Cowboys vs. 49ers: Previewing Preseason Week 1 for San Francisco
By Chris Wilson
QB Jimmy Garoppolo vs. QB Dak Prescott
Fans of both teams should have the opportunity to see their starting quarterback in action tonight. The 49ers officially announced Garoppolo and the first-team offense will play a portion of the first quarter, and the Cowboys are likely to give Prescott the opportunity to build rapport with his new passing targets, due to the team’s offensive struggles during training camp.
If Garoppolo leads the offense on a successful opening drive, he may be relegated to the Niners’ sideline for the remainder of the game, but other offensive starters should see more extensive action. Although the 49ers returned most of their top passing targets from last season, today will be Garoppolo’s first chance to work with wide receiver Pierre Garcon, rookie wideout Dante Pettis and dual-threat RB Jerick McKinnon in a live game.
The Cowboys will look for a fast start from Prescott, after Dallas’ franchise QB followed up his amazing rookie season with a pedestrian sophomore campaign. In 2017, Dak saw significant declines in adjusted yards per attempt, quarterback rating and completion percentage, while tripling his interception totals from 2016.
Sophomore slumps are common for NFL quarterbacks and are often rectified, but recovering from his lackluster second season will come with added difficulty. Over the offseason, Prescott’s go-to tight end Jason Witten retired, and his top red-zone and deep threat Dez Bryant is no longer a member of the team.
Witten — the Cowboys’ all-time leader in both receptions and receiving yardage — is the larger of the two losses, and the more difficult of the two players to replace. Dallas hopes rookie Dalton Schultz is the long-term answer at tight end, and will turn to a group of youngsters to replace the 15-year veteran:
TE Jason Witten is the Cowboys’ all-time leader with 1,152 career receptions for 12,448 yards. The five tight ends on Dallas’ 2018 roster have 9 catches for 94 yards over their combined careers. #49ers #Cowboys
— Chris Wilson (@cgawilson) August 8, 2018
After releasing Dez, Dallas signed veteran wide receiver Allen Hurns and drafted wideout Michael Gallup. The Cowboys also traded for speedster Tavon Austin, who is currently listed as a running back on the team’s website, although he’s been used exclusively as a wide receiver in training camp.
When each team pulls their starting quarterback tonight, backup QB C.J. Beathard will take over for San Francisco, while Dallas will give significant playing time to both 2017 backup quarterback Cooper Rush and 2018 fifth-rounder Mike White. If both players show promise over the preseason, the Cowboys could keep three quarterbacks on their initial 53-man roster.