Dallas Cowboys Preseason Week 1 Standout No. 4: Dorance Armstrong, EDGE
Perhaps the biggest takeaway from the Hall of Fame Game was that Dallas needed players on the defensive end depth chart to step up. Demarcus Lawrence and Randy Gregory are great assets but you need a strong overall group to make them the most effective. Dorance Armstrong must have heard those calls because he was a man possessed coming off the edge against the Cardinals.
Armstrong finished his night racking up five tackles and two sacks along with a nice pass defense to his credit as well. Part of his effectiveness was due to a nice overall night by the defensive line that allowed him to get free but his individual accolades are well-deserved. He needs to show it consistently but this was a strong outing for Armstrong.
Dallas Cowboys Preseason Week 1 Standout No. 3: Michael Gallup, WR
It often feels as if Michael Gallup is the forgotten man in the Cowboys wide receiver room but he shouldn’t be slept on as a versatile talent. While his performance wasn’t perfect against Arizona, he did haul in two of his three targets for 23 yards. But he’s highlighted here because of what we saw in how he was used by Dallas.
Last season amid the injury woes for this club, we saw then-rookie CeeDee Lamb line up largely in the slot. On Friday, he was on the outside exclusively while Gallup moved into the slot as well as lining up on the ends. If he’s going to be the movable piece in this offense, that could make him valuable and possibly set him up for another 1,000-yard campaign as so much attention will be paid to Lamb and Amari Cooper.