3 standouts (and 2 duds) from Cowboys loss to Seahawks in Week 2 of preseason

The Dallas Cowboys headed to the pacific northwest to play the Seattle Seahawks in the second week of the 2023 NFL Preseason. After taking an early 7-3 lead, their defense started to struggle and the offense sputtered out despite a couple of promising drives.

The result was their second loss in the preseason, but that's not what's important. What really matters is how the younger players are developing and the Cowboys had their share of standouts on Saturday night. They also had a couple of duds, which we will dive into as we look back at Preseason Week 2.

Cowboys Standout: Isaiah Land, EDGE

During the offseason, defensive coordinator Dan Quinn let everyone know he was a huge fan of Isaiah Land. Quinn had been watching the undrafted free agent from Florida A&M since early 2022 and was thrilled to get to work with him this season.

Land's debut was modest as he had just two tackles in the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. In Week 2 of the preseason, he made some noise when he sacked Holton Ahlers for a seven-yard loss and forced a fumble as well.

Seattle was able to recover the fumble but it was still a great play out of the rookie. It also set the Seahawks up with a third-and-15, which should have ended their drive. Unfortunately, that didn't happen when SaRodorick Thompson was able to break free for a 29-yard run — but that's not on Land.

Dallas has more than their share of pass rushers with Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, Dorance Armstrong, Dante Fowler, and Sam Williams but there always seems to be room for more players who can get after the quarterback. If Land continues to play as he did on Saturday, there should be room for him.

Cowboys Dud: Most of the offensive linemen

Just a couple of plays after Cooper Rush and Jalen Tolbert connected on a beautiful 35-yard completion, the Dallas offense stalled out. They had moved into the edge of field goal range and were facing a third-and-four on the Seattle 34-yard line.

Rush dropped back to pass but had no time at all since Brock Hoffman was unable to slow down Jarren Reed. The veteran defensive tackle was no match for Hoffman and sacked Rush almost as quickly as he took the snap.

Hoffman was also flagged for illegal use of the hands, pushing the offense back to their own 23 as they looked to put up points before the half.

Alex Taylor-Prioleau was also flagged on that same drive, getting caught holding. That forced Dallas to run the ball and go to the half, rather than see what Grier can do in the one-minute offense.

The issues weren't unique to those two either. Matt Waltezko struggled with Boye Mafe who was getting pressure on the quarterback at will and even batted down a pass.

It wasn't just pass protection either as many of the second-string linemen had a hard time opening holes consistently in the run game. The worst example was Malik Davis getting blown up on second-and-eight right after the Seahawks went up 10-7. Davis took the handoff to the right side but Matt Farniok was thrown aside by Roderick Perry, who recorded a tackle for a two-yard loss.

Dallas believes in their starting five linemen but there are a lot of questions behind them and those remain after this one.

Cowboys Standout: Deuce Vaughn, Running Back

Last week, Deuce Vaughn announced his arrival in the NFL in a big way. The sixth-round pick from Kansas State had 50 yards on the ground on just eight carries — with a touchdown run. He added another six yards as a receiver but it was the shiftiness he showed on his rushing attempts that had people talking.

Despite his explosion in Week 1, Vaughn was again kept on the bench until the third quarter against the Seattle Seahawks. While he had to wait to get on the field, he wasted no time making an impact once he was out there.

Vaughn's first touch came on the 14-yard line and he was able to shake off a would-be tackle and spun his way into the open field. He then took it in for six, cutting the Seattle lead to just three.

Vaughn has been getting praise from nearly everyone (there's always that one guy who wants to be a buzz kill) for his performance so far in the preseason. His size led to many teams passing on him in the 2023 NFL Draft and that allowed the Cowboys to bring in the potential steal of the draft.

On this night, he finished with just 14 yards as the O-line opened no holes for him on his other carries. It would be nice to see him get some play with the first team but he's still done enough to prove he can be a solid change-of-pace back.

Cowboys Dud: Juanyeh Thomas, Safety

Last week, Juanyeh Thomas was one of the heroes early on for Dallas. Thomas got the start and was able to pick off Trevor Lawrence. This week, he made noise for the wrong reasons.

On third-and-six, he was covering Jake Bobo but Drew Lock threw a pass off-target. Dallas was about to get the ball back after going up 7-3 but then Thomas decided to get into the face of Bobo. His jawing drew a taunting flag, which gave the Seahawks 15 yards and a first down.

Two plays later, Jaxon Smith-Njigba beat Eric Scott deep for a 48-yard reception, setting them up at the one-yard line. DeeJay Dallas then ran it in for a one-yard touchdown on the very next play, putting Seattle up 10-7.

So instead of getting the ball back with a four-point lead and a chance to go up by two scores, the Cowboys were suddenly down by three since Thomas couldn't control his emotions.

Dallas has a deep safety corps that includes Donovan Wilson, Malik Hooker, and Jayron Kearse. Wilson and Hooker each signed multi-year extensions this offseason while Kearse was just given a hefty bonus. Behind them, they have Israel Mukuamu bit are likely to carry a fifth safety. Thomas is in a battle with Marquese Bell and didn't do himself any favors with this costly mistake.

Cowboys Standout: Jalen Tolbert, Wide Receiver

Facing a third-and-seven on their first drive, Cooper Rush decided to go deep and targeted Jalen Tolbert. The pass was slightly underthrown but Tolbert adjusted to it and fought through a pass interference to haul in a 35-yard reception.

He wasn't done there either as he again made a huge catch on third down on the very next drive. Following a play where Rush had his pass batted in the air by Boye Mafe, the Cowboys were facing a third-and-four.

This time, Rush fired a bullet toward Tolbert, who beat Michael Jackson (a former Cowboy) for a 15-yard reception. Later in the drive, he hauled in a five-yarder on third-and-five despite taking a hit, which helped set up Rico Dowdle's touchdown catch.

Tolbert should have had another as he hauled in a low pass on third-and-four on the same drive. Originally called a catch, it was reversed after Pete Carroll threw the challenge flag. The refs said the ball hit the turf, but Tolbert had control, so it probably should have stood. In the end, that didn't matter since rookie Jalen Brooks caught an eight-yard pass to keep the drive alive on fourth-and-four.

By the end of the game, Tolbert had four receptions for 66 yards. The former third-round pick from South Alabama had a rookie season for forget but looks like a completely different player in year two.