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The Cowboys’ made a point to keep their preseason standouts around.
The Dallas Cowboys have finalized their practice squad for the 2017 season and it’s sort of has an All-Preseason team vibe to it.
This is the Cowboys' 10-player practice squad: pic.twitter.com/6B0bEKWURP
— Brandon George (@DMN_George) September 3, 2017
After taking a hard look at those ten names, some of these guys were very solid players in their four preseason performances. Here are a few observations of the finalized practice squad:
Cowboys coaches didn’t get burned
It’s always hard to cut guys that you would like to keep but just aren’t ready for the big show just yet. Coaches always get nervous with some of those business decisions because then you leave a guy out there that’s someone else may like. It’s like the old adage “one man’s trash is another man’s treasure.”
***Snip***
Lewis “The Real Deal” Neal
If you asked fellow LSU-alumni Bryan Broaddus and David Helman, they were quite sure that Neal would be kept as the fourth defensive tackle. When he was a goner in the cut to 53, they assumed he was going to be one of the most coveted former Cowboys, 28% of BTB agreed too.
It was a huge win for them to being Neal to their practice squad. He’s extremely versatile and can give you push from the middle at both spots. He’s even light enough to be split outside at end too. He’s a bit on the small side but built really well in his lower half where he shows to carry that power. Where Neal wins is with great hand placement and ability to play with leverage. Neal is often first to pop the blocker and disengage to make the tackle on the ball carrier.
In the preseason, he got two starts, he far outplayed the two seventh round picks that had the initial leg up. He recorded three tackles for a loss and was credited with a sack. Despite his “tweener-size”, Lewis Neal gets noticed a lot this preseason, he was very disruptive.
Seizing the Guards
It’s pretty noticeable that the Cowboys are always committed to their offensive line and that includes the practice squad. Kadeem Edwards, Dan Skipper, and Nate Theaker will all get a chance to compete for a future spot on this vaunted offensive line. Jonathan Cooper is the incumbent starter but unless he proves he can handle the job, the Cowboys will be looking for competition next summer.
***SNIP***
The Pass Catchers
The receivers at the bottom of the roster really played well and they have those traits that you like to develop.
Lance Lenoir had two touchdowns that helped Cooper Rush put wins on the board. As a punt returner, he wasn’t very exciting and fumbled twice, losing one of them. However, Lenoir did catch six passes for 100 receiving yards and averaged almost 17 yards per catch. He had some Terrance Williams-style sideline catches but his biggest play was that 44-yard touchdown to put the Raiders to bed.
Brian Brown, ***Snip***
Blake Jarwin ***Snip***
Last but not least the others
***Snip***
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