Some obscure backup had to be the star for the Dallas Cowboys’ preseason opener, a 17-7 win against Seattle, and yes, in stepped Camden Brown. His one-handed touchdown catch was the highlight of the win, and he added another touchdown to clearly win player of the game honors.
As for the rest of the night, Dallas fell behind early when it game up a long, opening-drive touchdown where the defense was penalized, then looked mostly terrible. The good news was the defense didn’t give up any more points the rest of the way.
Both of Dallas’ quarterbacks competing for the QB2 job looked good on a night when starters did not play, with the exception of seven snaps for rookie Caleb Downs. Here are some takeaways.
Camden Brown takes lead in WR5 battle
Camden Brown is an undrafted free agent who played last season at Georgia Southern after three quiet years at Auburn. Last year, he set the Georgia Southern school record with 14 receiving touchdowns and he also had 1,079 receiving yards.
He has been a standout through training camp and appears to be in the lead for the final receiver spot, where he is competing with Jonathan Mingo. Brown is 6-foot-4, 204 pounds so he has prototype size.
Dallas Cowboys defense looks improved
The Cowboys threw a shutout after giving up a long, opening touchdown drive, and were three-of-four in red zone defense. The bad news was a rash of penalties, as Dallas had 13 of those in the game. The Cowboys were the most penalized team in the NFL last year and that doesn’t look much improved.
The Cowboys defense committed five penalties in the first quarter and the biggest culprit was cornerback Caelen Carson, who had a third-down pass interference penalty that extended the opening drive and later added a facemask penalty on that possession. He was flagged three times.
The only projected starter who played was rookie Caleb Downs and he was only in for seven snaps. That can certainly be interpreted as a vote of confidence for Dallas’ top draft pick, who was mostly treated like the other projected starters.
On the whole, this marked a good debut for new defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Dallas didn’t allow a play of longer than 20 yards after that first drive and held Seattle to 156 yards.
Quarterback Joe Milton III looked good
Sam Howell got the start at quarterback and played the entire first half, leading Dallas to 10 points while going 8-of-12 passing for 94 yards and a touchdown to Brown.
But by the eye test, his competition for the QB2 job, Joe Milton III, had the better day after playing the entire second half. By the numbers, he was 12-of-15 for 107 yards and a touchdown to Brown. Milton also had seven rushes, though he managed just 10 yards on those.
Notably for the offense, running back Phil Mafah, in competition for the RB2 job, left the game in the second half with a chest injury. There is no word yet on severity. The most effective running back was Malik Davis, who had seven carries for 39 yards against the end of Seattle’s bench.
This article originally appeared on El Paso Times: Camden Brown makes case for Dallas Cowboys roster in preseason game
Reporting by Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times / El Paso Times
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By Bret Bloomquist, El Paso Times | USA TODAY Network
