The Landry Hat
Fansided

Grading the Cowboys’ rookies midway through the 2022 season

By Brandon Martinez

Oct 23, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams (54) celebrates making a sack and a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 23, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end Sam Williams (54) celebrates making a sack and a fumble recovery in the fourth quarter against the Detroit Lions at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /
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Oct 30, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) celebrates scoring a touchdown in the second quarter av at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
Oct 30, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) celebrates scoring a touchdown in the second quarter av at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports /

Day Three Selections

Note: Fifth-round pick John Ridgeway will not receive a grade since he is no longer a part of the team.

LB Devin Harper (Round 6, pick 193)

Sixth-round pick Devin Harper has yet to see any bit of action on defense. With the return of Damone Clark, that isn’t expected to change any time soon. He has been in on special teams, being on the field for 52 snaps, but this isn’t necessarily anything we didn’t expect.

Grade: C

LB Damone Clark (Round 5, pick 176)

Unlike the last time we did this exercise, Damone Clark has actually played. Clark played his first game just this past week against the Bears, and was actually on the field quite a lot, playing 40 snaps on defense.

The former LSU Tiger recorded five tackles, two run stops, one pressure, and allowed one catch on one target for just one yard. He had a really good debut, which coming back from a spinal injury to that level of play deserves a solid grade.

Grade: B

CB DaRon Bland (Round 5, pick 167)

DaRon Bland has seen very inconsistent snaps so far this season. He saw his first action in Week 4 where he recorded the game-sealing and his first career interception. After that, he didn’t play more than seven snaps in a game until this past week against the Bears.

Against the Bears, Bland was forced into the starting lineup after Jourdan Lewis was ruled out for the rest of the season due to injury. He played very well, allowing four catches on five targets for just 25 yards and a pass deflection. He has done a great job with the opportunities given.

Grade: A-

T Matt Waletzko (Round 5, pick 155)

Matt Waletzko has yet to make an impact due to being out for a shoulder injury. At this point, he will not be given a grade after only playing one regular season snap so far this year.

Grade: N/A

TE Jake Ferguson (Round 4, pick 129)

In the absence of Dalton Schultz, Jake Ferguson has done a solid job at doing his best Schultz impression. In five games started, he only has 68 receiving yards on nine catches, but also has reeled in two touchdowns. He does a lot of his good work as a run blocker though, as well.

He has become a big target near the red zone while on the field and is becoming a more reliable target as time goes on. He needs to be more active in the passing game, but given he is now behind Schultz and has to compete with Hendershot, he may not be given as many chances as he had earlier in the season.

Grade: C+

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