The Dallas Cowboys travelled to Arizona to face the Cardinals on Saturday night . Most of the starters rested which allowed a few players an opportunity to prove themselves worthy of a roster spot. Here are some winners and losers who shone in the Cowboys Cardinals match as well as a few more players that need to do more in order to make good impressions and make the final roster.
WINNERS
BRADLEE ANAE
Second-year defensive end Bradlee Anae was given the start, as starters Demarcus Lawrence, Randy Gregory and Tarell Basham were all rested as expected. Anae is a player that many Cowboy fans have been clamoring about get more opportunities and he did not disappoint. His performance in last night’s Cowboys Cardinals showdown proved that he belongs on the team. Anae was a fifth-round pick last year and he only appeared in seven games with very limited action. The former All-American showed his quickness with a spin move but was penalized for a roughing the passer penalty. Despite the penalty, he showed a natural ability to rush that passer that was hopefully a sneak peak of what we can expect from him for the 2021 season. Overall, it was a very active night for Anae with 2 quarterback pressures.
JABRIL COX
Following the 2021 the draft, many analysts view Cowboys LB Jabril Cox as a hidden gem but all throughout camp he hadn’t been very impressive. He did show up last night following up on another strong performance against the Steelers. Cox led the Cowboys defense with seven tackles against the Cardinals, two of those for losses. His ability to show up in games could result in increased opportunities for him as the Cowboys look to transition at the linebacker position.
HUNTER NISWANDER
After having a horrific kicking game in the Hall of Fame game vs the Steelers, Niswander rebounded with a solid game. He hit on all three field goals and an extra point. Niswander is the team’s punter and he is temporarily filling in for Greg Zuerlein, who is rehabbing from back surgery but should be ready for the season opener. The Cowboys should now have confidence that they can rely on Niswander if Zuerlein goes down with injury again. Niswander has gone 4 for 6 on field goals in the pre-season thus far.
DORANCE ARMSTRONG
Dorance Armstrong was one of the starters on defense for the Cowboys Cardinals match up. Throughout the first few weeks of training camp, Armstrong along with Michael Parsons have clearly been the Cowboys two best players on defense and that was evident last night. Armstrong only played in the first half but he was clearly the Cowboys most disruptive player on the defensive side of the ball. He made life miserable for Cardinals back up quarterback Colt McCoy with two sacks and he also registered five tackles. On a defensive line that doesn’t have many play makers, Armstrong has a opportunity to splash as part of the rotation. Armstrong has always been a strong run defender but he struggled to generate pressure last season. If he can build on Friday’s performance, he could be a key contributor in Dan Quinn’s defense.
LOSERS
CONNOR WILLIAMS
The Connor Williams Center Project is over. Starting at Center in place of Tyler Biadasz, Williams really struggled. Williams has started at left guard the past three seasons but has gotten reps at center during training camp. Against the Cardinals, two snap exchanges with Garrett Gilbert didn’t appear to be clean including one that Gilbert dropped before picking it up and throwing a pass on 4th and 3 that fell incomplete. The good news is this is only the pre-seaon. Hopefully he can improve and learn from this experience in the event that he is forced to move to center at some point in the regular season.
THE TWO MINUTE OFFENSE
Although Ben Dinucci’s performance was much better than his first appearance in the Hall of Fame game, his management of the two minute drill was horrific. As usual he looked uncomfortable and erratic in the pocket. When the Cowboys got the ball back, he couldn’t find receivers open and looked completely lost. Despite his promising athletic ability, it is hard for him to make a case for himself when he misses wide open receivers in the passing game. DiNucci will have to improve dramatically if he wishes to compete for a chance to back up Dak Prescott and that doesn’t appear at all likely.
*Photo by Joe Glorioso All-Pro Reels https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
