Time to recap of Saturday’s action.
Quarterbacks
Overall Grade: D
Joe Milton: 59 snaps (89%)
Will Grier: 7 snaps (11%)
Cowboys QB stats PS Week 1 Rams
Prescott, despite missing the final two months of last season, kept his streak alive of not appearing in a preseason game since 2019.
Second-year QB Joe Milton got the start, and his accuracy was all over the place, while he also struggled with staring down receivers. At one point he missed a wide open Ryan Flournoy in embarrassing faashion. He finally settled into a groove on his final drive of the fourth quarter, possibly finding a rhythm as the coaching staff began calling plays that had worked during camp practices. There’s been a lot of hope placed in Milton being a find, but he left the gae late in the fourth quarter to a thorwing-arm injury. Grier’s play in his one drive was indicative that the backup QB role isn’t gifted to the youngster.
There are plenty of fallers after Sunday’s action.
1. Andrew Booth
The Cowboys are beaten up at corner, to say the least. Trevon Diggs and Josh Butler are still recovering from injuries sustained last season and rookie Shavon Revel Jr. is carrying over an injury from college. Right now, the best corner in camp has been Kaiir Elam, but he did not see the field on Saturday. That left Andrew Booth to start on the outside as CB1. His day did not go well.
On the first drive, the Cowboys’ defense got the Rams into a 4th and 6 near midfield. Stetson Bennett went right after Booth going against Xavier Smith. Smith beat Booth clearly and was able to haul in the pass to get the Rams inside the ten.
Had Booth played the receiver better, Bennett might not have looked his way and maybe the Rams do not convert. Just a few plays later, Blake Corum scored his first of two rushing touchdowns on the day. Booth’s blunder set the tone for what was to come for this defense the rest of the game.
The Cowboys had high hopes for Booth as their third/fourth-string corner when they traded for him last year from Minnesota. So far, his time in Dallas has been disastrous. Injuries last season forced him into action and top receivers like A.J. Brown were able to beat him consistently.
If Booth cannot cover backup receivers in preseason, this coaching staff has to wonder if they can trust him on the field in Week 1 against the Eagles. Right now, he would be penciled in as likely the third corner alongside DaRon Bland and Elam but he is clearly the weakest of the more experienced corners.
Look on the bright side.
CB Israel Mukuamu
If there was one defensive highlight for the Cowboys, it belonged to CB Israel Mukuamu.
Lining up at cornerback, Mukuamu showcased his ability to lock down receivers with physical, disciplined coverage.
Early in the second quarter, he turned heads with an acrobatic interception, reading the quarterback’s eyes, breaking on the ball, and plucking it out of the air with the kind of timing that makes defensive coaches smile.
It wasn’t just the interception itself, but the fact that Mukuamu consistently stuck to his assignments and disrupted passing lanes all night.
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In a secondary dealing with injuries and uncertainty at depth spots, performances like his are invaluable.
RB Malik Davis
For much of the first half, the Cowboys’ offense struggled to establish a rhythm. That changed when Malik Davis entered the game.
Displaying burst, vision, and decisiveness, Davis turned routine carries into chunk plays, finishing the night averaging an eye-popping 9.0 yards per rush.
His ability to make the first defender miss and accelerate into open space brought much-needed juice to a stagnant offense.
Even in a crowded running back room, Davis made a strong case for an increased role, especially if he can continue to provide that kind of spark against opposing defenses.
Dallas seems to have a lot of faith in their first-round pick.
Tyler Booker, the first-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2025 NFL draft, was a surprise healthy scratch from the team’s Week 1 preseason showdown against the Los Angeles Rams.
Booker was expected to make his Cowboys debut for the team’s preseason opener as the team battles through injuries, but plans changed at the last moment.
By missing the game, Booker earned an unfortunate distinction in this year’s rookie class.
Booker was the only 2025 first-round pick to be a healthy scratch this weekend.
San Francisco 49ers defensive end Mykell Williams and Buffalo Bills cornerback Maxwell Hairston missed games due to injury, while all other 29 first-rounders suited up.
Nick Harris of the Fort Worth Star-Telegram pointed out the note.
Following the game, head coach Brian Schottenheimer addressed Booker’s absence and said that it was all a part of the plan.
Many expect Booker to add to the physical presence along the Cowboys’ offensive line, and teaming up with Tyler Smith and Cooper Beebe, the Cowboys could form a dynamic trio in the interior. Hopefully, the plan pays off.
It was a surprisingly good Saturday for these UDFAs.
Traeshon Holden
Traeshon Holden has put together some strong training camp performances and has made it a habit of making big plays down the field on a routine basis. We saw some of that carry over to the game against Los Angeles. Holden had the biggest offensive play of the night for the Cowboys, connecting with Joe Milton on a 36-yard gain down the right sideline. Although Milton did struggle to get on the same page with some of the receivers, Holden has been one of the more consistent targets for Milton.
Following his performance, head coach Brian Schottenheimer said that Holden is going to move up the depth chart, and with good reason. Holden is a fiery competitor with an expressive demeanor and someone whose confidence grows with every big play he makes. As for how high up the depth chart Holden is moving up, we’ll see. For now, he appears to have an inside track to making a spot on the roster, and it could be his place to lose for the remainder of camp.
