The Dallas Cowboys have ranked among the top offenses in the NFL for some time. It’s should be no surprise then when talented players who were unable to establish tenure within that offense go on to find success elsewhere in the league. And while showing out in a preseason game is hardly a standard by which one should be judged, it was a great event for Dallas Cowboys fans to turn on Thursday night’s Hall of Fame game.
In the inaugural football competition of the 2026 campaign, the Carolina Panthers emerged victorious in a way-more-thrilling-than-it-was-supposed-to-be preseason opener when UDFA rookie QB Haynes King scrambled from five-yards out with no time remaining on the clock to score the game-winning TD in a 33-30 victory over the Arizona Cardinals. And while the game itself was as epic as an exhibition could be, Cowboys fans got a taste of yesteryear watching wideouts Jalen Brooks and Simi Fehoko thrive for Arizona.
Brooks was the recipient of three great passes from Cardinals rookie Carson Beck, slicing up the Panthers secondary to the tune of 99 yards. And in a 34-point fourth quarter, Fehoko hauled in Beck’s lone touchdown toss of the evening to momentarily give the Cardinals a 14-7 lead in a back-and-forth contest.
Brooks was a seventh-round draft pick of the Cowboys back in 2023, making the team and appearing in seven contests. He doubled that in 2024, including one start in his 14 appearances while averaging 14.8 yards a reception and scoring his first touchdown. But the team grabbed several wideouts who bumped him down the depth chart, from star George Pickens to trade acquisition Jonathan Mingo and sixth-round rookie Ryan Flournoy.
Brooks was relegated to the practice squad in 2025, and a knee injury led to an injury settlement and release. The Cardinals added him to their practice squad and after a couple elevations, added him to the 53-man roster in December.
Fehoko was also a former Cowboys draft pick, a fifth rounder from 2021. He lasted two years with the organization before spending his 2023 and 2024 campaigns with the Los Angeles Chargers. He played eight games for the Cardinals last season and is hoping to find a home.
Their performances hardly guarantee they are going to make the Cardinals roster at the end of the month, but they starred for an evening in the summer, which even if they don’t make Arizona’s team could afford them opportunities elsewhere in the league.
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Former Cowboys highlight NFL Hall of Fame game, co-star with rookie QB
Reporting by K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire / Cowboys Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
By K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire | USA TODAY Network
