It was a tough day for Cowboys rookies against New Orleans.
The Dallas Cowboys got to AT&T Stadium for the first time this season, and it was a stinker. The Cowboys lost in remarkable fashion by allowing the New Orleans Saints to score on virtually every drive until the fourth quarter. The entire team underperformed, but what about the rookie class?
OT Tyler Guyton
The offensive line was average in pass blocking and much the same in run blocking. Guyton had his fair share of issues and allowed a debilitating sack. He also allowed four total pressures and got flagged twice. It was a rough day across the offensive line but Guyton certainly had his problems at times in the game.
DE Marshawn Kneeland
The defensive line against the Saints was terrible. The defensive issues from top to bottom rotated around the problems the defensive line had. They got pushed off the ball with complete ease in the run game, and the pass rush was just as bad. Figuring out which was worse is like a Rorschach test where there is no wrong answer. Kneeland had a positive game in Week 1, then last week played 19 snaps creating zero sacks, zero pressures and only registering one assisted tackle. The picture for the rest of the defensive line, from veteran to rookie, holds much the same in terms of production.
iOL Cooper Beebe
Beebe was not too bad in general terms and was one of the more efficient pass blockers. He did allow one sack, but other than the one hiccup he played steady in a game that collapsed all around him.
LB Marist Liufau
Liufau played a lot more this week than he did last week. He played 39 snaps on defense which is sharp rise from not featuring last week. He made four tackles and three difficult defensive stops. The issue for Liufau came two-fold against the Saints. He was left high and dry on a lot of running plays by the line and forced him to cover two gaps and shed blocks. The second problem was indecision on where he needed to be, but both these issues are attributed to the same problem, poor defensive line play. Liufau wasn’t the only victim of the same problem. DeMarvion Overshadown had issues getting to the ball carrier due to defensive linemen upfront getting easily pushed off the ball. It was a tough day for the linebacker corps, so much so Mike Zimmer ended up playing 5-2 defensive formation (Mammoth formation). For a rookie trying figure it out on the fly, this made it even tougher.
CB Caelen Carson
Carson played 31 snaps on defense and looked to stack positive games after a good Week 1 game. He made four tackles and allowed both targets for receptions. The secondary was a muddle against the Saints and much of that was due to Derek Carr picking his spots and targets with very little pressure up front.
WR Ryan Flournoy
Inactive/Did not play in this game.
TE Brevyn Spann-Ford
Spann-Ford played a little more this week due to Jake Ferguson missing with his knee injury. He played 22 offensive snaps with the most important part coming in the form as a blocker. He was targeted once in passing game and failed to bring the catch in. As a run blocker he was actually one of the more effective players against the Saints.
S Emany Johnson
Inactive/Did not play for this game.
LB Brock Mogensen
Inactive/Did not play for this game.
DT Denzel Daxon
Inactive/Did not play for this game
