By Mark Halpern
ARIZONA- So last week, we saw the second and third-string players for the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers. This was not going to be a high-scoring game by any means but turnovers were the story of the game as both sides coughed up the ball plenty. Garrett Gilbert was impressive for Dallas but couldn’t lead the team into the endzone, which is a little bit of concern but not much to worry about. Rookie Micha Parsons recorded a few tackles and forced and recovered a fumble. The game concluded with the Steelers winning 16-3.
This week the Cowboys face the Cardinals in Arizona on Friday at 10 PM est. Again, we won’t see star QB Dak Prescott as he works through a shoulder strain. Don’t expect Amari Cooper to play as he is also recovering from injury, and sure other first-stringers will be there in spirit but not starting. We should get the first looks at Zeke, Cee Dee Lamb, Michael Gallup, and most of the offensive line for the Cowboys this Friday. They will probably play 1-2 drives at the most so they can get their feet wet.
We won’t see Demarcus Lawrence on the defensive side for Dallas due to recovering from shoulder surgery, but a lot of the first-team defense will be on the field for the first quarter. We will get to see the young LB crew of Smith, Vander Esch, and Parsons work together for the first time. Keanu Neal will be a factor in that mix as well. If any of you are wondering what happened to Sean Lee, he is now a coach, and he will help mentor younger players and older ones. The secondary is still a Hodgepodge of players that Dallas Defensive Coordinator Dan Quinn is trying to find the right combo of secondary players that works best with each other. Malik Hooker, who will most likely be the starting strong safety, has been ramping up his workouts over the last week, and we could see him in week 4 of preseason to get some rust off.
On the other side of the ball, I expect to see most of the Cardinals 1st string offense and defense as they are still trying to find specific backups for Kyler Murray if some players on the team decide not to get vaccinated and threaten to hold out. The Cardinals have a potent offense with Kyler Murray at the helm, a good core of wide receivers staring Deandre Hopkins, and an excellent line to protect Murray as well. Their defense needs some work, but they will be a force to reckon with when everything comes together.
Again, I don’t see a ton of scoring, as, by the middle of the second quarter, we will see second and third stringers play again. A victory is well insight if the Dallas offense can come out firing and hold the lead when other players come in. Final Score Dallas 17-10 over the Cardinals.
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