FRISCO, Texas — Trevor Keegan and Nick Leverett played much better against Arizona than they did at Seattle, Dallas Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said Monday at The Star. He also named Jaydon Blue, Jonathan Mingo, LT Overton, Jay Toia, and Jaishawn Barham among the players who took a step between the two games.
Dallas has more depth and overall talent than it did last season when the two rosters are laid side by side, Schottenheimer said. Some of that comes from younger players who have moved into a different classification.
“Even if it wasn’t from a step, it was like guys that maybe performed better in this game that maybe they did. I thought Keegan played much better in this game. Nick Leverett is a guy who played really well. I’m doing the offensive line, of course. I thought Jaydon played well. You go back, you look at the film, Jaydon Blue ran really well, ran hard. I thought that was good to see. Mingo’s put a couple really good days on there,” Schottenheimer said.
“On defense, LT Overton, I think, has a chance to be a really excellent addition to us, certainly as a pass rush guy. But he plays the game the right way. I thought Jay played well. Toia, he played good. We talked about Barham. The safeties, I thought they all played pretty well,” Schottenheimer continued. “And it was good to see Shavon. Shavon got his first interception. Mingo got his first touchdown. So that was cool for those guys. It’s preseason, but to them it matters. It was celebrated today in the team meeting.”
The Dallas Cowboys Offensive Line At Arizona
Keegan started at left guard and Leverett started at center in the 34-13 win at State Farm Stadium. Dallas ran for 175 yards on 34 carries.
Philadelphia drafted Keegan in the fifth round, No. 172 overall, in 2024. He won a Super Bowl there as a rookie. Dallas claimed him off waivers on Aug. 28, 2025, placed him on injured reserve that October, and activated him on Feb. 15.
Leverett signed with the Dallas practice squad on Nov. 19 and signed a reserve contract for this season on Jan. 6. He entered camp with 22 career games and 11 starts across stops in Tampa Bay, New England, and Arizona.
The First Interception And The First Touchdown
Shavon Revel Jr. intercepted Gardner Minshew and returned it inside the Arizona 10. Mingo caught a 53-yard touchdown from Joe Milton III in the second quarter, his first with Dallas.
Blue arrived as a fifth-round pick in 2025.
What Is Left Before Dallas Cowboys Cuts
Dallas practices in front of fans at The Star on Tuesday and Wednesday. The preseason closes Friday against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium. Kickoff is 7 p.m. CT on CBS.
Rosters must be at 53 players by 5 p.m. CT on Sunday, Aug. 30. Waiver claims are due at noon CT the next day.
