Cowboys - Chargers: 5 players to watch in their third preseason game | Lance, Vidal, Cropper

The Dallas Cowboys will travel back to Texas on Thursday from their camp in Oxnard, California to finish up the rest of training camp, and to host their final preseason game. The Los Angeles Chargers will make the trip to AT&T Stadium this Saturday, August 24 to play the Cowboys.

Cowboys vs Chargers: How to watch

The Cowboys have seen some improvements from their backups and rookies over the last two preseason games, but there are still some questions to be answered as the roster cut day quickly approaches. The Chargers have questions of their own after losing their first two preseason games with an offense that has struggled to get going for a long time now.

As the stakes get higher with cut day approaching, let’s take a look at some key Chargers and Cowboys players to watch in their third and final preseason game.

Cowboys vs Chargers: 5 players to watch

Cowboys QB Trey Lance

The Cowboys brought Lance on last year as a third-string quarterback behind Dak Prescott and Cooper Rush. This year, they have a lot of moves to make and keeping three quarterbacks on the roster might not be their best move. With that in mind, Lance has been under scrutiny this entire preseason, very much needing to prove he deserves to be the QB2 over Rush after spending a whole season on the bench last year. Now that we’ve seen a little of what he can do, this final preseason game could be a decision-maker. In the preseason opener, Lance made a lot of overthrown and incomplete passes, struggled under pressure, and couldn’t find the end zone. In the second preseason game, he completed 15 of 23 passes for 151 yards and a touchdown and added 36 rushing yards and another touchdown on the ground. If he continues to show progress like that, he could make the case to surpass Rush.

Chargers WR Simi Fehoko

There is still a positional battle going on at wide receiver on the Chargers team. The starting trio looks to be Joshua Palmer, Ladd McConkey, and DJ Chark. Quentin Johnson also seems to have secured his place either behind those three or even in front of one or two of them. Then depending on how many receivers the Chargers decide to keep, there could be space for Simi Fehoko, who had a good game on Saturday in the preseason game against the Rams. He made a tackle on Rams running back Boston Scott after a kickoff return, forcing the Rams to start at their own 19, and later caught a pass from QB Easton Stick for 22 yards and a first down. Brenden Rice may add some competition for the final WR spot, but so far hasn’t played as well as Fehoko and doesn’t add the special teams value that Fehoko does. If Fehoko has another good game against the Cowboys, it may be just what he needs to seal his spot on the 53-man roster.

Cowboys DE Carl Lawson

The Cowboys recently signed defensive end Carl Lawson to add depth behind Micah Parsons, DeMarcus Lawrence, and Marshawn Kneeland. As he wasn’t officially signed until Monday morning, Lawson didn’t play in the Cowboys’ second preseason game against the Raiders. In the last year, he’s been dealing with a back injury and now that he’s completely healthy again, he’s been talking about being prepared to maximize on the opportunity and make it his best season yet. Despite getting older, Lawson says he feels younger because he feels like he’s at his peak fitness, only just reaching his potential. On Saturday, we’ll get a glimpse into what he’s capable of and see if he can live up to the potential.

Chargers RB Kimani Vidal

The Chargers’ top two running backs, Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins come with a history of injuries, so it’s likely that the Chargers will keep four running backs on the roster this season, just in case. The RB3 spot is up for grabs and is currently looking to be between Kimani Vidal and Jaret Patterson. However, it seems Vidal probably has a slight edge there after putting up 49 rushing yards, gaining more first downs than any other Chargers running back or receiver, and adding some receptions to the mix against the Rams in last week’s preseason game. If he plays that well against the Cowboys, he could earn himself the RB3 spot ahead of Patterson.

Cowboys WR Jalen Cropper-Moreno

The Cowboys WR6 spot was a back-and-forth battle between rookie Ryan Flournoy and Jalen Moreno-Cropper all throughout training camp. That is, until last week’s preseason game, when Flournoy flourished and Cropper fumbled, literally. Cropper had one drop and one fumble on a punt return, a mistake that could cost him a roster spot as the Cowboys could be making that decision based on special teams contributions at this point. If Cropper can turn things around against the Chargers, however, then he may still have a fighting chance.