Cowboys face considerations at QB2, LT, DT as preseason finale looms

FRISCO, Texas — To Brian Schottenheimer, it’s still training camp with the Dallas Cowboys even with the team back at The Star.

The Cowboys will have two night practices this week before playing the preseason finale against the Atlanta Falcons on Friday. After that, it’s on to the Philadelphia Eagles.

The regular-season opener is Sept. 4 against the defending champion, and the Cowboys have plenty of questions that have not really been answered through the practices in Oxnard, California, and the first two games of the preseason, including the 31-13 loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

“I told the guys, ‘Get ready, because the couple of practices this week are going to be really physical,'” Schottenheimer said after the Baltimore game. “We have to. But it’s like all these position battles, we don’t have to decide anything right now.”

But they don’t have a ton of time either. They need the answers by Aug. 26 when the roster needs to be trimmed to 53 players.

“We’re not pushing the panic button,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re pushing the work button.”

Here’s a look at some of the concerns, not including whether Pro Bowl edge rusher Micah Parsons will play to start the season:

Backup quarterback

Dak Prescott has missed games due to injury in four of the last five seasons. He missed nine games last year with a hamstring avulsion that required surgery. He turned 32 in July.

The Cowboys attempted to sign Jacoby Brissett in free agency and had discussions with at least one more veteran quarterback but ultimately traded for Joe Milton III, who played well in his one regular-season appearance with the New England Patriots last season.

In two preseason games, Milton has directed 17 full drives, and the Cowboys have one touchdown and four field goals. He has been intercepted twice and one of the three sacks led to a safety.

Schottenheimer said he is not concerned about Milton or the backup spot in general, with Will Grier as the No. 3 quarterback at the moment.

“I think we have to believe that,” the coach said. “I think we do believe that.”

Last year, the Cowboys had Cooper Rush and Trey Lance as their backups. The Cowboys intercepted Rush, now with the Ravens, twice, but he directed five scoring drives for Baltimore. Lance has completed 27 of 49 passes for 296 yards with two scores and has rushed 14 times for 81 yards and a score for the Los Angeles Chargers in three games.

“I feel like I don’t have to decide anything today,” Schottenheimer said. “We’re going to keep letting these guys practice.”

Defensive tackle

The Cowboys drafted Mazi Smith in the first round in 2023, and he has not had the impact they had hoped. To be fair, he is on his third system in three years.

“This is my third year, the only people that should be expecting anything out of me is our fan base and the people in the building,” Smith said last week in Oxnard. “If you ain’t that, I ain’t trying to hear it. And even a lot of people on social media, I really ain’t trying to hear it.”

Smith’s base salaries in 2025 and ’26 ($1.95 million, $2.56 million) are fully guaranteed, but could the Cowboys really move on from him? Jay Toia, this year’s seventh-round pick, is the only other big body on the roster at the moment.

Last year, the Cowboys added veteran Linval Joseph late in the summer. They could be headed down a similar path in looking for a veteran available as a free agent or on another roster.

The Ravens ran it 39 times for 148 yards and a touchdown. In the first preseason game. The Los Angeles Rams had 38 carries for 181 yards and two touchdowns.

Cornerback

If the Cowboys were going to play only their base defense, they would feel comfortable enough with DaRon Bland and Kaiir Elam, but they will need more than just two corners.

Zion Childress has worked in the slot with the starters, but that’s a lot to expect of a rookie free agent. Bland has played inside as well, opening up chances for Troy Pride, Andrew Booth, who had a pick six against the Ravens, and Robert Rochell on the outside. Israel Mukuamu, who is entering his fifth season and had an interception in the first preseason game, can play corner and safety.

Owner and general manager Jerry Jones said the Cowboys have their eyes open. A couple of names to consider: Kendall Fuller and Stephon Gilmore.

The tricky part is the Cowboys expect Trevon Diggs (knee) back if not for the first game or two then maybe by the end of September. Shavon Revel is on a similar track with his recovery from knee surgery, but it would be asking a lot of the third-round pick to play a large role early without much practice.

“We’ve got some extraordinary help on the way,” Jones said, adding “counting on Diggs to really be a player for us.”

Left tackle

When Tyler Guyton went down with a knee injury on July 28, the Cowboys initially thought his season was over because of a torn ACL. Instead, he was diagnosed with a broken bone in his knee, and there is a chance he will be available for the opener.

He has begun some light on-field rehab work in the last week, but even if he is able to play the season opener it will be without any action in the preseason and limited work in pads during the summer.

Nate Thomas, a seventh-round pick a year ago, has performed well enough through two preseason games as Guyton’s replacement, but the Eagles’ pass rush is formidable, especially at Lincoln Financial Field.