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5 legit Cowboys' roster candidates that need to bounce back now to avoid being cut

By Mauricio Rodriguez,

18 hours ago

It's that time of the year: We've now watched the Dallas Cowboys play an actual football game and suddenly, all the question marks we had about the roster start taking shape in our minds as we get to watch the players do their thing.

After further review, we'll dive into five players who are legit roster candidates (four of the five on the list made my pre-preseason 53-man roster projection ) whose stocks are slightly down after one game of action and most importantly, why they need to bounce back now.

Note: These players' fates are far from sealed as kickoff is still almost a month away. With two preseason games in the horizon and plenty of practices as well, they can still secure a spot on the team.

DE Viliami Fehoko Jr.

Excluding seventh-round rookie nose tackle Justin Rogers, no one on the Cowboys had more pass rushing snaps than DE Viliami Fehoko Jr., who has been moving around across the defensive line as he seeks to secure a spot on the 53-man roster. It was a prime opportunity to stand out. The bad news? He finished the game with zero pressures, per PFF.

Fehoko Jr. did have some good moments in which he showed his play strength and hand usage when playing at end but did struggle when placed in the middle at three-technique. But right now, he's far from a roster lock and based on the Cowboys' worrying lack of pressure without Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, DE is a position the front office might address before the regular season starts. It'll be up to Fehoko Jr. to convince Dallas to not make him the odd man out.

LB Willie Harvey Jr.

The former UFL linebacker had a very nice pressure when Mike Zimmer called his name with an A-gap blitz that generated a pressure but it wasn't the best game for him out there.

One play isn't enough to rule out a player from a 53-man roster, but Harvey Jr. played the run very poorly in the play shown below, where he abandons his gap and allows the Rams running back to blast through the middle with no resistance. It wasn't the only mistake from the underdog LB, who received the worst PFF grade among Cowboys defenders. That's not great in a loaded room of linebackers.

WR Ryan Flournoy

Speaking of the worst PFF grades on the team, Flournoy was that man for the Cowboys on offense. The rookie wide receiver is in a tough spot as he's been playing catch-up in training camp after missing the start of it due to injury. In the meantime, players like Tyron Billy-Johnson and Jalen Cropper have been on the rise and are a legitimate threat for Flournoy's roster spot.

That's why two drops and a fumble didn't help Flournoy's stock on Sunday's game . He needs to bounce back in practice and the upcoming preseason games. Keep in mind, Cropper has gotten some burn as a kick returner, which would be another tiebreaker Flournoy needs to overcome with his play. Even as a sixth-round draft pick, his spot is in jeopardy.

RB Malik Davis

Davis' day is difficult to evaluate. Similar to Fehoko Jr., he got a golden opportunity when both Royce Freeman and Deuce Vaughn were ruled out. He couldn't have asked for a better chance at turning heads and earning a spot on the 53-man roster.

Unfortunately, his day ended with 18 yards in eight rush attempts, averaging 2.3 yards per carry. Additionally, he was targeted five times and came away with two catches and one drop. Of course, the rushing numbers heavily depend on the blocking up front, but Davis didn't particularly help his case on the preseason opener. But he has a shot at a spot on the roster if he bounces back with the way the RB room is looking so far.

CB Eric Scott Jr.

The second-year cornerback's interception off of Stetson Bennett went a long way in helping his overall performance but it didn't do enough to erase the rest of his outing including a missed tackle, a late hit penalty, and four catches on four targets allowed.

The Cowboys' fifth and potentially sixth cornerback spots are currently wide open and with newcomer Andrew Booth Jr. entering the conversation, Scott Jr. needs to bounce back soon.