The Cowboys have returned from Oxnard after nearly four weeks in California, which included the first preseason game.
Now, the Cowboys are back home and get ready for another preseason matchup, this time at AT&T Stadium. Here are a couple of players - by each staff writer - worth watching when the Cowboys take on the Ravens Saturday night in Arlington.
Tyler Booker: First-round pick Tyler Booker will make his NFL debut on Saturday night, a week after many expected him to play in the team's first preseason game against the Rams. Brian Schottenheimer cited the lack of recovery time for Booker between the joint practice and preseason game as the reason he didn't play, so Dallas should see a fresh Booker on Saturday. What does a fresh Booker look like when playing at best? Paving running lanes for the running backs behind him. Can he do it at a high level early in his career? Saturday's our first sample size to find out. - (Tommy Yarrish)
Phil Mafah: Malik Davis' production in limited duty against the Rams aside, it was the Mafah Show in LA. And seeing as fellow rookie Jaydon Blue is unlikely to take the field for his preseason debut against the Ravens, I'm keenly interested in seeing if Mafah can take another step forward in jumping off the tape this weekend. If he can, the discussion regarding the RBs room will get extremely spicy with only one preseason game remaining and roster cuts around the corner. Mafah is showing everything you'd need in an impact running back. - (Patrik Walker)
Rivaldo Fairweather: In his first NFL game, Fairweather doesn't just lead the team in catches, but gets a touchdown in the back of the end zone. Ok great, now what? That's what the coaching staff is probably saying to Fairweather as he enters the second game of his career. How does he build off of that? Right now, the tight end room is pretty deep but one thing we've learned over the years, the Cowboys figure out how to keep good, young tight ends. Right now, Fairweather is in that boat, as he was one of the most sought-after free agents after the draft. The Cowboys knew they were getting a good player. So far so good, but in this game, let's see if he can build from last week's game and improve as a catcher and blocker. - (Nick Eatman)
Zion Childress: Not shockingly, the Cowboys defense is going to run a lot of, if not all, nickel defense this season. So, they need a nickel cornerback. Right now, they don't have a solid, sure-fire option outside of DaRon Bland, who has flexibility to play inside and out. Undrafted free agent rookie Zion Childress is a guy that has played there in training camp, and slowly climbed into getting first-team reps throughout camp. Now, he's got two more preseason games to prove that he deserve a spot on this roster, and maybe even a spot in the rotation at the very least at nickel. His debut against the Rams was a good starting point, highlighted by a great read and TFL on a jet sweep. - (Tommy Yarrish)
Mazi Smith: Being accountable is admirable, and even more so if the accountability is tied to brutal self-honesty, as what we heard from Mazi Smith when he said he "did nothing" against the Rams; and in how that pissed him off. Well, here comes a chance to make good on his mission to "do something" impactful when the superphysical Ravens fly into AT&T Stadium on Saturday. It should be fun to see just how angry Smith plays, completely understanding the pressure he's up against and what the Cowboys need from him in 2025. - (Patrik Walker)
Damone Clark: He entered camp on the outside of the starting lineup and that's probably where he remains. But at least Clark put together a solid training camp, even ranking amongst the top standouts from Oxnard. However, I don't think Clark was at his best during the first game against the Rams. He wasn't attacking the ball and winning his coverage battles like we had seen in practices. So for this game, I think it'll be important to see what Clark can do and it will let us know what kind of depth this team really has at linebacker. - (Nick Eatman)
