The Dallas Cowboys opened up the 2026 preseason with a 17-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks. And while a 'W' always keeps the spirits high in the locker room, Brian Schottenheimer couldn't have been happy with how sloppy a game the Cowboys played and how many little mistakes his team made.
Dallas made a habit of getting penalized, as it was flagged a total of 15 times in the contest, 13 of which were accepted for a total of 103 yards. Special teams issues were also fairly glaring, as flags were common in this phase of the game, and the punt coverage, in particular, was abysmal.
Fortunately, these issues shouldn't drag the Cowboys down for much longer. With most of the starters and key depth pieces sitting out the first preseason game, it was mainly third-stringers or lower making all of the mistakes, and these players won't be around for more than the next few weeks.
So, let's hold off on drawing conclusions about this team based on what occurred on Saturday night.
Cowboys' penalty and ST issues were a product of deep depth playing
After giving up a sizeable return on the opening kickoff, the Cowboys cleaned things up with that unit. But Izzy Abanikanda had a bad kick return, Dallas relinquished two long punt returns, and Traeshon Holden muffed a punt on the goal line, which gave the Seahawks the ball in scoring position.
But again, most of the players who were out there won't be in those roles come Week 1 against the New York Giants, or even on the active roster at all. KaVontae Turpin will be out there returning kicks and punts, not Abanikanda or Holden. Josh Butler won't be blocking on punt return, and so on.
These issues don't necessarily paint a larger picture about the team or Schottenheimer and Christian Parker's coaching. Every team has roughly 30 or more players on the roster right now who just won't play in the NFL this season, or perhaps ever. That's the reality of the preseason.
There is perhaps no clearer indication of this than looking at the Dallas penalty log from last night. When scanning over this list, ask yourself how many of these players are even going to be on the Cowboys' 53-man roster, let alone playing a key role.
Caelen Carson, Defensive Pass Interference, 19 yards
Caelen Carson, Face Mask, 15 yards
Marist Liufau, Defensive Pass Interference - DECLINED
Nathan Thomas, False Start, 5 yards
Curtis Robinson, Offensive Holding, 10 yards
Caelen Carson, Defensive Holding, 5 yards
Drew Shelton, False Start, 5 yards
Traeshon Holden, Illegal Block Above the Waist, 10 yards
Marcellus Johnson, False Start, 4 yards
Marcellus Johnson, Illegal Use of Hands, 10 yards
Joe Milton III, Delay of Game, 5 yards
Justin Barron, Illegal Formation, 5 yards
Shiyazh Pete, Illegal Use of Hands, 5 yards
DAL, Defensive Too Many Men on Field, 5 yards
Josh Butler, Offensive Holding - DECLINED
Carson, of course, had a rough night in the penalty department. But if Devin Moore stays healthy, Carson is CB5 and won't see the field unless disaster strikes. Marist Liufau is not a lock to make the roster at all, and certainly wouldn't rotate in with the edge rushers on defense.
Nathan Thomas is the backup left tackle, to be fair. But Tyler Smith can always bump out there in a bind if the Cowboys need, so let's not sweat that one too much, either. Shelton and Robinson should be around, but not in some major capacity. They'll be backups and special-teamers.
Holden is likely to be cut, as are Marcellus Johnson, Shiyazh Pete and Josh Butler. Joe Milton III also won't be running the offense, again, unless disaster strikes. So, while it is easy to be upset with the team for their perceived lack of discipline, remind yourselves that these players won't be on the team.
Ideally, Dallas cleans it up for the last two exhibition games, making for a cleaner product to watch the next two weeks. If not, that'll just be something Cowboys fans have to struggle through. But it won't say anything about this roster for the 2026 NFL season, as those issues shouldn't persist.
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