Cowboys studs and duds from preseason Week 1 vs. Broncos

The first week of preseason can often be ugly, but this was extreme for the Dallas Cowboys. They sat the majority of their starters and the players who did suit up appeared as though they were also taking the night off.

Dallas was beaten in every phase of the game by the Denver Broncos (who also embarrassed them in their recent scrimmage), but the worst part of the loss was how undisciplined they were. After hearing Mike McCarthy harp on penalties all offseason, the Cowboys were flagged an unbelievable 17 times for 129 yards.

While McCarthy deserves to be a dud for continuing to lack any discipline whatsoever, we will spare him for now, since it was mainly the reserves who drew the flags. With him being placed on notice, we turn our attention to the players who stood out as studs and duds in their loss to Denver.

Cowboys studs and duds from preseason Week 1 against the Broncos

Stud: Malik Davis, Running Back

In the second half, Malik Davis was out there giving it his all. The undrafted free agent from Florida ran for 51 yards on just eight carries and added 16 more on three rushing attempts. He ended up being responsible for the majority of the offensive yards, which could help him make a run at the third running back spot.

Dud: Cooper Rush, Quarterback

Cooper Rush became a folk hero in 2021 when he led Dallas to a win over the Minnesota Vikings. He might have lost a lot of that goodwill on Saturday.

Rush struggled throughout the first half for Dallas. He nearly threw a pick on his second pass attempt while trying to force it to rookie Jalen Tolbert. Rush’s pass hit Michael Ojemudia who dropped what would have been a pick-six.

On their next drive, he converted a third-and-12 by hitting Dennis Houston, but it didn’t matter since that series ended with him being picked off on fourth-down. Rush tried to throw under pressure and P.J. Locke jumped in front of the intended target, which was again Tolbert. Rush seemed to try and force his throws, especially when looking for the rookie.

He ended the night with just 80 yards on 20 passing attempts and led Dallas to no points. With Will Grier already breathing down his neck, this outing was exactly what he didn’t need.

Stud: Tyler Smith

When Dallas added Tyler Smith in the first round of the 2022 NFL Draft, they praised him for the power he played with while at Tulsa. On Saturday night, he got his first chance to go against NFL talent and he didn’t disappoint.

Smith looked like a veteran out there as he pushed his defender around with ease. He was usually the one clearing the way in the running game and when Rico Dowdle followed behind him, good things tended to happen.

He was flagged a couple of times for holding, but the calls were questionable, at best. Still, he has to see what he’s doing to draw these flags and attempt to clean it up, especially since this was his No. 1 issue in college.

Dud: Nahshon Wright, CB

Nahshon Wright was drafted due to his size as Dallas wanted the 6-foot-4 cornerback to be able to use his length to contend with taller receivers. On Saturday night, he found himself trying to high-point a ball in the end zone and was unable to do so, as he was beaten out by 6-foot-0 Kendall Hinton.

At this point in the game, Wright had surrendered roughly 92 yards on five receptions, including the touchdown. And he gave up more after this as well. Wright even hurt himself at one point as he had a pick early in the game overturned since he drew a flag for holding on the play.

He finished with seven tackles, showing great physicality, but his coverage skills were questionable.

Stud: Jake Ferguson, Tight End

Rookie tight end Jake Ferguson was one of the few bright spots for the Cowboys’ offense in the first half. The unit was bullied by the Broncos as Rush struggled to move the ball with any consistency, except for when he was throwing to Ferguson.

The Wisconsin product caught all three targets from the starting quarterback for 29 yards. It might not have been electric, but he accounted for more yards than any other pass-catcher for Dallas in the first half. At this point, he has the upper hand on the No. 2 spot behind Dalton Schultz.

Dud: Jeremy Sprinkle, Tight End

While Ferguson was playing well, Jeremy Sprinkle might have hurt his chances of making the team. Early in the game, Sprinkle was called for a holding penalty on a third-and-two which negated a first-down run by Dowdle. Dallas did convert on the third-and-12 as Rush hit rookie Dennis Houston for 18 yards but Sprinkle made it harder on them than it needed to be.

Sprinkle did wind up making a couple of catches but then had a dropped pass in the fourth quarter which ended the positive momentum he had built. He’s likely behind Ferguson but could find himself trailing Sean McKeon and even Payton Hendershot, who had 13 yards on two receptions but also hauled in a 25-yard pass that was called back due to one of their many penalties.

Stud: Ben DiNucci, Quarterback

The offense was a complete disaster early in the game and that gave Ben DiNucci an opportunity to be a spark plug for them. DiNucci entered the game in the third quarter and started his first drive from the Dallas three-yard line.

He showed no fear as he threw a 40-yard completion to Brandon Smith to give them some breathing room. That drive should have ended in the first points of the night had it not been for penalties and a missed kick from Lirim Hajrullahu.

DiNucci did lead them to points on the next drive, going 95 yards on 18 plays, capping things off with a 12-yard touchdown pass to Simi Fehoko.

He finished with 112 yards passing and 13 yards rushing while also showing the ability to escape constant pressure. He wasn’t perfect but he looked better than expected and kept the team from being shut out.

Dud: Kelvin Joseph, Cornerback

The Broncos’ first touchdown of the game was a one-yard pass from Johnson to Seth Williams, and it was 2021 second-round pick Kelvin Joseph who was unable to stop the reception. Joseph is a player Dallas was high on but the fact that he struggled to go one-on-one with a sixth-round pick from the same draft is worrisome.

Joseph also had an error to end the first half when he lined up offside on a field goal attempt from Brandon McManus. The veteran kicker missed from 57-yards out but then got to try again thanks to Joseph, and this time, he knocked it in from 52-yards to put Denver up 17-0.