Cowboys rookie sends loud roster message in preseason win over Seahawks originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
Camden Brown could not have drawn up a better beginning to his push for a place on the Dallas Cowboys’ 53-man roster. The undrafted rookie wide receiver caught touchdown passes from Sam Howell and Joe Milton III in Dallas’ 17-7 preseason victory over the Seattle Seahawks on Saturday. Brown finished with three receptions for 75 yards, turning limited opportunities into the most memorable performance of the Cowboys’ preseason opener.
Brown’s first touchdown came on a 39-yard pass from Howell late in the second quarter. He struck again in the third, making a spectacular one-handed catch on a 20-yard fade from Milton.
Neither play surprised Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer.
Brian Schottenheimer delivers telling Camden Brown verdict
“The game is not too big for him,” Schottenheimer said during his postgame press conference. “He does that every day in practice. We see it all the time.”
Schottenheimer praised both touchdown throws, but his most important comments were not about Brown’s receiving ability. He pointed to the work Brown has done away from the ball and on special teams, two areas that could determine whether he survives the Cowboys’ final roster cut.
“He realizes that that’s how you make this football team when you’ve got a receiver room that is filled with George Pickens, CeeDee Lamb, people like that,” Schottenheimer said. “That’s what matters.”
Brown signed with Dallas after going undrafted out of Georgia Southern. He spent the first three seasons of his college career at Auburn before transferring and producing 20 catches for 350 yards and three touchdowns in his final year.
His path to the roster remains difficult. Lamb and Pickens sit comfortably atop the depth chart, while the Cowboys have several other receivers competing for the remaining jobs. Brown entered camp needing to distinguish himself wherever Dallas gave him an opportunity.
Saturday represented his strongest argument yet.
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Brown’s consistency has earned first-team opportunities
Schottenheimer revealed that Dallas already had begun giving Brown occasional first-team repetitions before the preseason opener. His two-touchdown performance should make it more difficult for the coaching staff to reduce those opportunities.
“We’ve wanted to get him in there a little bit with the first team,” Schottenheimer said. “When we put him in there, he’s done a really good job.”
The coach repeatedly returned to Brown’s consistency. One big preseason performance will not secure a roster spot, but Brown has apparently built credibility throughout training camp rather than emerging for only one night.
“He’s just consistent, and that’s what we want as coaches,” Schottenheimer said. “We want people that are consistent and the same every day.”
Brown still has more work ahead. Dallas will hold a joint practice with the New Orleans Saints before facing the Arizona Cardinals in its second preseason game on Aug. 22.
After Saturday, however, Brown is no longer an anonymous long shot. He has become one of the most interesting players in the Cowboys’ roster competition.