NFL Update: Several Former Cowboys Made Plays in Week 1 of the Preseason

The NFL preseason kicked off this past weekend and several former Cowboys made plays. Let’s look around the league to see what’s going on with the slew of Pokes in the Pros.

Brennan Presley Making Plays

The second-year receiver started his preseason with a bang. He led the Rams by grabbing all four of his targets for 58 yards in LA’s 20-12 win over Kansas City.

That included a 23-yard play and 40 total yards after contact. Presley appeared in one game as a rookie last season with all four of his snaps on special teams. But if he can continue to show out, he might earn a spot on the active roster.

Good day at Arrowhead for former Bixby Spartan/Cowboy Brennan Presley.

He led the Rams with 4 catches for 58 yards.

Jaydn Ott led the chiefs with 2 catches for 40 yards (27 on one play was biggest play for KC on the day) pic.twitter.com/2lepRLw4bA

— Dan Lindblad (@DanLindbladTV) August 15, 2026

Mixed Bag for Ollie

In his first action of the preseason, Ollie Gordon rushed for 39 yards on seven attempts. But he was briefly benched by first-year Dolphins head coach Jeff Hafley after getting flagged for an unsportsmanlike penalty.

It sounds like it was more of a teaching moment between the two.

Jeff Hafley on benching RB Ollie Gordon after he was flagged for unsportsmanlike conduct:

“Those are not acceptable to me. It’s disrespectful to the team, selfish, and how you lose games. I’m not going to play players that can’t control themselves.

It was a chance for me to… pic.twitter.com/wUAl96iXkN

— The List – Dolphins Podcast (@TheListFinsPod) August 16, 2026

Rudy Efficient in Opener

Mason Rudolph appears to be in strong contention for the QB2 spot behind Aaron Rodgers, but the Steelers still spread the snaps around in their preseason opener.

The veteran QB went 10-for-11 for 93 yards with the one incompletion being a pass into the end zone that should have been a touchdown.

Rudolph starts 8-for-8 near TD here, went for it on 4th, TE was short, Mason played well. pic.twitter.com/6bdTzJeJ6g

— Robert Allen (@RAllenGoPokes) August 13, 2026

Rudolph had to share the reins with rookie Drew Allar and Will Howard, who also played well, but expect Mike McCarthy and Co. to adjust the snaps closer to their desired pecking order as the preseason progresses.

Ogbah Returns to KC

Not on the field for the Chiefs was their newest defender.

Emmanuel Ogbah signed a one-year deal to return to Kansas City last week. He spent the 2019 season in with the Chiefs, winning a Super Bowl, though he missed the playoff run due to a season-ending injury.

Free-agent defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah is signing a one-year deal with the Chiefs; per source. It’s a reunion. Ogbah won a Super Bowl with them in 2020. pic.twitter.com/hZp0zQePeh

— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 11, 2026

Ogbah played five seasons with the Miami Dolphins before landing in Jacksonville for the 2025 season.

Tay Martin Earns First-Team Reps

The former Cowboy wideout is doing his best to find a landing spot in Detroit. He caught one pass for 14 yards in the Lions’ preseason loss to the Bengals.

On Sunday, @Lions Wide Receiver Tay Martin got some reps with the first-team offense. Head Coach Dan Campbell also complimented his play during their first preseason game last week.

Martin says he’s doing his best to stay focused as he looks to make the final 53-man roster pic.twitter.com/9AJtjU09AH

— Alex Crescenti (@alex_crescenti) August 16, 2026

Martin has been a bit of journeyman with stops in San Francisco, Tennessee and Washington before signing with the Lions this offeseason.

Other Notes:

• Nick Martin led the 49ers with eight total tackles (three solo).

• Chuba Hubbard is listed as week-to-week with a hamstring injury.

• Tanner Brown went 2-for-2 including a made 49-yard field goal in the Saints’ loss to the Jaguars.