3 projected Cowboys starters who need the most playing time in preseason

Football season is here. Training camps are in full swing and teams are ready to hit the field for the preseason. The exhibition season begins with the Hall of Fame Game featuring the Bears and the Texans. For the Dallas Cowboys, their tune up begins on Aug. 11 when they take on the Rams in Los Angeles.

Since Mike McCarthy has taken over, the Cowboys have followed the same formula every preseason: no stars play a down. Fans should not expect to see Dak Prescott, Micah Parsons or Trevon Diggs play until the regular season opener at Cleveland.

However, some starters on offense and defense are new and will need playing time to hone their skills in the preseason. These three need as much playing time as the coaches will allow.

1. DE Marshawn Kneeland

The rookie out of Western Michigan was looking like a rotation player on the defensive line heading into camp, but things have changed. With Sam Williams tearing his ACL just a few days into camp, Kneeland looks like he will be a starter on opening day. With the lack of depth on the defensive line, Kneeland may also get extended playing time in these three games.

The Cowboys needed to address defensive line in the draft after Dante Fowler and Dorance Armstrong left in free agency. Williams was expected to fill the other defensive end spot opposite of Demarcus Lawrence and many had high expectations he would take a big step forward in 2024. Now, Dallas has to throw a rookie into the fire.

While the defensive line still has Viliami Fehoko and Chauncey Golston as reserves, neither have seen a lot of playing time. Fehoko actually spent most of his rookie year in 2023 on injured reserve and Golston only has three starts to his name in four years. While both of them could use just as much playing time, the expectations are higher for Kneeland.

Spending a second round pick on a player indicates the coaches are looking to get them on the field sooner rather than later. If Kneeland can learn quickly and make some noise in the preseason, Mike Zimmer should feel good about his defensive line.

2. OT Tyler Guyton

Outside of Kneeland, the Cowboys need their first round pick to get up to speed just as quickly. Guyton was drafted 29th overall to replace Tyron Smith at left tackle. There is no question those are the expectations he is facing. Needless to say, that is a tall order. The former Sooner is already looking like a solid starter. During Sunday's practice he was matched up against Parsons and held him in check. He did the same in a padded practice this week as well.

Obviously the best way to evaluate any player is in a game, but Guyton protecting Dak in a full-team drill when arguably the best edge rusher in the league is coming after him is a good sign of what is to come. At his size, Guyton is a prototypical blindside protector every NFL team looks for. The rookie still has plenty of work in front of him so this preseason will be his time to show he is capable of replacing a future Hall of Famer.

Tyler Smith received a good amount of playing time in the preseason two years ago after he was drafted No. 22 overall and that paid off when it was time to play a real game. The Cowboys' offense might have looked lethargic in that season opener against the Buccaneers, but Smith held his own and is now coming off of a second team All-Pro and Pro Bowl season in year two.

The expectation is Guyton will at least start the first preseason game if not all of them. While he will likely be playing alongside second stringers, the more playing time he receives the better.

3. RB Rico Dowdle

With Ezekiel Elliott likely taking the preseason off, this is Dowdle's opportunity to get a leg up on the starting running back job. Dallas looks like they are going with a RB1 and RB1A approach similar to what happened in 2021 when Tony Pollard started taking touches away from Elliott. If that is the case, Dowdle will see significant playing time.

While Dowdle proved his worth last season after making the team as an undrafted free agent a few years ago, the Cowboys also signed him to just a one-year deal. They also wanted to make sure they did not let both leading backs hit the open market this offseason. That right now looks like the biggest reason why Dowdle was brought back. If the front office firmly believes he is supposed to be the guy, they would not have brought back Elliott.

The running back position has a lot of questions that need answering in the month of August. While other backs like Royce Freeman and Snoop Conner are in camp, Dowdle is one of only two running backs returning who carried the ball last year, the other being Deuce Vaughn. Similar to last year, fans should expect him to be in the starting lineup with the majority of the second string hitting the field first.

With more regular season experience coming into this preseason, the extra playing time could see Dowlde start to establish himself as the team's lead back.

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