star against the Niners

Although the Dallas Cowboys lost their preseason opener to the San Francisco 49ers, here are some of the players who earned their Star Thursday night.

Finally, after a long offseason, the Dallas Cowboys are playing actual football again. And against a team other than themselves! The Cowboys kicked off their preseason on Thursday night, playing the San Francisco 49ers at Levi’s Stadium.

Although Dallas would end up losing the exhibition 24-21, there were several Cowboys who played well in the contest. Here is my list of players whom I believed earned their beloved Star on Thursday night.

Michael Gallup, Wide Receiver

No single player captured the hearts and minds of Cowboys fans more than rookie wide receiver Michael Gallup did against the Niners. The 22-year old caught only one pass on the night. But it was a 30-yard touchdown catch on the opening series of the game with a majority of the starters playing on both sides.

Gallup would later get wide open on another play, but backup quarterback Cooper Rush underthrew the ball for an incompletion. That play only helped to reinforce the idea that this rookie receiver could make a big contribution for Dallas this season. All aboard! The Gallup-hype train is leaving the station.

Lance Lenoir, Wide Receiver

The other wide receiver that exited the Cowboys first preseason game rated higher than when he entered is Lance Lenoir. The second-year wideout has played well in training camp and continued that level of play into the team’s first preseason game.

Known for making flashy catches in camp, Lenoir made a beautiful two-yard touchdown catch in the back of the end zone off a play action pass from Rush. The toe-tapping reception was reminiscent of the Santonio Holmes catch that won Super Bowl XLIII for the Pittsburgh Steelers back in 2009.

Suddenly, Lenior appears to be the favorite to win a spot on the active roster. Now the question is which Cowboys receiver is suddenly expendable?