The first half of the Cowboys’ first game of the season is complete. After a practice game with Sean McVay’s team on Thursday, Dallas traveled to SoFi Stadium on Sunday to face the Los Angeles Rams in the season opener for both teams. They will start the second half fresh with the score at 6-6. Each team had four possessions, with the Cowboys getting stuck in scoring position three times and the Rams not being able to keep the ball in their hands.
With most of their regulars sitting out this game, Dallas had a chance to see some of their young and lower-ranked players in a game situation, which is crucial to the evaluation process of Mike McCarthy and his team. How ready were the guys to play? Here’s a look at the early evaluations.
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Bell nearly ended the Rams’ first drive with an interception in the end zone and then their second drive with a pick in the middle of the field. The former linebacker by attrition in 2023 seemed to know exactly what was ahead of him at all times. He’s the fourth safety, but it’s hard to imagine him not getting important snaps this season.
Carson gives the impression of being a safe tackler who is able to stay close to his assigned receiver.
Scott missed a tackle on a big catch-and-run by freshman Jordan Whittington. He later threw a late pass out of bounds, costing the defense another 15 yards. He didn’t perform well, but tried to make up for it with an interception late in the half and a solid return.
All eyes at the defensive tackle position were on Mazi Smith, and rightfully so. Smith has had a handful of good and bad plays as he tries to work his way back up after a lost rookie season. Albert Huggins is a veteran rookie who was only signed this week, so there were no expectations.
However, watching Smith, it was striking how much Huggins played in the first half and how rarely he had a positive play. He had two assisted tackles but was regularly sent back.
The biggest problems reported about Lance all came in the first half, most notably a lack of foresight. Lance made some solid plays with his legs, moved in the pocket, and also escaped for a 19-yard third-down conversion. But he couldn’t see opponents getting open and missed several passes.
Anyone waiting for proof that Overshown had fully recovered from his torn ACL from last year got it early in the game. Overshown was everywhere on the Rams’ opening drive and seemed to react really quickly.
Brooks was the recipient of the only big pass play of the first half, and it was on the first throw. Cooper Rush was on the play on the first series and found Brooks a few steps ahead of his defender on the first attempt. Brooks caught the pass for 43 yards and later caught another short throw for 49 yards in the first half.
