The Dallas Cowboys completed their first preseason game on Saturday, and just about every notable player sat out in a 31-21 defeat to the Los Angeles Rams.
Dallas had a physical week of practice, including a joint session with the Rams, in which most of the starters took part. You can make a strong case why the top 25 players on offense and defense did not suit up on Saturday, which is why the final outcome wasn’t surprising.
But one potential starter who did see the field against the Rams was Nathan Thomas, who is filling in at left tackle for Tyler Guyton. While the Cowboys are still optimistic that Guyton could be ready in Week 1 or soon after, Thomas could open the season at left tackle against the Philadelphia Eagles. And that is a bit terrifying, as Thomas has yet to appear in a single regular-season game.
Nathan Thomas needs to play more in Cowboys preseason
Thomas is a second-year player from Louisiana and does not have much experience after being placed on the season-ending injured reserve list in August last year.
But with the expectation that he will be the team’s backup left tackle and a possible Week 1 starter, you would think that the coaching staff would want to give him an extended look throughout the preseason.
That wasn’t the case against the Rams, as Thomas played just nine offensive snaps. While he held up fairly well during those snaps, it just isn’t a big enough sample size for such a young player. Plus, it would have been nice to see where his conditioning is after playing a bunch of snaps.
Here is every offensive snap for #Cowboys LT Nathan Thomas (No. 71) during Week 1 of the preseason pic.twitter.com/guR2eC1frs
— Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) August 10, 2025
There is an excellent chance that Thomas will open the season against one of the league’s best pass rushes, and he needs as many live reps as possible. It’s safe to assume that Thomas will get more work in Week 2 of the preseason, but this was a missed opportunity by the Cowboys to load him up on snaps and prepare him for the regular season.
It’s hard to know exactly why the Cowboys didn’t get him more chances on Saturday, but Thomas is certainly a player we need to see more from over the next two weeks. And at this point, it would be shocking if Dallas didn't give him more snaps next week because we all know that he certainly needs them.