Another day, another joint practice between the Dallas Cowboys and Los Angeles Chargers. Yesterday’s practice was a productive day that featured highlight moments from Ezekiel Elliott, Tarell Basham, Israel Mukuamu, and more.
On Thursday, as always, there were more highs and lows from the day in Costa Mesa, California. Both the offense and defense struggled at times, but there were plenty of teachable moments from the afternoon. Plus, in shocking news, there were still no fights except for when Chargers DL Sebastian Joseph-Day chose to throw a punch at OT Terence Steele. But, in the name of discipline, there was no retaliation. A miracle!
CeeDee Lamb (toe), Noah Brown (toe), and Jourdan Lewis (groin) all sat out with injury concerns, but there was still a lot to see on the field. Let’s look at some of the best moments from the second joint practice against the Chargers.
Watch the top moments from the Cowboys’ second joint practice with the Chargers
.@Dak ▶️ @BinghamBaller9 #DallasCowboys | @AmericanAir pic.twitter.com/rKm6HJMyOC
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 18, 2022
Franchise-tagged tight end Dalton Schultz will need to step up majorly in order to make up for the depletion of the wide receiver room. Today, he helped quarterback Dak Prescott turn a fourth down into a touchdown. The tight end made a nice grab on a contested catch in the end zone.
LVE with the pick!!! ⚡️#DALvsLAC | @VanderEsch38 pic.twitter.com/4nJMN4rKUT
— Dallas Cowboys (@dallascowboys) August 18, 2022
It seems like the whole linebacker group is being overshadowed by Micah Parsons. On Thursday, Leighton Vander Esch made a splash by getting an interception off of Justin Herbert.
There’s nothing bland about DaRon. 🔥🔥🔥🔥🔥 #Cowboys
— Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) August 18, 2022
ISSASPICY. pic.twitter.com/RRaD4HqLXS
Rookie cornerback DaRon Bland continues to stand out for the Cowboys. The fifth-round pick had an interception and three pass breakups against a strong AFC team.
Cowboys QB Will Grier (groin) has resumed team drills and leads second-team offense to end zone with pass to rookie RB Malik Davis in right flat. pic.twitter.com/VSE6oX3gll
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) August 18, 2022
After having to sit out in the first preseason game due to a groin issue, Will Grier was thankfully back and putting in work today. Many were unimpressed by the performances of Cooper Rush and Ben DiNucci and are hoping Grier can be a solid backup QB for the ‘Boys. Here he finds Malik Davis in the endzone for a touchdown.
I was all ready to tweet that the Dallas offense was really struggling with their end-of-game offense. And then this happens.
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) August 18, 2022
Dak set up a first down with 6 seconds to play, and instead of clocking it he went for it all. Dennis Houston with the Hail Mary TD. pic.twitter.com/5aty76TKV5
In arguably the best play of the day, Prescott was able to pull off a Hail Mary touchdown with one of his new favorite targets Dennis Houston. This was a great grab by Houston and it caused a ton of excitement from teammates and spectators on the sideline.
Wrong. #90 would have made that play for a loss. #CarryOn https://t.co/apcDwYu06u
— DeMarcus Lawrence (@TankLawrence) August 18, 2022
DeMarcus Lawrence’s best move of the day came off the field. Dallas Morning News’s David Moore tweeted a video saying that the Dallas defense got “gashed with a run.” Lawrence apparently got on his phone after practice to check what was happening on Twitter, and he took offense to Moore’s tweet. The defender replied by saying (while referring to himself in the third person) said No. 90 would’ve been there and made the play. We love savagery from Tank.
All in all, good work done, but more to do. The Cowboys will play their preseason game tonight vs. the Chargers at SoFi Stadium at 9 pm CST.
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