The Cowboys don't often play starters in preseason games, but will they this time around?
One of the biggest things that happens in preseason is whether or not to play the starters, and for Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer, he didn't last offseason.
In truth, there isn't that much to be gained from playing the likes of Dak Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Quinnen Williams, etc in a meaningless preseason game.
But there is a lot to lose.
One could only imagine if Dak were sent out for a series and picked up an injury that ruled him out for the year. That's nightmare fuel.
For most, the three preseason games are for those looking to establish themselves on the depth chart and those on the roster bubble. Not for starters.
And for Schottenheimer, he made his stance clear on who plays in preseason this year.
"We put players into four groups, A group, B plus, B minus, and C," Schottenheimer said. "In that group, that tells us whether they're playing zero snaps in the preseason, whether they're playing 10 to 15 snaps. 25 to 35 for the B-minus and kind of unlimited for the C's.
"I have a list in my mind, the coaches get with the coordinators, and they debate those things. We don't have to make those decisions for a while, but there's something to the young guys playing a little bit, and we do it in the first two games. I think that's part of it. Usually don't play many of those guys in the third preseason game, but it's something that we're very serious about."
So, no starters will be taking the field in the Cowboys' three preseason games against the Seattle Seahawks, Arizona Cardinals, and New Orleans Saints, and in truth, that is hardly surprising.
Exactly who fits into the B+ group (10-15 snaps), the B- group (20-25 snaps), and the C group (unlimited snaps) will be interesting, given there are a host of players fighting for their football lives and the preseason games are where they can make or break their season.
Interestingly, a key player who has yet to be placed in a tier is first-round rookie Caleb Downs. Is he savvy enough to skip preseason games? Is he too valuable to expose to risk?
The two joint practices against the Rams and Saints will serve as "preseason games'' of a sort for Dallas' starters, allowing the coaching staff to monitor how things are going.
Again, this is nothing new as Schottenheimer kept the majority of his starters on ice for the preseason games last year, and it appears he's set to do so again. ... depending on who is an A, a B+, a B- or a C.
