For the Dallas Cowboys, Friday night was the first taste of winning of the Brian Schottenheimer era. The Cowboys' young players fighting for roster spots put together a solid performance on both sides of the ball, handling the Falcons in a 31-13 win.
While it is the first victory for Dallas since last December, it is time to get to business in the next few days.
Every NFL team needs to cut their roster down to 53players by Tuesday. While a few players will be added to the practice squad, a good amount will be looking for new jobs. Plenty of players proved they belonged in Friday night's win, but some played their way out of jobs.
3 Cowboys who played their way off the roster in preseason finale
1. Tyrus Wheat
Tyrus Wheat played most of the final game and while it was the most playing time he had all preseason, he did not do much to prove he is worthy of keeping. Wheat did come away with three tackles, but they were overshadowed by some big mistakes.
Towards the end of the first quarter, he committed a roughing the passer penalty that kept the Falcons drive going. That might have been overlooked had Wheat not made another just a few minutes later.
Troy Pride intercepted a badly thrown pass by Easton Stick in the endzone that appeared to kill Atlanta's drive. However, Wheat was caught as the 12th man on the field before the ball was snapped. With the drive extended, Atlanta cashed in with a field goal for their first points of the day. Wheat's two mistakes almost singlehandedly helped give the Falcons life after being down 14-0 early.
Wheat also had a chance at a sack on Stick later in the first half that could have been a drive killer, but he allowed him to slip away. For a player on the edge of the roster with a lot defensive linemen in camp, those are plays he can't let get away, especially with James Houston continuing to shine.
Houston led the team in tackles for loss on the night with two and had a sack to start the game that set the tone. For Wheat, the odds do not look good for him to be on this roster.
2. Troy Pride
Wheat's error in the beginning of the second quarter collided with one of his teammates' mistakes. On the 12 men on the field penalty Wheat was called for, Troy Pride got the interception but picked up a penalty himself. He was flagged for an unsportsmanlike conduct penalty.
Had the interception counted, the offense would have been in tough field position to start a drive. Pride's mistake was negated but his rough night was not over. The very next play Perrion Winfrey hit Stick on a pass play that caused the ball to flutter. Pride got to the spot but was unable to make the play.
For a corner fighting for a roster spot to have two gifts right there for the taking and not capitalize only hurts him. Other than those two plays, Pride also struggled in pass coverage as he has through most of the preseason when out there.
The 27-year-old was a longshot to make the team after arriving in Dallas last year due to the injuries in the cornerback room. With other DBs making plays and proving they might belong, Pride's chances of remaining a Cowboy remain very slim.
3. Denzel Daxon
Denzel Daxon did little in the preseason finale to show he is worth keeping. That has been mostly the story throughout the preseason. With guys like Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas at the top of the depth chart, Daxon is fighting with Mazi Smith, rookie Jay Toia and Perrion Winfrey for snaps.
Winfrey was again the biggest standout among the Cowboys' interior defenders, recording two quarterback hits and bringing consistent pressure. While Daxon is more a run-stuffer like Smith, he struggled to plug up the middle when he was counted on late in all three preseason games.
With a comfortable lead in the fourth quarter, the backups who were in seemed to pull back a bit, but more so the run defense was getting shredded. Elijah Dotson led the Falcons in rushing and most of the yards came on the final drive. Daxon looked to be getting pushed back on most of those runs.
Odighizuwa and Thomas sit atop the depth chart by themselves, but Winfrey has made a strong case to be behind them over Smith. Unfortunately, that could mean Daxon is the odd man out. His preseason performance last year was enough to keep him on the practice squad, but this year could be a different story.