You’ve read the title of this post, so you’re fairly sure the Cowboys’ leader in preseason snaps is a down-roster player you probably haven’t heard much of. But do you think you can at least figure out which position that player is playing?
Perhaps it’s a down-roster defensive back with tons of special teams snaps? Perhaps an edge rusher forced to play extra snaps because the Cowboys limited plays for their top guys? Maybe one of the offensive linemen? Or is it a wide receiver doubling as a special teams regular?
It’s not a quarterback (even though Joe Milton ranks eighth overall in total regular snaps with 106), it’s not a running back, and it’s certainly not the fullback.
The player leading the Cowboys in preseason snaps is OT Drew Shelton, with 174 snaps over three games (160 on offense, 14 on special teams). This comes as a bit of a surprise as the Cowboys have struggled at both backup tackle spots this offseason, but it looks like they were determined to maximize the fourth-round pick’s snaps and maybe accelerate his development in the process.
Officially listed as the backup right tackle, Shelton started at right tackle in the preseason opener and then started at left tackle the next two games. The rookie struggled initially (PFF grade in Games 1 and 2: 48.5, 28.9) before posting his best grade of the preseason against the Saints with 67.1. Still, the Cowboys made a move to bring in Broderick Jones at the position in a trade with the Steelers.
Shelton narrowly leads a three-man group of offensive linemen who landed in the top 10 and are all strong candidates to make the 53-man roster.
Top 10: Most regular snaps
Name
D.Shelton
T.Keegan
N.Leverett
A.Clark
J.Barron
A.Smith
S.Gutierrez
J.Milton
J.Wood
J.Toia
That Top 10 picture changes slightly when we look at the top players by total snaps, where some of the special teams mainstays show up.
Top 10: Most total snaps
Name
D.Shelton
T.Keegan
N.Leverett
J.Barron
A.Clark
C.Robinson
A.Smith
Z.Kuntz
J.Wood
J.Hudson
The players marked in green here are likely your core special teams that also provide some value on offense or defense, with Zack Kuntz likely a preseason placeholder for the roles Luke Schoonmaker and Brevyn Spann-Ford will hold in the regular season.
And to close out this special teams rabbit hole, here are the Top 10 special teams snap counts over the three games:
Top 10: Most special teams snaps
Name
B.Aubrey
J.Barron
C.Robinson
T.Wheat
A.Speed
I.Land
Z.Kuntz
L.Patterson
A.Clark
C.Brown
Note how most of the special teams stalwarts here are defensive players; this may ultimately also be reflected in the final 53 where the defense may get more spots than the offense.
By themselves, preseason snap counts probably don’t mean all that much. Drew Shelton for example is not suddenly going to be a starter. But sometimes these snaps can give you an early hint of how the depth chart may be filling out.
Take linebackers for example. It’s not clear today how many linebackers the Cowboys will keep - maybe four, maybe five - but whoever wins that last linebacker spot had better bring it on special teams.
Inside Linebackers: Most total snaps
Name
J.Barron
C.Robinson
L.Patterson
S.James
J.Barham
It’s been widely assumed that the roster locks at LB were DeMarvion Overshown, Jaishawn Barham, Dee Winters, and Shemar James. But Marist Liufau’s injury at OLB may leave the team short one special teams specialist. If the Cowboys decide they need another player who can contribute heavily there, could this be a chance for Justin Barron or Curtis Robinson to make the team?
And nowhere do the vagaries of preseason snap counts become more obvious than at wide receiver.
Wide Receivers: Most offensive snaps
Name
A.Smith
J.Hudson
T.Johnson
C.Brown
M.Valdes-Scantling
J.Smith
J.Mingo
D.Mims
The Cowboys held out Jonathan Mingo from the final preseason game, an an indication he may have secured a fifth, and perhaps final, WR spot - and the snap counts don’t provide any indication of that. If anything, the table indicates that the team may have wanted to give its rookies (Anthony Smith, Jordan Hudson, and Camden Brown) a lot of snaps.
The interesting thing about preseason snap counts is not necessarily who played the most. It’s why they played so much.
Drew Shelton leading the Cowboys in snaps doesn’t mean he’s about to become a starter. Anthony Smith leading the wide receivers doesn’t mean he’s ahead of Jonathan Mingo. But when you combine snap counts with where players are on the depth chart, special teams responsibilities, injuries, and who the Cowboys chose to play — or not play — in the final preseason game, the numbers start to tell a more interesting story.
And with roster cuts coming up, there’s no more preseason football to analyze. But there are still plenty of clues hidden in the snap counts.