Cowboys studs and duds: Secondary shines in preseason Week 3 win

Stud: Sam Williams, EDGE

Rookie Sam Williams recorded a sack on a second-and-20 play, beating Charles Cross even though it appeared he was being held and got no flag. His sack pushed Seattle back 14 yards, setting up a third-and-34, forcing them to settle for getting better field goal position, rather than thinking about going for six.

Williams is known for his talent as a pass rusher but he also showed up against the run in this one. About midway through the second quarter, Williams fought through a block as he and Nahshon Wright converged on the Homer, stuffing him for no gain on third-and-one.

In all, he had five tackles, two going for a loss, along with the sack. He did get called for a roughing the passer penalty when he pushed Lock to the ground after the pass, which is something he needs to clean up going forward.

Dud: Josh Ball, OT

Josh Ball is suddenly in the spotlight for Dallas. When Tyron Smith tore his hamstring and needed surgery, Ball found himself in line to start. That’s what happened on Friday night as he was in at left tackle and struggled throughout the night.

On just the second play of the game, he was flagged for being an ineligible man downfield. He was also beaten several times and even though he wasn’t terrible overall, he was lined up against an undrafted free agent from Joshua Onujogu.

If he wasn’t able to push around a 252-pounder from Framingham State with no NFL experience, he’s going to struggle against experienced NFL defensive ends.

Jerry Jones can say all he wants that they’re comfortable with their line as it stands but if they’re not about to kick Tyler Smith out to left tackle, they probably should look at some other options.