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 CountsPlayerPosOffOff%STST%Drew SheltonOT5593%626%Nick LeverettOL5390%626%Ajani CorneliusOT5390%29%Trevor KeeganOG5390%Zack KuntzTE4373%1148%Tyler JohnsonWR3864%29%Nate ThomasOT3153%417%Joe MiltonQB3153%Sebastian GutierrezOG3051%Camden BrownWR2847%835%Sam HowellQB2847%Jaydon BlueRB2746%313%Marquez Valdes-ScantlingWR2339%Anthony SmithWR2237%417%Jonathan MingoWR1831%730%Jordan HudsonWR1831%313%Denzel MimsWR1729%14%Israel AbanikandaRB1525%14%Malik DavisRB1424%29%Jaden SmithWR1322%Chris GlaserOG1017%626%Luke SchoonmakerTE814%626%Marcellus JohnsonOT610%626%DJ WingfieldOL610%626%Shiyazh PeteOL610%Phil MafahRB35%522%Defensive Snap CountsPlayerPosDefDef%STST%Alijah ClarkS4975%1148%Justin BarronLB4874%1043%Julius WoodS4671%730%Reddy StewardCB4569%522%Derion KendrickCB3554%Jay ToiaDT3452%313%Sam WilliamsLB3249%730%Trikweze BridgesCB3148%626%Tommy DunnDT3148%14%DJ WithersDT3046%417%Caelen CarsonCB2843%939%Ameer SpeedCB2843%939%Marist LiufauLB2843%626%Curtis RobinsonLB2742%939%Isaiah LandLB2538%835%Tyrus WheatLB2234%939%Jaishawn BarhamLB2234%522%LT OvertonDT2132%417%Devin MooreCB2031%626%Adedayo OdeleyeDT2031%14%Shemar JamesLB1929%730%James HoustonLB1828%29%Josh ButlerCB1828%14%Langston PattersonLB1422%626%Zion ChildressCB1422%Malachi LawrenceLB58%33%Shavon RevelCB58%Todd is on X at @ToddBrock24f7. Also, follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans!
This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: 2nd preseason game snap counts reveal Cowboys plans for roster cutdown