Cowboys Country

Dallas Cowboys 'Studs & Duds' at Chargers: Turpin, Trysten & a Trade?

The Dallas Cowboys are done traveling and are coming home after yet another visit out West.

Mike Fisher

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The Dallas Cowboys recorded a 32-18 win in Saturday's preseason outing at the Los Angeles Chargers (see "notebook''), with far more "studs'' than "duds.'' Our evaluation ...

STUDS

KaVontae Turpin: He's locked in a roster spot, the former TCU standout and MVP of the USFL putting on a dazzling performance with a pair of return TDs.

The 98-yard kickoff return was followed by the 86-yard punt return.

“I’m an exciting player,” Turpin said, “and every time I get the ball, there’s a big play waiting to happen. I’m happy to be here and take advantage of this opportunity.”

Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy agrees, after having pulled the kid from the game after that.

“I think there’s a great chance that he will be returning kicks against Tampa Bay (in Week 1),” McCarthy said with a smile after the game. “He’s dynamic in the return game. ... I think any time you have a new player come into your program that makes an impact like that, that’s unique. That was a big lift for us. … I’m glad he’s with us.”

Trysten Hill: S"Trade Bait'' Trysten? Yes, still, maybe. But this was probably the best game he's played in his four seasons here as a second-round pick who endures whispers of "bust.'' 

Hill played like the 3-Tech D-lineman the previous coaching staff envisioned him to be, highlighted by a strip-sack and fumble recovery.

Israel Mukuamu: He keeps making plays against the run and the pass, including here, with an interception. The secondary is a very crowded place around here. But McCarthy opted to single him out.

“I’m so proud of Israel,” McCarthy said. “Just watching him throughout the offseason, the early workouts, the four days a week being there with his teammates in the morning and then he’d come back for a second session in the afternoon. 

"He has made a huge leap from Year 1 to Year 2.”

And maybe a leap onto the 53.

Penalties. Last week, a league-high 17 penalties against the Broncos. This week? Down to eight. Given that we all blamed McCarthy last week ... does he deserve a Week 2 hug?

Will Grier vs. Cooper Rush. We get the impression that the coaching staff still leans toward Rush as Dak Prescott's backup. And Rush was fine here, engineering a TD drive, completing 3-of-6 passes for 32 yards, and recorded a should-been TD only to have rookie wide receiver Jalen Tolbert fail to keep his feet in the end zone.

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But McCarthy cited Grier for his "gritty performance,” (6-of-10 passing for 98 yards and a run of nine yards), all of which came with a groin that might still be an issue.

Grier says he's fine. We'll get one more chance to see both in Dallas’ final preseason game next Friday night against the visiting Seahawks.

Dante Fowler: Fowler was so quiet during training camp that we wondered if he was just "saving himself.''

Indeed.

He was a force in every way as an edge, and if Dallas is playing the vet in preseason as a way to make him prove he deserves a rotational spot here?

Point made.

Tyler Smith: Smith was dominant often enough here that the Cowboys will tolerate the occasional rookie error. 

When they needed yards in LA, they often ran behind the first-round kid.

They're going to need yards starting in a couple of weeks. The sooner he's allowed to take over left guard, the sooner he'll be able to deliver more cleanly.

Rico Dowdle vs. Malik Davis: They combined for 81 rushing yards and two touchdowns on 21 carries, both looking like viable third backs. The coaching staff has always liked Dowdle. The scouting department really liked getting Davis here. Is there a way to keep both?

Jake Ferguson. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones pretty much announced on Draft night that fourth-round rookie Ferguson would be the No. 2 tight end. And now he's earned it.

“He’s such an instinctive, tough football player,” McCarthy said. “He’s scrappy. He’s on the edge. He’s chippy. All those things. The young man can play. He’s been very productive, not only at the tight end position, but also on special teams.”

DUDS

Jalen Tolbert. Maybe we're asking too much here, because he did record a couple of fine plays. But the contested-catch try was a loss. And the bad footwork on the potential TD catch was worse.

This isn't Tolbert's fault, exactly. But the Cowboys came into camp thinking he'd take a starting job in place of the rehabbing Michael Gallup. That simply hasn't happened yet.

Josh Ball. In a similar vein, Ball hasn't been a disaster at left tackle. He just hasn't been good enough to stem the tide of Cowboys Nation begging the front office to go sign a vet free agent like Eric Fisher, the former Chiefs Pro Bowler.

Nahshon Wright and Kelvin Joseph. The two second-year corners improved from last week in Denver. But neither was as good as fifth-round rookie DaRon Bland. The Cowboys cannot keep all of these DBs. Somebody with a "name'' figures to get squeezed.

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Mike Fisher
MIKE FISHER

Mike Fisher - as a newspaper beat writer and columnist and on radio and TV, where he is an Emmy winner - has covered the NFL since 1983 and the Dallas Cowboys since 1990, is the author of two best-selling books on the Cowboys.

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