Positives
Camden Brown is making a statement. Two touchdowns, including a spectacular 39-yard one-handed catch. He’s easily one of the biggest winners of the night.
The backup QB competition looks interesting. Sam Howell threw the 39-yard TD to Brown, and Joe Milton followed with another scoring drive. Both have shown some things to like.
The offense has sustained drives. Dallas put together scoring drives of 74, 65 and 84 yards, including an impressive 13-play, 84-yard TD drive.
The defense settled down after the opening drive. Seattle's opening TD came on a 13-play, 80-yard drive, but Dallas has shut them out since.
James Houston made a play. He recorded a sack of Jalen Milroe, which is exactly the kind of splash play he needs in this competition.
Negatives
The opening defensive series was ugly. Seattle went 80 yards in more than seven minutes and scored a TD, with Dallas also committing two penalties on the drive.
Penalties are worth watching. Giving Seattle free yardage on that opening possession is exactly the kind of thing that can become a bigger issue once the regular season starts.
It's difficult to evaluate the defense against Seattle's backups. The second half has been more encouraging, but we shouldn't overreact to a preseason performance against players fighting for roster spots.
The offensive line still deserves scrutiny. Dallas has moved the ball, but I'd be watching the protection and run blocking closely rather than judging the unit simply by the scoring drives.
Of course injuries are the biggest concern. Several Cowboys are listed with injuries during the game, including Jalen Thompson, Princeton Fant, Zion Childress, James Houston and P.J. Locke.
My biggest winners tonight
Camden Brown — A+
Sam Howell — A-
Joe Milton — B+
James Houston — B+
Overall defense — B
Offensive line — Incomplete/B-
The Camden Brown performance is the story of the night for me. A two-TD game with that one-handed catch is exactly how a young receiver gets people talking about a roster spot.
