Tag: Israel Mukuamu

3 things to watch for in Cowboys preseason finale vs Raiders

Preseason games are meaningless in the record books, but not to the coaches, front office, and many Dallas Cowboys players. | From @cdpiglet

By this time in the preseason, NFL teams have most things figured out and are simply preparing for the start of the regular season. The Dallas Cowboys have likely already answered most of their own questions regarding the 53-man roster.

They know which veterans they can cut now to bring back later so they can protect and stash a young prospect like pass rusher Isaiah Land or offensive guard T.J. Bass. The coaches understand who not to play to protect them for the games that matter. Seeing them a few extra snaps would not be worth the risk of injury in the coaches’ minds.

Even though 90% of the questions might be answered, the last preseason game still has the ability to answer a few outstanding ones. A handful of roster spots are still in question, and the team could want to see someone in a different role. Here are some of things fans should watch for when the Cowboys take on the Las Vegas Raiders on Saturday.

Mukuamu returns to Cowboys’ camp, but what’s his future?

The Cowboys have been noncommittal to where they intend to focus Israel Mukuamu in 2023 indicating they plan to keep his role fluid. | From @ReidDHanson

One of the biggest mysteries entering training camp this summer was how the Cowboys were planning to use third-year defensive back Israel Mukuamu. The former South Carolina cornerback was drafted by Dallas in the sixth round of the 2021 draft with the intention of turning him into a safety. For two seasons that’s where Mukuamu developed.

Working behind the likes of Donovan Wilson, Jayron Kearse and Malik Hooker, opportunities weren’t exactly pouring from the heavens, but the young safety was able to log defensive snaps both in the box (62) and back deep (43) in the 2022 regular season. Things were generally quiet for Mukuamu for most of 2022. But when he took the field as Dan Quinn’s secret solution at nickel cornerback in the postseason, his buzz reached peak levels.

The CB-turned-safety-turned-CB again entered the offseason layered in mystery. Which position was in his future?

After missing the first portion of training camp to a hamstring injury, it appears the answer is both. Since Mukuamu has returned to the field, he’s been playing a variety of roles. From nickel, to box, to boundary, he’s been used all over the defense.

Quinn’s defense is notorious for its gray lines between positions. Box safeties are like nickel cornerbacks in many ways. If the player can survive in man coverage, he can be useful.

Mukuamu has even been getting practice in one-on-one situations down the sidelines.

The Cowboys have an embarrassment of riches in their secondary. Their talent at both positions runs deep so immediate needs in any one particular spot are not present at the moment.

They value versatility greatly and have shown they have little hesitation in getting creative when needs demand.

Mukuamu’s ability to play strong coverage in a variety of roles makes him a valuable piece on the Dallas defense. As such, no one should expect the Cowboys to pigeonhole him into any specific position until they have to.

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Next Men Up: These 11 Cowboys are primed to takeover big roles

The Cowboys have a ton of depth, but also a ton of pending FAs. Here’s who will look to use 2023 to springboard into more prominent roles. | From @KDDrummondNFL

It’s a dog eat dog world in the NFL. In most cases, the competition is fierce but friendly. Veterans know their job is not just to perform, but to help in the development of younger players who could eventually push them for playing time. As the goal of each player is (normally) to win as a team, the overall talent level of a club’s depth is an important part of reaching that end.

It’s not always friendly, but the camaraderie of the league in general lends itself to this mindset more often than not. For the Dallas Cowboys, that would be highly beneficial in 2023 because there’s are many veterans currently on the 90-man roster who have expiring deals and the money is earmarked for the select few big-name veterans.

While teams can use accounting magic to make anything work, the Cowboys will likely sacrifice some veterans in order to carve out big chunks of cash for Dak Prescott, Trevon Diggs, CeeDee Lamb and Micah Parsons. Here’s a look at who could be a cap casualty of that chopping of the pie, and which young players are primed to replace them.

Israel Mukuamu’s versatility is buried on Cowboys’ depth chart, but not for long

Despite a crowded field, Mukuamu playing a variety of roles last season makes him a vital depth piece throughout the unit in 2023, says @ReidDHanson.

Position flexibility is an important trait for a Cowboys defender. From Micah Parsons, who plays both off-ball linebacker and edge, to Chauncey Golston, who plays both inside and outside on the line, to Donovan Wilson, who plays both box and deep safety, and even  to DaRon Bland, who plays both nickel and boundary. Versatility is a valued skill in Dallas.

Third-year pro Israel Mukuamu joins a long list of Cowboys defenders whose versatility is a key asset for the defense in 2023.

The Cowboys didn’t know quite what they were getting when they first drafted Mukuamu with the No. 227 pick in the 2021 draft. The former South Carolina cornerback came to Dallas as a high-character prospect, eager to get on the field by any means necessary.

At 6-foot-4, 205 pounds, Mukuamu fit the prototype for a Dan Quinn defensive back. Three rounds prior to picking Mukuamu, Dallas selected the similarly-built CB Nahshon Wright from Oregon State.

But unlike Wright, Mukuamu was tagged as a safety prospect, not the cornerback he played in college. His speed limitations likely played a role in the position shift, since Quinn historically leans heavily on single-high safety coverage (there’s usually not safety support on the boundary)

Mukuamu joined a crowded field at safety. With Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson and Jayron Kearse, the Cowboys employed one of the best trios in the league (It’s a trio that returns in its entirety in 2023).

As a safety, Mukuamu struggled to see the field. Throughout the regular season he logged just 173 snaps on defense, contributing primarily on special teams with 337 snaps. But in the postseason, things changed for the converted CB.

After seemingly exhausting all other nickel CB options, Quinn turned to the former sixth-round pick for the 2022 postseason. Mukuamu performed well, allowing only a 44.4 percent completion percentage when targeted, 49 total yards yielded, and a notching pass deflection (per PFF).

Mukuamu only played a total 72 snaps in the slot in 2022 (coincidently he logged 72 snaps as a box safety with another 45 as a free safety) but he showed enough to make the Cowboys feel safe if they have to turn to him again this coming season.

For as well as he played the final two postseason games of the 2022 season, Mukuamu is not expected to pick up where he left off as the Cowboys nickel CB. DaRon Bland and Jourdan Lewis are expected to fight for that post, pushing Mukuamu back down as a depth piece and emergency injury replacement.

Mukuamu showed in 2022 he can play a variety of roles on the Dallas defense, making him a vital depth player on Quinn’s unit. He’s a safety blanket for the Cowboys secondary. His long arms, versatility in coverage and tackling ability also make him an option in strategic match-ups against taller TEs and in the red zone.

Mukuamu raises the floor of the secondary and is an important piece of the defense heading into the 2023 season.

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Mike McCarthy names second-year DB ‘most improved’ Cowboys player of 2022

Israel Mukuamu has played mostly on special teams and as an injury fill-in, but he’s turned the head of his coach with his work ethic. | From @ToddBrock24f7

When Israel Mukuamu was drafted in the sixth round last year, the easy one-liner on him was that he was “the other” defensive back from South Carolina, after Jaycee Horn was taken eighth overall by the Panthers.

The cornerback-turned-safety has been on the field for just a handful of snaps over his first two seasons, but his mostly behind-the-scenes work ethic has turned heads on the Cowboys coaching staff, even prompting Mike McCarthy to single him out with a midseason accolade.

“Israel’s one of- or the most- improved players from last year to this year,” the coach told reporters Friday.

The brand-new 23-year-old (his birthday was Monday) saw the field for just 20 defensive snaps as a rookie. He surpassed that total in his first game out this season, playing 30% of the defensive snaps in Week 2.

With an early-season MCL sprain rendering Jayron Kearse inactive, Mukuamu logged similar playing time in Weeks 3 and 4, getting his first NFL starts in two of those contests.

His third start- and action on 46% of the defensive snaps, his most yet- came in Week 8’s win over Chicago, when Malik Hooker was out with a hamstring issue.

Mukuamu would probably stand to see extra time this Sunday night if Kearse cannot go; the veteran has been listed as “limited” on the team’s practice reports all week. Though officially termed “questionable” for the Week 13 clash with the Colts, Kearse is expected to be play.

Though he may be relegated to backup duty once again this week, the former Gamecock has put in the time to make sure that he won’t be just an injury fill-in for much longer.

“My memories of Iz are seeing him come in with everybody else in the morning, and then you walk down the hall,” McCarthy recalled, “at three o’clock, and he’s back out there doing it again. So he basically went to two-a-days, totally voluntary, on his own.”

He’s been a staple for John Fassel this season, participating in between 48% and 83% of the special teams snaps in every game he’s played (all but Week 1). He even represented the special teams unit as one of the Cowboys’ three game captains on Thanksgiving Day versus New York.

But he’s carving out a role in Dan Quinn’s unit, too, as his lanky 6-foot-4-inch frame allows him to be an effective cover man against the league’s large tight ends.

“Confidence is really what he needed, and he’s done an excellent job,” McCarthy concluded. “There’s some things he was asked to do on special teams that he did not do the first year, and he’s responded. Look at him on punt protection. He’s been a good matchup player for us from a coverage component. I really like the step that he’s taken this year.”

And while Mukuamu is still looking for his first regular-season interception as a pro (he snatched two in the 2022 preseason), he’s done enough to earn consideration for the “most improved” award from his head coach as the second-year man continues to make a name- and a reputation- for himself.

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Secret Superstars for Week 3 of the 2022 NFL preseason: The defense

Touchdown Wire’s Doug Farrar lets you in on the most prominent under-the-radar defensive performances in the final week of the 2022 NFL preseason.

With final cuts just around the corner (all teams must reduce their rosters to 53 by Tuesday at 4:00 p.m. EST), and the 2022 regular season starting Thursday, September 8, anybody who doesn’t have a lock on a starting job tends to see the final week of the preseason as a sort of Hunger Games. At this point, you’re not just trying to impress your coaches and your teammates — you’re just trying to hang onto the roster spot you have, or give enough of an effort to make other teams aware. Perhaps one of those teams will pick you up if you do get cut.

Our Secret Superstars list for that final week of the preseason has a lot of guys who may have either evaded the Turk (the guy who comes to your room, knocks on your door, and quietly asks you to bring your playbook to the head coach’s office to let you know you’re off the team), or have done enough to eliminate any doubt as to their veracity as starters in the league.

The clock is ticking, oxygen is getting thin, and it’s all about to be for real. Here are the under-the-radar players who did the most to advance their cases for themselves in Week 3 of the 2022 preseason. Since there were so many of them this week, we’re splitting the list into two parts. The Secret Superstars All-Offense team is right here.

Secret Superstars for Week 3 of the 2022 NFL preseason: The offense

Cowboys snap counts and positional grades from final preseason exam

Who played, how much and how well from Dallas’ final preseason test. The stars sat as the youngsters staked their claim to roster spots. @ProfessorO_NFL breaks it all down.

The Dallas Cowboys finished their 2022 preseason campaign with a 2-1 record after an exciting 27-26 victory over the Seattle Seahawks.  With a final roster cut looming on Tuesday, several young players had one final chance to solidify their roster spot on the Cowboys final 53 man roster.

The team had its share of highs and lows throughout the game but injuries were a bigger factor this week especially in the secondary with three players suffering injuries.

The defense forced five takeaways via four interceptions and one fumble recovery while the offense protected the football for a turnover margin of +5. With two weeks of report cards in the books we will finalize each positional grade to give our final grades for preseason.

Cowboys Injury Report: Secondary depth takes blow with Joseph, Mukuamu exits vs Seahawks

Winning isn’t everything, especially in the preseason. With roster cuts looming, injuries in Friday’s win against Seattle could impact moves the club has to make. From @ProfessorO_NFL

The Dallas Cowboys pulled out a gutsy win against the Seattle Seahawks in week 3 of the 2022 preseason.  While the win was nice, one of the main objectives of training camp and preseason is to walk away as healthy as possible.

The Cowboys had fared well in avoiding injuries through their first two preseason games but were not as fortunate tonight. Already dealing with losing their starting left tackle, Tyron Smith, earlier in the week, the Cowboys suffered a slew of injuries against the Seahawks.

With a final roster cutdown from 80 players to 53 looming around the corner, the status of these injuries may have ripple effects that change the decision making of who’s in and who’s out.

Here’s an updated injury report from week 3 based on what we know right now.

WATCH: Israel Mukuamu snatches 2nd INT of Cowboys preseason

Cowboys safety Israel Mukuamu made it an interception streak with a quick break on the ball against Seattle. | From @CDBurnett7

After an interception against the Chargers, Dallas safety Israel Mukuamu make it a two-game streak in the first quarter against Seattle’s Drew Lock. The second-year player read Lock’s eyes perfectly and broke on the ball quickly for a man with a 6-foot-4 frame.

Mukuamu is listed as the backup strong safety behind Jayron Kearse, but it doesn’t mean he won’t see much playing time in 2022. In Dan Quinn’s system, the Cowboys mix in bigger secondary players and keeping Kearse and Mukuamu on the field together could be an option.

Entering his second season out of South Carolina, Mukuamu is making waves and is earning his way towards consistent playing time in the safety room for Dallas.

Drew Lock throws a bad pick then a dime touchdown vs. Dallas

Lock has had two drives and shown the extremes of what he’s capable of. 

After one series for Geno Smith, the Seahawks put Drew Lock in at quarterback against the Cowboys. Lock has had two drives and shown the extremes of what he’s capable of.

Watch Lock throw a pick on his second pass attempt.

This was a good jump by Israel Mukuamu, but Lock’s pass was late.

Lock got back on the field soon after thanks to a quick three and out by the Cowboys offense. He answered with a perfectly-placed dime of a pass to preseason standout wide receiver Penny Hart for a 35-yard touchdown.

Seattle leads 10-0 late in the first quarter.

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