Dallas Cowboys Preseason Week 2 Matchup Preview

After a lackluster performance in the team's last preseason game, the Dallas Cowboys will return to AT&T Stadium to take on the Indianapolis Colts in the team's third preseason game.

Typically, this is the week that the Cowboys will play most of their starters for at least a quarter, if not more. And with numerous players returning from injury, we should see a bunch of new faces on the field. 

A list of possible stars we could see on Saturday that we haven't seen in the preseason include Dak Prescott, Ezekiel Elliott, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Tyron Smith, DeMarcus Lawerence and Jaylon Smith.

In the team's first home game since their divisional loss to the Green Bay Packers, here are a list of players to watch this weekend.

Will Lewis Neal Continue to Get 1st-String Snaps?

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Until last week, Lewis Neal was relatively unknown to Dallas fans. But last week, he got to start at 3-technique and didn't disappoint.

On the second play of the game, the 22-year-old shot through the line and stopped Todd Gurley for a loss of three yards. It was one of the best defensive plays of the night by the Cowboys. 

Neal has been a surprise at camp, earning more snaps with the starters every week. Per David Moore of SportsDay, defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli said he loves his "suddenness" and that's "what they liked about him."

Neal is undersized for a defensive tackle, telling me that he weighs 275 pounds. But his elite quickness and explosiveness (36-inch vertical jump) allow him to thrive as an under tackle in Marinelli's defense.

Starter Maliek Collins should return to the lineup this weekend as he was nursing a hip injury over the past few weeks, but be on the lookout to see how quickly Neal enters the game.

Don't be surprised if the undrafted free agent out of LSU makes the roster this year and is the primary backup to Collins as the team's under tackle.

Jaylon Smith's NFL Debut

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The wait is finally over. According to 105.3 The Fan's Mike Fisher, the plan is for Jaylon Smith to be on the field against the Colts this week. On Tuesday, Dallas general manager Jerry Jones confirmed the linebacker will play Saturday night, per Nick Eatman of DallasCowboys.com.

When Smith is officially on the field this weekend, it will mean the team will have waited 477 days to see their second-round pick from a year ago get on the field for the first time. 

While Smith will likely be on the field in some capacity on Saturday night in Dallas, don't expect him to play a high number of snaps or at a high quality. It's been nearly 600 days since Smith last played in an actual game. 

With Sean Lee nursing a hamstring injury, the Cowboys likely won't play their All-Pro linebacker at all in the preseason given his injury past. That means Smith could see time with the starters on Saturday night.

Watch to see where Smith is used and how explosive he looks. He's going to (hopefully) look much better each and every week as the nerve in his foot continues to regenerate, but this game will give us a baseline as to what he may be able to provide early in the season.

Don't expect greatness yet but do be excited that Smith has finally returned to the field.

Jourdan Lewis' NFL Debut

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After missing most of training camp and the team's first two preseason games, rookie cornerback Jourdan Lewis is expected to return to the field on Saturday after practicing with the first team on Monday, per David Helman of DallasCowboys.com.

Lewis was a star cornerback at Michigan and a two-time All-American player in college. He fell to the Cowboys at the bottom of the third round after he was accused of domestic violence. He was found not guilty of any wrongdoing earlier last month. 

In college, most of Lewis' snaps came as an outside cornerback for the Wolverines. But in the NFL, he's likely to play inside as he's a smaller corner (5'10", 188 pounds) who lacks the bulk to match up with bigger receivers on the outside.

I'll be watching to see if the Cowboys play him exclusively as a slot cornerback or if they give him opportunities to try to play outside. 

Lewis also has experience as a punt returner, so don't be surprised if the Cowboys give him a chance to prove his worth there as well.

While Smith will likely dominate the storylines from this game, getting Lewis back on the field for Dallas is a big win.

Can Cooper Rush Keep It Up?

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To say Cooper Rush is surprising some people this preseason is an understatement.

Through the first week of preseason games, Rush is the highest graded quarterback in the NFC East, according to Pro Football Focus. He was nearly flawless last week, completing 11-of-13 passes (with two drops) for 104 yards and one touchdown. He finished the game with a passer rating of 136.4. 

Rush's play through the first two preseason games should allow him to see more snaps in the upcoming weeks. However, Dallas has been through this before with other talented young quarterbacks.

If Rush plays a lot of snaps over the course of the next three games, it likely gives a hint that the team is planning to have him as the third quarterback. 

But if he doesn't play much or at all, it's a pretty clear sign the Cowboys are "hiding" him as they have tried in the past with quarterbacks such as Matt Moore and Dustin Vaughn.

No matter how it plays out, Rush has impressed and shown he deserves to be on someone's roster, if not Dallas'.

Chaz Green's Return

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In the first preseason game, it was veteran Jonathan Cooper who got the start at left guard. Last week, it was Byron Bell.

Neither performed exceptionally well, but each was given the opportunity to start as Chaz Green has missed the past few weeks with a muscle strain in his shoulder. He returned to practice on Monday and that bodes well for his chances of playing on Saturday night.

Of the three likely candidates to win the left guard job, Green is the youngest (25) and likely has the highest ceiling. He's also the most talented of the three. However, his biggest problem has been staying on the field. 

Left guard is a new spot for Green, so watch to see how that transition from tackle to guard is going to work for the third-year player from Florida.

Expect Green to be inserted into the starting lineup if he is active and expect him to be leaps and bounds better than Cooper and Bell at that spot.

Can Noah Brown Make the Roster?

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Through two preseason games, Cowboys receiver Noah Brown has seen just four targets. However, the rookie has made the most of those opportunities, hauling in three passes for 41 yards and drawing a defensive pass-interference call as well. 

While he hasn't had a ton of chances to catch the ball or make plays in the preseason, it's his work as a blocker and a pseudo-tight end in some packages that will make him a tough player to cut by the end of the preseason. Even as a rookie, he might be the best blocking receiver on the roster right now. 

The 20-year-old needs a lot of work and refinement as a receiver, but he's shown enough through two games for the team to consider keeping him on the active roster once the season begins.

He's already surpassed the likes of Brian Brown and Lance Lenoir on the roster and possibly even Andy Jones. With another strong performance on Saturday night, he could continue to move up on the depth chart. 

Watch not only how the youngster performs on Saturday night, but also how he's used on offense. Most of his work has been in the box as a blocker, but don't be surprised if the Cowboys move him all around the field to see how much he can handle in his third preseason game.

Noah Brown will be a fun on-the-roster-bubble player to watch against the Colts.

Can Kellen Moore Bounce Back?

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While it would be nice to believe that Rush could challenge Kellen Moore for the backup quarterback job, it's just not realistic.

Moore has always had a job in the NFL because of his ability to help the starter prepare for the upcoming opponents, but at some point he needs to show he can produce when he's on the field. 

After playing well in the first preseason game and then beyond terrible in the team's previous game, it will be interesting to see if Moore can bounce back.

So far through the preseason, the 28-year-old has completed 20-of-34 passes (59 percent) for 251 yards. Through two games, his passer rating is just a pedestrian 79.4. Unfortunately for Dallas, that's even higher than his regular-season passer rating of 71. 

Moore will probably play close to a half again in the team's third preseason game, so he will have ample opportunities to redeem himself from last week. More so than the raw numbers, watch to see if he can move the Cowboys' offense and create points after scoring just three points in the first half last week. 

If Moore struggles again, the Cowboys may need to consider adding another veteran quarterback behind Prescott.

However, if he plays well in the next two preseason games, Moore will likely seal the job and continue to aid Prescott in his development in 2017.