The Cowboys first preseason game is finally over, and it felt like I watched yesterday’s contest with the Rams for 12 hours.

Let me first say I understand it was the first game of the preseason, and we shouldn’t take too much of this stuff seriously, but boy, some stuff was hard to watch.

One thing I was interested to see was how the running game would shape out, Ezekiel Elliott didn’t play, and the offensive line was a bit odd at times, so we didn’t get the entire picture.

Nonetheless, it was not good. Matter of fact, it was awful.

Rico Dowdle has to play but Tolbert gets to sit… https://t.co/wI8kzl6Cwh

— Clarence Hill Jr (@clarencehilljr) August 11, 2024

Leading Rusher

Trrey Lance was the leading rusher.

Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis both played, and yet Lance ended the game with eight carries for 44 yards. He was better with his feet than he was with his arm, but I will save that for another day.

The Cowboys had five running backs record a carry yesterday. The quarterback, unless you are Lamar Jackson, should not be your leading rusher. Mike McCarthy did exactly what he always does, he got away from the run completely.

Early Thoughts

Again, with it being the first preseason game, I will take this with a grain of salt. Like other posts you will read today, it is the first day after the game, and I am sharing my thoughts.

Maybe big Mike was trying to see what Lance could do with his arm, because he threw the ball 41 times. 41 times in the first preseason game. They only ran it 17 times with their running backs.

It is the preseason, you want to get as many people involved as possible and only allowing Rico to run the ball 3 times seems really odd to me. He had 14 yards, which included one decent run.

Dowdle has less than 100 carries in his NFL career. Zeke is not the guy he was three years ago. Dallas is going to be riding the hot hand, and from what I saw in the first preseason game, they won’t be trying to run the ball. They made Lance throw the ball 41 times.

Micah Parsons at … running back? 🧐

Cowboys depth at RB: Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn and Royce Freemanpic.twitter.com/fhx4Oxsulz

— DraftKings (@DraftKings) August 9, 2024

Going Forward

I would like to see Zeke play in the next preseason game, and let Dowdle and Davis carry the ball a few more times.

The Cowboys will continue to refine their rushing strategy in training camp and look to impress in their upcoming preseason games, aiming to solidify their roster and build momentum for the regular season, but it will cost them.

If CeeDee Lamb does not get signed before the regular season starts, teams will not be scared of anything the Cowboys do.

They will dare them to run football because they can play one-on-one coverage across the board.

Brandin Cooks and Jake Jerguson are the only two pass catchers that have proven anything thus far.

Last season, the offense was third in the league in passing, but just 14th in rushing at 112.9. That was with Tony Pollard in the backfield.

They struggled to run the ball with him, and now that he is gone, they might be starting two offensive rookies on the O-line. This could be a very bad start to the season.

Trey Lance looked exactly like he has since entering the NFL. Dynamic athlete with subpar technical ability, and it's hard to imagine he can still develop enough to be more than an average backup.

— Jess Haynie (@CowboysAddicts) August 12, 2024

I still think, regardless if Lamb is with the team on opening day in September, they still win 10 games, and make the playoffs. They dominate the NFC East and should do well again.

I worry about being able to control the clock with a running back they trust. Royce Freeman seemed to be having a good camp until he got banged up last week. Who knows what is going to happen with him.

From the first thoughts though, they will have a bigger problem than I thought.