untung99.biz: 3 takeaways from CowboysJaguars Deuce Vaughn dazzles Mazi Smith still growing

ARLINGTON — The Cowboys’ largest and strongest rookie showed he has some work to do.

Their smallest stole the show.

Running back Deuce Vaughn dazzled Saturday in a 28-23 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars, as nose tackle Mazi Smith will look to build off the experience afforded from preseason game film. While perhaps neither outing should warrant an overreaction, it was a nonetheless terrific first impression from the 5-5, 180-pound Vaughn.

Linebacker Malik Jefferson was the only Cowboys player with an injury announced during the game. He suffered a foot injury in the second half and did not return.

Here are three takeaways:

Mazi Smith has known it. The Cowboys have known it.

Now, the rest of the NFL does, too.

The 328-pound nose tackle and first-round pick has worked in training camp to become faster off the line of scrimmage at the snap. It is still a work in progress. On multiple occasions, his slow get-off effectively took him out of a play before it began, limiting his impact in run defense.

There is something to be said about player development in this league. Aside from rare exceptions, the learning curve for NFL nose tackles is notoriously slow. Smith has another four weeks until he could be asked to help the Cowboys contain New York Giants running back Saquon Barkley on Sept. 10 at MetLife Stadium.

Smith has actually improved in the area some since the start of training camp.

Still, the area bears monitoring. He is not where he wants to be yet.

The Cowboys were excited about Vaughn based on what he demonstrated in the spring and again during recent weeks at training camp. Not until Saturday, because of practice restrictions, could he actually be tackled to the ground.

Those attempts only made him more impressive.

Vaughn decisively planted a foot and exploded for a 26-yard gain through a hole that rookie tight ends Luke Schoonmaker and John Stephens created in the third quarter. He capped that drive with a 4-yard touchdown and finished with eight carries for 50 yards.

Like other top veterans, Tony Pollard did not appear in the exhibition.

He watched his reserves compete for opportunities this season.

Rico Dowdle showed burst, but his best-looking play was also his worst when losing a fumble near the goal line to conclude a 21-yard catch-and-run. Malik Davis drew the start, running behind the Cowboys’ backup offensive line against the Jaguars’ starting defense. He was stifled, managing 23 yards on eight touches.

That much elusiveness and vision, with a willingness to lean into his low center of gravity when barreling through contact, will be difficult for the Cowboys not to include when they file their 53-man roster on Aug. 28. The rookie sixth-round pick seems all but a lock now.

Dallas still has to decide its No. 2 running back to Pollard. That decision likely will take some time to finalize.

But Vaughn sure looks like he belongs in the NFL.

Missing an extra point was probably item No. 1 on the list of things Brandon Aubrey could not afford to do Saturday.

Aubrey went 2-for-3 on extra points, missing wide left in the fourth quarter to deflate a buzzing AT&T Stadium after Vaughn’s touchdown run. All five of his kickoffs were touchbacks, and he made his only field-goal attempt from 29 yards.

Brett Maher missed six of his final seven extra points last year, resulting in the Cowboys moving on from him despite an otherwise banner year. Maher made 29 of 32 field goals, including nine of 11 that were from 50-plus yards.

It was one kick for Aubrey. An entire body of work will be considered before the Cowboys do whatever they decide to do at kicker. Still, he summoned the memory of an episode Aubrey is supposed to help the club forget.