The preseason is over for the Dallas Cowboys and now we just have to focus on the Cleveland Browns to complete the team’s 53-man roster. The dust is still settling on the exhibition match portion of the calendar and now that it is complete, we can take the opportunity to reflect on it with different thoughts.
Something that began this preseason and will continue on this site throughout the regular season is offering three different thoughts on the game we just saw the day after. The point of this exercise is to allow some time for deep thought and reflection and to let the emotions of the moment pass before we come to any sweeping conclusions. These particular day after thoughts encompass more than just the preseason game itself, as the period has come to a close. Today we are offering thoughts on the preseason and everything leading up to it, so to speak.
Let’s begin.
Deuce Vaughn must not only be included in the squad, but also receive a legitimate emphasis on his role, no matter what
It’s probably safe to say that Deuce Vaughn’s story was bigger than anything he did on the field last year. How could it be otherwise? The story is incredible. Whether the coaching staff felt they could really get something out of Vaughn in 2023 is a thing of the past at this point. In the here and now, Vaughn clearly looks like someone who not only deserves a spot on the roster, but also deserves serious planning and preparation.
I’m not saying that Vaughn can be an elite weapon that takes the Cowboys offense to a level they’ve never reached before, but he’s a different kind of weapon, a variety running back if you will, and you can never have too much variety.
This draft class looks very promising after the preseason
It’s certainly necessary given that the games we’ve seen ultimately don’t matter, but the names really stand out. Tyler Guyton looks great and is a starting-caliber left tackle (he’ll obviously start). Marshawn Kneeland has looked pretty strong and is an even more important pick than he was the moment his name was called. The third round of the draft produced starting center Cooper Beebe and surprise contributor Marist Liufau. Caelen Carson has flashed and Ryan Flournoy has stepped up recently.
As you can see, this year’s Dallas Cowboys rookie class contributes to that point. It’s very exciting to consider that the team has found a handful of players who will at least contribute during the term of their rookie contracts, and that they seem ready to do some of the heavy lifting here and now.
The Cowboys like to talk about how proud they are of their ability to draft players, and the early results show they have every right to pat their chests. But there are other aspects of roster construction that they should be just as obsessed with.
Speaking of which!
It’s unbelievable that we’re at this point without any major contract extensions being signed.
Since we’ve been having these discussions for months now, it’s pretty annoying every time they come up again. We all understand that.
Yet two weeks before the Cowboys’ crucial game in Cleveland, they still haven’t gotten contract extensions for Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb or Micah Parsons through. Forget everything, forget the urgency, forget all the talk, it’s a massive failure not to have even put a single line on paper.
It’s entirely possible that one or more of those deals will be completed before Cleveland gets going for the first time, but the outcome won’t justify the process. The Cowboys literally left this until the last minute and don’t seem to have learned anything from it, as evidenced by the fact that Parsons (who is one year behind Lamb contractually) doesn’t seem to be a priority.
You can be the best drafting team in the world, but if you tie your hands behind your back on any other aspect of team building, you’re only hurting your own cause. We’ve finished the preseason, and the conversations we had in late January are still relevant.
