Dallas Cowboys vs. Arizona Cardinals: Three players who need to step up their game

Could be time to sink or swim for these Dallas Cowboys players.

The Dallas Cowboys hit the road to take on the Arizona Cardinals Friday night for their second preseason game this year. Having a game under their belt already should give Dallas a slight advantage, but considering this is pretty much a meaningless matchup there’s no way of really knowing that for sure.

What we do know is the Cowboys still have quite a bit to work on after seeing in them in action last week against the Pittsburgh Steelers in the Hall of Fame game. This team still has a long way to go to get ready for the season opener against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and believe it or not, there are several players who really need to up their games.

Today, we take a look at a few of the Cowboys players who need to step up their games if they plan on sticking around for the 2021 season.

CB Anthony Brown

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Anthony Brown may be the longest-tenured cornerback currently on the Cowboys roster, but as things stand right now he could be on the outside looking in as far as a roster spot is concerned. He’s arguably the most versatile CB on the roster due to his ability to play on the outside or in the slot, but other corners are showing up and showing out more than he is right now. Rookies Kelvin Joseph and Nahshon Wright played well in the first preseason game on the outside and Maurice Canady is doing the same in the nickel. Because of that, the team could look to deal him if he doesn’t step up his game.

DE Tarell Basham

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Tarell Basham was one of the Cowboys free agent signings this offseason and is expected to be the next man up if anything were to happen to DeMarcus Lawrence or Randy Gregory this year. He’s just an injury away from becoming a starter and as such should play a key role defensively this season. Sadly, he hasn’t done much to date to prove he’s worthy of playing such an important role this offseason. With a lot of youth and inexperience behind him on the depth chart he really needs to take his game to the next level or he may force the Cowboys into looking for a better option on the open market.

OT Ty Nsekhe & Brandon Knight

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Ty Nsekhe and Brandon Knight are a two-for-one here. Neither one played particularly well last Thursday night in the Hall of Fame game against the Pittsburgh Steelers and that’s disheartening considering one of the two is expected to be the swing tackle this year. With Tyron Smith’s inability to stay healthy for an entire season, the Cowboys need a dependable backup and right now it’s difficult to know for sure if that player is currently on the roster. Hopefully it was just preseason jitters with these two and they just need to do knock off a little rust. If not though, Dallas needs to find someone else for the job.