At least through the first couple of drives, the Dallas Cowboys' preseason opener had the makings of a difficult watch. That's when Camden Brown said he was going to make Lumen Field his playground.
An undrafted receiver out of Georgia Southern, Brown caught all three of his targets for 62 yards and two touchdowns. Both TD grabs had a high level of difficulty.
The first required wrestling a Seahawks defender and high-pointing the football. The second required sheer will to make a play for his team and elite hands and concentration. He's trying to make himself uncuttable, and Brian Schottenheimer had a telling answer when asked about the rookie's outing.
"The game's not too big for him," Schottenheimer said. "He does it every day in practice. ... He's been doing that the whole time. What I love about him is he does the little things, too. You can watch him on special drills, things like that; he realizes that's how you make this football team."
That reads like a coach who's ready to welcome Brown to the 53.
Cowboys WR Camden Brown's ability to play special teams may grant him a roster spot
At this point, what more does Brown need to prove as a receiver? He's this summer's version of Traeshon Holden, but even better. He's more explosive, and his ability to make acrobatic catches in tight windows is rare.
Whether it's a one-handed grab in the end zone, creating separation out of his break, or showing off his contested-catch ability in practice, Brown has done it all this summer. He's already trusted enough that he got reps with the first- and second-team offense in practice this week. That's uncharted territory for undrafted rookies.
Where Schottenheimer may have truly secured Brown's spot on the 53, though, is his glowing review of the receiver's special teams work.
Targets will be scarce in a room headlined by CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Ryan Flournoy, and KaVontae Turpin. Brown may eventually get a path to playing time in the regular season, but in the short term, his key to sticking around as a rookie lies in the third phase.
Whether it's pinning punts or being a sound open-field tackler, that will give Brown that complete value that truly will make him uncuttable. And make no mistake: He's almost reached that point.
Camden Brown has absolutely done enough to make the Cowboys
Every summer, there are multiple Cowboys players fans don't want to risk losing on the waiver wire during roster cuts. More often than not, they find their way back to the practice squad. It happened last August with Traeshon Holden, Zion Childress, and even Ryan Flournoy.
However, the Brown hype feels different.
Short of the Cowboys pulling a KaVontae Turpin and shutting him down because his roster spot is already locked up, every additional snap in the preseason is only going to amplify the noise around Brown. He's a player you're simply not going to sneak onto the practice squad.
It's too early to declare that Brown has clinched a roster spot. However, Schottenheimer's comments may foreshadow a decision that Cowboys fans are actively manifesting.
Locked in as WR6 if Dallas keeps six wideouts, Brown himself is actively coming to take the WR5 spot from Jonathan Mingo, if he doesn't have it already.
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