The Cowboys continued their strong start to the 2026 preseason, cruising past the Arizona Cardinals 34-13 in a game that provided plenty of evaluation for a roster still taking shape. While Saturday night’s final score was encouraging, the bigger story was which players took advantage of their opportunities and which ones left more questions than answers.
Fortunately for Dallas, the team played complimentary football which, if repeatable, could catapult the team beyond expectations. The Cowboys had plenty of winners this week who either solidified their roster spot or made their roster decision much closer than originally thought.
Of course, not every player had a night to remember. With decision day looming and spaces becoming increasing valuable, every preseason snap carries significance, particularly for players whose actions, purposely or inadvertent, could have a trickle down effect one way or another.
Milton once again grabbed the spotlight, accounting for three touchdowns in the first half while continuing to strengthen his case for the backup quarterback job.
A year ago, after Dallas acquired him from New England for a fifth-round pick, Milton regularly displayed the physical traits that got him drafted yet was missing the delicacy of touch and the finesse required to go with his Howitzer of an arm.
Against Arizona, a much more refined quarterback has seemingly emerged and Milton stayed calm in the pocket, a clear sign the game has slowed down for him. He showed a commanding presence likely linked to his knowledge of the offense.
Milton finished the day 9 of 13 for 179 yards and two touchdowns, and also ran for another leading the Cowboys to four scoring drives.
Unfortunately, every position battle has a loser and against Arizona, quarterback Sam Howell probably walked away thinking about a few decisions he’d like to have back against the Cardinals.
In a role reversal from their first preseason game against Seattle, Howell started the second half yet failed to generate the same momentum that carried the team in the first half. Howell went 7 of 10 for 65-yards throwing a red-zone interception late in the game.
The bigger concern is the timing of the performance. Milton has now delivered back-to-back impressive performances while Howell’s Arizona performance has given the coaching staff more reason to lean a certain way in this competition. He isn’t necessarily out of the race, but now sits with plenty of ground to make up.
Barham wasted little time making his presence felt in his preseason debut. After missing the preseason opener against Seattle with a groin injury, the rookie linebacker returned to the field and immediately showed why Dallas has been so high on him throughout training camp.
Barham wa physical at the point of attack and recored an impressive tackle for loss that stood out as one of the Cowboys defensive highlights. The performance was particularly encouraging because Barham is entering the linebacker competition with legitimate expectations.
Dallas selected him in the thirdvround and he has already generated plenty of buzz while also showing the ability to call the defense, wearing the green dot. In limited snaps, he recorded five tackles, four solo, and a tackle for loss.
For a player making his first professional appearance, Barham checked every box by being active, physical, and consistently around the football earning one of Dallas’ top defensive performers of the night.
Wood continued to make a strong case for himself against Arizona by consistently being around the football showing the downhill mentality and instincts that have made him one of the more intriguing players competing for a roster spot.
Wood even delivered a physical stop on third-down, immediately standing out for his willingness to attack the ball carrier. Unfortunately for Wood, he left during the game with what was reported as concussion-like symptoms.
The Cowboys safety room is probably the deepest group on the team and Wood must now go through the concussion protocol which will sideline him the Cowboys first week back in Dallas after breaking camp in Oxnard.
While his play would have made him a tough roster decision, the timing of his injury may have inadvertently placed him on the outside looking in as cutdown day for the NFL is on August 30.
Wideout Jonathan Mingo had himself a good outing in the battle for the fifth, and possible final receiver spot, but undrafted wideout Camden Brown responded with a play of his own further increasing his preseason body of work.
While it looked like Mingo would mirror the performance Brown had last week, Brown hauled in and impressive 70-yard reception which set up Milton’s touchdown run on the very next play. Brown finished the day with two receptions, and led all receivers with 77 receiving yards.
Brown may have entered camp as a long-shot to make the roster but that label is becoming increasingly difficult to justify with multiple big plays and touchdowns.
At this point, Brown’s making a legitimate argument that he deserves a spot on the Cowboys 53.
Jaydon Blue desperately needed a strong performance against Arizona and the second-year back delivered. After an underwhelming preseason opener, Blue respond by leading the Cowboys with 75 rushing yards on 15 carries, good for five-yards an attempt.
Blue also provided some of the more entertaining plays of the night, using a pair of hurdles to create additional yards in the open field. The bigger takeaway was his ability to grind out tough yards through an extended workload. Blue also earned some pass protection praise from head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
His performance doesn’t necessarily settle the RB2 competition, particularly with Malik Davis scoring a touchdown and continuing to play well, but it significantly changes the conversation surrounding Blue. After falling behind early, Blue has now put himself right back in the mix entering the Cowboys preseason finale.
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: PS Wk 2 Winners and Losers: Cowboys QB comp decided? Green dot rook?
