Cowboys News: Deuce Vaughn's increased role, Jets eyeing former Dallas OL, Jalen Tolbert

The Dallas Cowboys dropped their first preseason game, but the performances of Deuce Vaughn, Damone Clark, Jalen Tolbert and other young players has fans giddy about how they'll contribute once the regular season starts.

While Clark and Tolbert are roster locks, Vaughn (likely) has more work to do after his electric preseason debut against the Jaguars.

Vaughn is surely trending toward making the 53-man roster amid an impressive training camp, but another strong showing in a game setting could make him a virtual guarantee to make the team with time to spare.

It's premature to say that Vaughn has climbed the depth chart, but it helps that neither Rico Dowdle nor Malik Davis have run away with the RB2 job. With the role seemingly there for the taking, Vaughn has seen more reps with the first-team offense in Oxnard this week, per Cowboys reporter Kyle Youmans.

Cowboys News: Deuce Vaughn first-team reps, Jets eye former Dallas OL, Jalen Tolbert's viral catch

This is nothing less than what Vaughn deserved after the Jaguars game. He led the team with 50 rushing yards on just eight carries. His ability to make the first defender miss was on full display and he showed tremendous vision on a 26-yard run in the third quarter before he found the end zone early in the fourth to give Dallas its first lead.

Well be watching closely Saturday to see if Vaughn gets an increased role.

In other Cowboys news, Jalen Tolbert continues to make waves. The second-year WR caught a touchdown against Jacksonville and had an acrobatic catch up the sideline called back by a weak offensive pass interference flag.

Clearly riding high on confidence, Tolbert made arguably the highlight of Cowboys camp with a gravity-defying grab in the back of the end zone. Tolbert went up and over his defender to make the catch and paused in mid-air to get his bearings and land both feet in bounds.

It doesn't get much better than that. The catch gained traction on social media and received a shoutout from NFL insider Ian Rapoport and former Pro Bowl receiver Chad Johnson. Even B/R Gridiron and Pro Football Focus aggregated the snag on Twitter (or X).

Finally, former Cowboy Jason Peters could become a target of the Jets amid their offensive line concerns.

New York's starting five still isn't sorted and team writer Zack Rosenblatt of The Athletic pegged Peters as a potential signing before the regular season if Gang Green doesn't feel comfortable starting former first-round pick Mehki Becton, who's had trouble staying on the field early in his career.

Peters only played 10 games for the Cowboys last season, but he provided needed protection at guard and both tackle positions while Tyron Smith worked his way back from injury.

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