The Dallas Cowboys are a couple of days away from their preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks, and head coach Brian Schottenheimer dropped several revealing nuggets during his Thursday press conference. 

From Caleb Downs’ preseason availability to a notable shift in offensive coaching responsibilities, there’s plenty to unpack. Let’s break it down.

Cowboys are playing Caleb Downs and Malachi Lawrence in preseason

One of the biggest questions lingering over Cowboys training camp just got answered. Schottenheimer confirmed Thursday that rookie safety Caleb Downs will play in the preseason, and so will edge rusher Malachi Lawrence.

The question now shifts to how much and when. Schottenheimer said Downs and Lawrence are going to “play a little bit of football,” though the coaching staff hasn’t finalized snap counts yet.

Earlier in camp, Schottenheimer explained Dallas divides its players into four groups for preseason workload. If the Cowboys were ever considering keeping Downs out entirely, my guess is he’d fall into the group with the fewest snaps. Back when training camp opened, Schottenheimer offered a range of roughly 10 to 15 snaps for that tier, so don’t expect much more than one or two defensive drives.

The logic here makes sense. Dallas is treating Downs like a cornerstone piece of its defense. But the sooner he gets live reps, the better. If he picks up a minor injury, at least there’s a full month to recover before Week 1. My expectation is that Downs plays Saturday night against Seattle. Be ready for it.

Lawrence should see more action than Downs because he isn’t projected as a starter. He needs the reps, plain and simple.

Klayton Adams takes on expanded offensive responsibilities

This one is noteworthy, and you can make of it what you will. Schottenheimer revealed Thursday that offensive coordinator Klayton Adams has more responsibility this season. Specifically, Adams is now installing the passes.

That’s a significant development. Adams earned his reputation as a run game specialist last season, credited by Schottenheimer himself for overhauling the Cowboys’ ground attack. Now he’s going a step beyond that.

A clarification for those who might worry about this shift: Schottenheimer said Adams is installing the passes, not designing them. That means teaching players how to execute the plays on game day. In turn, that frees Schottenheimer to focus on the creative side of the offense. He said Thursday that it will get his “creative juices going,” which suggests the Cowboys’ passing game could evolve more freely this season. More time on the drawing board for Schottenheimer is a good thing.

Adams will even call some plays during the preseason while Schottenheimer handles the bulk. It’s a positive development for Adams personally, too. The experience only strengthens his coaching résumé and could make him a stronger head coaching candidate down the road.

Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah in a ‘tight battle’ for RB2

Schottenheimer confirmed some things about the running back room Thursday. He said Jaydon Blue and Phil Mafah are “in a tight battle” for the backup spot behind Javonte Williams.

We knew both players were in the mix, but this is the first time Schottenheimer separated the two from the rest of the pack. He did mention Malik Davis and Israel Abanikanda, because that’s what Schottenheimer does in press conferences. If you listen to enough of his pressers, you realize he goes out of his way to mention every player in a position group. That’s admirable from a leadership standpoint, but it doesn’t change the fact that he singled out Blue and Mafah.

This lines up with what Cowboys insider Mike Fisher and I discussed in a recent video. Blue is likely the one-two complement alongside Williams, but Mafah appears to be the better candidate to replace Williams if the starter goes down. Blue is a good complement, not a substitute.

To me, this felt like confirmation. The Cowboys’ running back room will include Williams, Blue, and Mafah, plus fullback Hunter Luepke. Whether a fifth player tags along remains to be seen.

Cowboys’ surprise rookie nearing return from groin injury

Third-round rookie linebacker Jaishawn Barham is close to returning from a groin injury that kept him out of practice last weekend. Schottenheimer said Thursday Barham’s status remains to be determined for Saturday’s game against Seattle.

Barham has been one of the standout performers of training camp, someone who could even start for the Cowboys defense. If the coaching staff opts to hold him out and save him for another week, that would be telling. It would signal the Cowboys have serious plans for him and don’t want to risk aggravating anything.