Cowboys studs and duds from Preseason Week 2 vs. Chargers

A long day of preseason football came to a close with the Dallas Cowboys heading to the Los Angeles Chargers for a night game at SoFi Stadium. While the home team has the lightning bolt as their logo, it was actually Dallas return man KaVontae Turpin who provided the electricity.

His two return touchdowns helped Dallas build a big lead as they were able to walk out with a 32 to 18 victory. He wasn’t alone when it came to solid play, which is why preseason Week 2 has more studs than duds.

Cowboys studs and duds from preseason Week 2 against the Chargers

Stud: Israel Mukuamu, S

Israel Mukuamu nearly had a huge tackle for a loss on Joshua Kelley on the opening drive, and while the running back got away from the second-year safety, he still ended up gaining just one-yard thanks to the penetration.

Then, on the very next play, Mukuamu was able to haul in a deep pass intended for Chargers wideout Josh Palmer. There was some pressure on the play from Dante Fowler, which forced Easton Stick who overthrew his target.

His solid play continued when he broke up a third-down pass to Jason Moore. After getting past Kelvin Joseph, Moore had to reach for a pass that was slightly high, but he looked ready to pull it in.

That was until Mukuamu delivered a hit that knocked the ball out of the wideout’s hands.

Dud: Josh Ball, OT

The first drive saw offensive tackle Josh Ball get destroyed on a pass rush by Chris Rumph. He also struggled to set the edge on a second-quarter run where Rico Dowdle went for 15-yards. The running back had to maneuver away from the edge defender before breaking off the long run.

Dallas is banking on Ball to be the swing tackle but so far, he has struggled — and that has to be worrisome since he has yet to go against any legitimate starters.