Joint practices resulted in the Dallas Cowboys and Denver Broncos seeding a majority of the starters in Saturday’s preseason opener, giving the second teamers a chance to show why they can contribute in 2022. Josh Johnson stated that even if the Broncos are the 14th team he’s played for in his career, he still belongs in the league.
Johnson started in place of Russell Wilson (rest) and threw two touchdown passes in the first half to lead Denver to a 17-7 win that wasn’t as close as the final score suggested. Johnson’s highlight pass was a 40-yard smash at Brandon Johnson, son of former MLB catcher Charles Johnson, when the receiver penned the pass on the left touchline to get Denver’s offense moving. Johnson then found Seth Williams for a 1-yard touchdown three games later to give the Broncos a 7-0 lead, a lead they weren’t about to give up.
Johnson also found Kendall Hinton for a 24-yard score on a rainbow touch pass to give Denver a 14-0 lead. He went 16 of 24 for 172 yards and two touchdowns in the first half (120.2 rating) before Brett Rypien replaced him for the rest of the contest.
Cooper Rush started for the Cowboys in place of Dak Prescott (rest). He finished 12 of 20 for 84 yards with an interception that came on a fourth-down pass in Denver in the first quarter. The Cowboys only got on the board in the fourth quarter with a 12-yard pass from Ben Dinucci to Simi Fehoko 4:56. Dinucci went 9 of 16 for 112 yards and a touchdown in the loss.
While many starters didn’t play, there were still a few storylines that emerged from the competition. Below are some food stalls from Saturday’s preseason fight.
A non-starter
The Cowboys seeded 20 starters in Saturday’s game, including Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Tyron Smith, Zack Martin, CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence. Russell Wilson also didn’t make his debut for the Broncos, as Denver also rested the majority of their starters in the opening game.
The Cowboys and Broncos participated in joint practices this week, so the starters didn’t play in this one.
Serious Broncos Injury
One of the starters who played for the Broncos was inside linebacker Jonas Griffith, who left the game in the first minute with a left elbow injury. After just two games, Griffith was out when the coaches pinned his elbow while he walked away under his own power.
Griffith expected to consider the Broncos’ defensive plans, but this injury appears significant. Alex Singleton, who signed with Denver this offseason, will be given an opportunity as Griffith’s injury diagnosis is uncertain.
Penalty problems remain in Dallas
Whether the Cowboys are up against first-team or second-team, Mike McCarthy’s team still have massive penalty problems. The Cowboys were penalized nine times for 65 yards in the first half — after leading the NFL with 127 (7.47 per game) last season. Dallas was also second in the league with penalty yards with 1,103.
Showing signs they are still undisciplined, the Cowboys had a whopping 17 penalties for 129 yards that night. Preseason opener or not, that’s unacceptable.
Who is the #2 QB?
Cooper Rush started in place of Prescott and his performance was subpar. Rush played into the third quarter, finishing 12 of 20 for 84 yards with an interception as Dallas failed to score in his seven possessions. The Cowboys didn’t have a 34-yard drive and couldn’t get past Denver’s 38-yard line when Rush played.
Ben Dinucci wasn’t much better, though he threw a touchdown pass late in the fourth quarter to put Dallas on the board. What does Dallas do when the backup quarterback remains lackluster? Are the Cowboys trying to improve position or roll with Rush? Does it even matter if Dak Prescott goes down?
Rush has two more games to improve on this uninspiring feat.
The Josh Johnson Show
Johnson started for Russell Wilson and impressed as the No. 2 quarterback in the first half. The Broncos are Johnson’s 14th team in the NFL, but the veteran signal caller looked like someone who might want to stay.
Johnson went 16 of 24 for 172 yards and two touchdowns in the first half (120.2 rating) and showed off his passing and excellent receiver lead. There are better backup quarterback options in the league, but Johnson fills the role well.
The 36-year-old should be on an NFL roster in 2022. Whether the Broncos choose Johnson or Brett Rypien as their #2 quarterback will be decided over the next two weeks.