ARLINGTON, Texas- The Dallas Cowboys fell to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-15 in the preseason finale at AT&T Stadium. The team has until the August 31st deadline at 3 pm Central to trim the 90-man roster to 53.
Throughout the majority of the ballgame, the noteworthy plays were all on the defensive side of the ball. Dallas did not play their top two quarterbacks in Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush, and Mike White showed no flashes on the field to bypass Rush on the depth chart. Last year the Cowboys kept three quarterbacks on the roster, but will most likely keep two in 2019. White concluded the game 14 of 26 for 132 yards, with no touchdowns or interceptions.
On offense, the sole touchdown of the night came in the last 45 seconds on the clock. Jalen Guyton caught a 69-yard touchdown pass from 4th string quarterback, Taryn Christion.
The signature play of the game was on the defensive side of the ball. Cornerback Donovan Olumba had a 26-yard interception return for the touchdown. Olumba was on the Cowboys’ practice squad last year, worked incredibly hard throughout the 2018 season, and has had an outstanding offseason. He has constantly been around the football and has great ball-tracking ability.
His knowledge of reading offenses has grown and he told me in the locker room following the game, “ I feel like that is the biggest thing [mind] that has grown for me during the offseason. Talking to shotgun or video guys, they put NFL offenses on our IPAD’s so during my spare time, I always watched film and just saw different route concepts and I could just play a lot faster. “
I discussed with him how defensive backs coach, Kris Richard, has refined his technique and he adamantly responded “ tackling, everything- my man coverage, zone coverage, and knowing what I have to be accountable for on the defense. He has just made my game that much better.”
His spot on Dallas’ final 53-man roster is locked in with the physicality and tight coverage he displayed in the secondary throughout the offseason and preseason.
Donovan Wilson and Tyvis Powell also recorded interceptions in the game, and Daniel Wise tallied two sacks with consistent pressure on the quarterback.
