Two players to watch in Cowboys' second preseason game

After losing to the Rams in the final seconds of their first preseason game, the Cowboys travel to face the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday night. Here are two Cowboys players to keep an eye on.

RB Deuce Vaughn

Vaughn became the feel-good story of the 2023 NFL Draft when his father, a member of the Cowboys’ scouting department, called to tell him he’d been drafted by the team in the sixth round. Unfortunately, he had only 23 carries for 40 yards in seven games played in the regular season.

At 5-foot-6 and 176 pounds, Vaughn isn't ideally suited for pass protection, which could explain why the team worked him out of the slot as a receiver in OTAs. After all, he did have 1,283 yards and eight touchdowns as a receiver with Kansas State.

A hamstring injury forced him to miss several practices leading up to last week’s Rams game, so Vaughn could really use a strong performance against the Raiders this weekend. Otherwise, running backs like Malik Davis and Nathaniel Peat could easily take his spot on the roster.

Fortunately, Vaughn returned to practice in full pads on Wednesday and should be able to play on Saturday night. If he does, it will be his first game action since getting two carries against the Lions last year in Week 17.

C Cooper Beebe

After backing up Brock Hoffman for the majority of camp, Beebe took snaps at guard and center against the Rams and according to head coach Mike McCarthy , the rookie lineman is about to see more reps with the starters.

"I really like what Cooper did," McCarthy said. "I thought he had quality snaps both at the center and guard. We’re going to actually, we’re going to give Cooper some opportunities here with the ones, you know, the first group moving forward. So he’ll start working in there, he has earned that opportunity and thought he did a nice job."

Hoffman appeared in 17 regular-season games last season, playing 222 snaps without allowing a sack. Beebe, the team’s third-round pick in 2024, was a consensus All-American and two-time Big 12 Offensive Lineman of the Year while playing all over the offensive line (except center) with Kansas State.

As long as Beebe continues to play well at his new position, the Cowboys offensive line could be in great shape for years to come. Pro Bowl left guard Tyler Smith is just 23 years old and first-round pick Tyler Guyton appears to have locked down the left tackle spot.

That’s great news for a team that just lost a pair of Pro Bowl linemen in Tyler Biadasz and Tyron Smith in free agency.