RESOLVING THE LEDGER
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Sifting through the snap counts from the Cowboys ' 34-13 win in Arizona, it's possible to extrapolate some ideas of what the coaching staff may be thinking as the team prepares to whittle the roster down to 53 players for the regular season.
Offensively, the Cowboys seem to be giving rookie tackle Drew Shelton every chance to show whether he belongs. For the second week in a row, the fourth-rounder led the offense in snaps, staying in for nearly the entire game versus the Cardinals . Ajani Cornelius and Trevor Keegan got 90% or more of the action, too, and Nick Leverett saw his usage jump from 58% in Seattle to 90% on Saturday night. These players may have the edge over options like Chris Glaser and DJ Wingfield when it comes to making the roster.
The team also got a long look at tight end Zack Kuntz, who played almost three-quarters of the offensive plays. They didn't have much choice, though: his reps came largely due to Michael Trigg and DJ Rogers sitting with injuries. Luke Schoonmaker got just eight snaps as the only other tight end to dress Saturday night.
Quarterbacks Joe Milton and Sam Howell were evenly split, though Milton made more of his chances in the backup competition.
On defense, rookie Jaishawn Barham finally took the field, logging over a third of the unit's snaps and looking good doing it. Cornerback Devin Moore also made his Cowboys debut with 20 snaps and was targeted early by the Arizona passing attack (notably beaten once by former Cowboys WR Simi Fehoko).
Last weekend's hero, linebacker Justin Barron, saw another week of heavy participation as the staff perhaps looked to see if his three-interception outing versus the Seahawks was just a fluke. The preseason opener's defensive snaps leader, Curtis Robinson, meanwhile, saw a lot less action in the desert.
The Cowboys' dedicated special teams battery- Brandon Aubrey, Bryan Anger, and Trent LeSieg- are not included in these snap count numbers.
The snap counts listed were distributed to media following the game but are considered unofficial and could change upon further film review.
Offensive Snap Counts
Player Pos Off Off% ST ST% Drew Shelton OT 55 93% 6 26% Nick Leverett OL 53 90% 6 26% Ajani Cornelius OT 53 90% 2 9% Trevor Keegan OG 53 90% Zack Kuntz TE 43 73% 11 48% Tyler Johnson WR 38 64% 2 9% Nate Thomas OT 31 53% 4 17% Joe Milton QB 31 53% Sebastian Gutierrez OG 30 51% Camden Brown WR 28 47% 8 35% Sam Howell QB 28 47% Jaydon Blue RB 27 46% 3 13% Marquez Valdes-Scantling WR 23 39% Anthony Smith WR 22 37% 4 17% Jonathan Mingo WR 18 31% 7 30% Jordan Hudson WR 18 31% 3 13% Denzel Mims WR 17 29% 1 4% Israel Abanikanda RB 15 25% 1 4% Malik Davis RB 14 24% 2 9% Jaden Smith WR 13 22% Chris Glaser OG 10 17% 6 26% Luke Schoonmaker TE 8 14% 6 26% Marcellus Johnson OT 6 10% 6 26% DJ Wingfield OL 6 10% 6 26% Shiyazh Pete OL 6 10% Phil Mafah RB 3 5% 5 22%
Defensive Snap Counts
Player Pos Def Def% ST ST% Alijah Clark S 49 75% 11 48% Justin Barron LB 48 74% 10 43% Julius Wood S 46 71% 7 30% Reddy Steward CB 45 69% 5 22% Derion Kendrick CB 35 54% Jay Toia DT 34 52% 3 13% Sam Williams LB 32 49% 7 30% Trikweze Bridges CB 31 48% 6 26% Tommy Dunn DT 31 48% 1 4% DJ Withers DT 30 46% 4 17% Caelen Carson CB 28 43% 9 39% Ameer Speed CB 28 43% 9 39% Marist Liufau LB 28 43% 6 26% Curtis Robinson LB 27 42% 9 39% Isaiah Land LB 25 38% 8 35% Tyrus Wheat LB 22 34% 9 39% Jaishawn Barham LB 22 34% 5 22% LT Overton DT 21 32% 4 17% Devin Moore CB 20 31% 6 26% Adedayo Odeleye DT 20 31% 1 4% Shemar James LB 19 29% 7 30% James Houston LB 18 28% 2 9% Josh Butler CB 18 28% 1 4% Langston Patterson LB 14 22% 6 26% Zion Childress CB 14 22% Malachi Lawrence LB 5 8% 3 3% Shavon Revel CB 5 8%
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This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 2nd preseason game snap counts reveal Cowboys plans for roster cutdown
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