SEATTLE — Camden Brown caught touchdown passes from both of the Dallas Cowboys‘ backup quarterbacks Saturday night as Dallas opened the preseason with a 17-7 win over the Seattle Seahawks at Lumen Field.
The undrafted rookie caught all 3 of his targets for 62 yards and scored twice. Sam Howell connected with Brown for a 39-yard touchdown late in the second quarter, and Joe Milton III found him from 2 yards out in the third.
Dallas scored the final 17 points after Seattle went 80 yards for a touchdown on its opening possession. The Cowboys outgained the Seahawks 338-156, picked up 21 first downs to Seattle’s 14, and converted 11 of 15 third downs. Dallas held the ball for 32:55 and did not allow a sack.
Camden Brown Scores Both Dallas Cowboys Touchdowns
Drew Lock took Seattle down the field on its first possession. The Seahawks used 13 plays to cover 80 yards, with Montorie Foster Jr. catching a 5-yard touchdown from Lock with 7:42 left in the first quarter.
Dallas’ first points came on its next extended drive. Starting at its own 16, the offense converted three third downs and worked down to the Seattle 10. Brandon Aubrey made a 29-yard field goal after the Cowboys had used 16 plays and 8:43.
Seattle had another scoring opportunity before halftime, but Jason Myers missed from 45 yards. Howell got the ball back with 2:04 to work with and scrambled for 10 yards on third-and-7 to extend the possession.
Dallas reached the Seattle 39 with 45 seconds remaining. Brown got behind the coverage on the next play, and Howell found him down the right side for a 39-yard touchdown and a 10-7 halftime lead.
Brown was involved early again after Milton took over. His 21-yard reception moved Dallas out of a second-and-15 on the first possession of the third quarter, and the Cowboys kept going from there until they reached the Seattle 2.
Milton threw a fade toward the back left corner of the end zone, and Brown made a diving, one-handed catch for his second touchdown. The drive covered 84 yards in 13 plays and took 7:19.
The 6-foot-2, 204-pound Brown joined Dallas after going undrafted in April. His last college season came at Georgia Southern after three years at Auburn. Brown started all 13 games in 2025 and finished with 65 catches for 1,079 yards and 14 touchdowns.
Brown had already been one of the Cowboys’ standouts during training camp, and coach Brian Schottenheimer said Saturday looked like what the team has been seeing from him in practice.
“The game’s not too big for him. He does it every day in practice, we see it all the time… Really good day, but he’s got to keep stacking what he’s been doing,” Schottenheimer said.
Sam Howell, Joe Milton III Continue Backup Quarterback Battle
With Dak Prescott sitting out, Howell and Milton split the night as they compete for the Cowboys’ No. 2 quarterback job.
Howell got the first half and went 8-of-12 for 94 yards and the touchdown to Brown. He did not turn the ball over and finished with a 118.1 passer rating. His legs helped on the final drive of the half, too, including the 10-yard scramble on third-and-7. Howell finished with 15 rushing yards on 2 attempts.
Milton took over after halftime and completed 12 of 15 passes for 107 yards. His touchdown was Brown’s one-handed grab in the third quarter, and Milton finished with a 118.6 passer rating. Neither quarterback threw an interception, and Seattle never got either one on the ground.
Dallas also put the game away with Milton behind center. The Cowboys took possession at their 15 with 6:32 left and never gave Seattle the ball back, picking up 5 first downs before Milton took the final kneel-downs.
Dallas Cowboys Defense Settles in After Opening Drive
Seattle’s opening drive accounted for 80 of its 156 yards. Dallas allowed only 76 more over the Seahawks’ final seven possessions.
The Seahawks finished with 49 net passing yards. Lock and Jalen Milroe combined for 76 yards through the air before Dallas took away 27 on 3 sacks. Seattle went 6-of-12 on third down and came up empty on both of its fourth-down tries.
James Houston had a sack in the second quarter. Tyrus Wheat and Reddy Steward split another in the fourth.
Isaiah Land finished Seattle’s best chance to get back into the game.
A muffed punt gave the Seahawks the ball at the Dallas 5 with 8:21 remaining. Seattle gained 3 yards on first down and another on second, but Tyleik Harden went nowhere on third-and-1. Milroe tried to make a play on fourth down, and Land dropped him all the way back at the 15 for a 14-yard sack.
It was the second short field Dallas survived after halftime. A 52-yard punt return had put Seattle at the Cowboys’ 27 late in the third quarter. The Seahawks reached the 6 before Lock dumped the ball to Velus Jones Jr. on fourth down, and Dallas stopped him 4 yards behind the line to take over.
Curtis Robinson finished with a team-high 8 tackles. Malachi Lawrence made 3 tackles in his first preseason game after Dallas drafted him 23rd overall in April.
Caleb Downs was in the starting secondary. Saturday was his first game action since the Cowboys took him with the No. 11 pick.
Dallas Cowboys Rotate Running Backs Behind Javonte Williams
Malik Davis led Dallas with 39 rushing yards on 7 carries. Israel Abanikanda added 36 yards on 7 attempts, while Jaydon Blue had 19 yards on 8 carries and caught both of his targets for 15 yards.
Dallas ran it 36 times and gained 137 yards. Howell accounted for 15 of those yards, with Milton adding 10.
Phil Mafah had 9 yards on 4 carries and added a 6-yard reception. His night ended with a chest injury, with Dallas announcing him as out when the fourth quarter started.
Javonte Williams didn’t dress for the opener. The Cowboys brought him back in February on a three-year deal worth $24 million.
Penalties Leave Dallas Cowboys With Plenty to Fix
The flags started early. Dallas gave Seattle 34 yards on penalties during the opening touchdown drive, including a pass interference call and a face mask. The Cowboys finished the night with 13 penalties for 103 yards.
The offense had its share. False starts and other pre-snap mistakes repeatedly changed down-and-distance, while a few plays were erased entirely.
Seattle also got help from the Dallas return units in the second half. A 52-yard punt return put the ball at the Cowboys’ 27 late in the third quarter. Later, a muffed punt gave the Seahawks another chance from the Dallas 5. Neither possession ended with a score.
Dallas accounted for 13 of the game’s 21 penalties. The Cowboys and Seahawks were flagged for a combined 174 yards.
Third down went much differently. Dallas converted 11 of 15 attempts and kept several long possessions alive because of it. Seattle finished 6-of-12. The Cowboys ran 63 offensive plays and gained 338 yards; Seattle ran 52 and finished with 156.
Dallas scored on 1 of its 2 trips inside the Seattle 20. The Seahawks made four red-zone trips and scored once.
The Cowboys also played without a large portion of the regular lineup. Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, George Pickens, Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, Rashan Gary, and Jake Ferguson were all held out. Seattle did the same with Sam Darnold, Jaxon Smith-Njigba, Cooper Kupp, and DeMarcus Lawrence.
Up Next
The Cowboys play their second preseason game at the Arizona Cardinals on Aug. 22, with kickoff set for 9 p.m. CT.
Dallas returns home to face the New Orleans Saints on Aug. 28 at 7 p.m. CT. The regular season begins Sept. 13 at the New York Giants, with kickoff set for 7:20 p.m. CT on NBC.
