OXNARD, Calif. — The Dallas Cowboys held a long special teams meeting Monday. Dallas gave up a 52-yard punt return late in the third quarter at Seattle and lost a muffed punt at its own 5 with 8:21 left. Neither possession produced points for the Seattle Seahawks, who lost 17-7.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer watched the film before addressing it with the team.
“Not good enough. Addressed that today with the guys. It’s not the standard,” Schottenheimer said. “We know that, but it’s also preseason game one. Our mantra is get back to basics. You’ve got to pay more attention to detail. Very, very disappointed in how we lost contain. Very disappointed in how we gave up kick-side leverage. When the ball’s supposed to be kept on your right shoulder, keep it on your right shoulder. The ball’s supposed to be on your left shoulder, keep it on your left shoulder.
“And then we did a terrible job of communicating non-verbally on the coverage teams,” Schottenheimer continued. “Hey, I’m the ball player. I’m the outside player. I’m the capper. Didn’t do a good enough job of that. So we had a long special teams meeting today. It’s going to be a big part of our emphasis, because it wasn’t good enough.”
What Went Wrong At Seattle
Rashad Rochelle returned the punt to the Cowboys’ 27 in the third quarter. Seattle reached the 6 before Drew Lock threw to Velus Jones Jr. on fourth down and Dallas stopped him 4 yards behind the line of scrimmage.
Traeshon Holden muffed the punt in the fourth quarter. Seattle recovered at the Dallas 5, gained 3 yards on first down and 1 on second, and lost 10 more when Isaiah Land sacked Jalen Milroe at the 15 on fourth down.
Holden is competing and wants to win, Schottenheimer said Saturday night, and he had not talked to him yet.
“I don’t know,” Schottenheimer said. “I want to talk to him. I know he was disappointed. He knew he made a mistake. Traeshon wants to win. He’s competing. I think any time players step up, you can be affected by that. But Traeshon’s a pro, and he’ll bounce back.”
Dallas waived Holden on Monday to open the roster spot for Von Miller. Holden signed with the Cowboys as an undrafted free agent out of Oregon in 2025 and spent last season on the practice squad.
The Seahawks made four red-zone trips and scored once. They gained 76 yards over their final seven possessions after going 80 on the opening drive.
What Held Up
Jonathan Mingo chased down a punt returner from 25 yards behind the play in the first half. Schottenheimer called the play incredible Saturday night. He brought Mingo up again Monday while talking about the players Dallas has in the locker room.
He was asked Monday whether the Dallas roster is finished after the Von Miller signing. Schottenheimer said the Cowboys are not done developing players or adding pieces, then went back to Mingo without being asked.
“I love the makeup of the young men in that room, the way they love one another, the way they care about one another,” Schottenheimer explained. “And I know I pointed it out the other day, but I’m going to point it out again. If you’ve got guys like Jonathan Mingo that’s literally 25 yards behind the play, and he’s willing to run for the love of the game, but more importantly the love of his brother, to keep a guy from scoring on a punt return for a touchdown, you’ve got the right chemistry.”
Brandon Aubrey made his only field goal attempt, a 29-yarder in the second quarter that capped a 16-play possession covering 8:43. Dallas signed Aubrey to a four-year, $28 million extension on April 20 that made him the highest-paid kicker in NFL history.
Seattle’s Jason Myers missed from 45 yards before halftime, ending a 15-play drive.
Where It Gets Fixed
Dallas hosts the New Orleans Saints for a joint practice Tuesday in Oxnard. Special teams periods are part of the plan.
Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer said the session will include situational work similar to the Aug. 11 joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams, along with the special teams periods Dallas wants before leaving California.
Open practices in Oxnard run through Tuesday. The Cowboys return to Ford Center at The Star in Frisco for two more on Aug. 25 and Aug. 26.
Dallas also drew 13 penalties for 103 yards at Seattle, several of them pre-snap. The teams combined for 21 penalties and 174 yards.
The Cowboys visit the Arizona Cardinals on Saturday at 9 p.m. CT on NFL Network. Dallas closes the preseason against New Orleans on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. CT at AT&T Stadium.
