Five silver linings in Cowboys season-opening loss to Rams

4. Several new additions looked very good

The headlines have been all over Aldon Smith over the last few days, and for good reason. The pass rusher was excellent all day, despite playing his first professional football game in over four years. It was really amazing.

I don’t think there’s ever been a player to come back after such a big layoff and play so well immediately. Smith was easily the Cowboys’ best defender on Sunday, making eleven tackles (incredible for a defensive lineman!) including a TFL and a sack. But he wasn’t the only newcomer to make an impact.

First-year cornerback Trevon Diggs started Sunday in his first ever NFL game, and played pretty well. In fact, Diggs was on the field for every defensive snap, and made a few splash plays. The biggest was his stop of Malcolm Brown at the Rams’ 49-yard line to prevent a first down in the fourth quarter.

Earlier in the game, Diggs almost intercepted the ball too. He looks to be the real deal, and an incredible steal in the second round of the recent draft.

CeeDee Lamb probably had the biggest hype coming into this game. Though he didn’t steal the show, he looked pretty solid. In fact, a careful look at the stats, shows Lamb to be Dallas’s most reliable receiver of the day, catching five-for-six passes for 59 yards, according to ESPN. And don’t forget his 20-yard punt return. This guy’s going to be fun!