As the great Dwyane, The Rock Johnson would say, FINALLY! The NFL has come back to the big stage. Tonight the Dallas Cowboys and Pittsburgh Steelers suit up for the annual hall of fame pre-season game. Here are 2 things to watch for.

Hey Rookie!

The Cowboys were one of the busiest teams this past year in the draft by selecting 11 players. According to the team, all but 2 of them will travel and play in tonight's game. The two being Josh Ball and Chauncey Golston who have both been dealing with injuries.

Dak Prescott among the Cowboys not making the trip to Canton. The others:

Bradlee Anae
Josh Ball
Francis Bernard
Amari Cooper
Chauncey Golston
C.J. Goodwin
Trysten Hill
Malik Hooker
Blake Jarwin
DeMarcus Lawrence
Jourdan Lewis
Zack Martin
Tyron Smith
T.J. Vasher
Greg Zuerlein

— Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 4, 2021

High-profile players such as Micah Parson and Kelvin Joseph have made headlines in Oxnard. This could be an opportunity for mid to late-round selections to stamp their arrival as well.

Keep an eye on young guys like Israel Mukuamu. Mukuamu competes with newly signed Malik Hooker and Demonte Kazee at the free safety position. He's the only one among them that is technically under contract beyond 2021 but has an uphill battle to make the team if the veterans stake their claim.

Fellow late-round pick Donovan Wilson was in a similar situation in 2018 and would go on to have an interception in the opening week of pre-season. He then followed that up with 2 more interceptions cementing his place on the team.

Quinn in the booth

Gone quietly under the radar is the decision for Dan Quinn to call the game from the booth as opposed to the sideline.

Former Cowboys DC Mike Nolan made the same decision last season but quickly returned to the sideline as the defensive performance got away from him.

For Quinn, the decision dates back to his former boss Pete Carroll giving him some advice as a young NFL defensive coordinator. Carroll would tell Quinn being in the booth would allow him to see what was happening more quickly.

“He was right. It was the best spot to call it where you're not getting pulled, you have all of your information out in front of you." Quinn said.

Often forgotten is that not only is pre-season a time for the players to get acclimated but time for the coaches to find their rhythm with live bullets flying around.

This will be the first time since 2014 Quinn will be back in sole possession of the coordinator position from the booth. He’ll have to knock off some rust of his own during tonight's hall of fame game.

Feature image © Jason Parkhurst-USA TODAY Sports