And with that, Dallas Cowboys preseason is finally over. The next time Dallas takes the field will be opening night against the defending champion Philadelphia Eagles.

The Cowboys got back on the winning side of things in Friday’s finale, disposing of the Falcons in convincing fashion, 31-13. Of course, wins are meaningless in preseason, which has essentially become televised practices by the second and third weeks.

That said, there were a lot of positives for Brian Schottenheimer and his staff to take into the weekend as he and the coaching staff work to finalize the 53-man roster before Tuesday’s deadline. With that, here are Dallas’ biggest winners and losers from an up-and-down preseason.

Biggest winners and losers from Dallas Cowboys preseason

Winner: Perrion Winfrey

Winfrey played into the second half on Friday, but he’s been the Cowboys’ most disruptive interior defender throughout the preseason. That admittedly isn’t a high bar to clear, but he had an arm sack on Friday and generated another pressure that resulted in a wild throw from Easton Stick that should have been picked off by Troy Pride, but he dropped it.

Winfrey hasn’t been perfect, but he’s made waves as a pass rusher and has even anchored the occasional double team. He likely played his way onto the 53-man roster.

Loser: Mazi Smith

Speaking of Winfrey not having a high bar to clear. As a former first-round pick and playing for a team that does not play any of its significant players in the preseason, it stays a lot that Smith started on Friday and played into the third quarter in the second preseason game.

Smith might make the team out of sheer need for bodies, but he is a terrible fit in Matt Eberflus’ system and was largely non-existent all preseason against opposing backups.

Winner: James Houston

Cowboys fans will burst a gasket if Houston isn’t on the 53. He was comfortably the Cowboys’ best player during the preseason. He had another sack on Friday and had a tackle for loss on a brilliant read on a Falcons trick play.

Houston might end up on the wrong side of a numbers game, but he needs to be on the roster over Payton Turner, assuming Turner would be the last DE to make it at Houston’s expense. The 26-year-old is in ridiculous form. It would be a shame if Dallas let that out of the building.

Loser: Asim Richards

If Richards’ stock took a hit amidst a rocky training camp, it took an absolute nosedive in the preseason as he racked up a team-high three penalties and struggled to create a push for the run game.

A fifth-round pick in 2022 who appeared in 21 games the last two season, Richards entered preseason with a leg up on newcomers like Hakeem Adeniji, Nate Thomas, who missed all of last year with a knee injury, and rookie Ajani Cornelius. It seems he’s looking up at all of them now, which puts him squarely on the chopping block.

Winner: Cowboys’ undrafted rookies

We’ll start with Zion Childress, who has skyrocketed up the depth chart over the last three weeks and is in contention to win the starting nickel job. He isn’t a roster lock, so to speak, but it would be stunning if he isn’t on the 53. He has limitations in coverage, but his ability to defend the run is exactly what defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus wants from his slot corners.

Not far behind Childress is Rivaldo Fairweather, who flashed again on Friday with two catches for 41 yards, showing off his ability to create yards with the ball in his hands. The rookie out of Auburn also caught a touchdown in Week 1. He showed up throughout the preseason and is no longer a sleeper to make the roster.

Loser: Deuce Vaughn

Vaughn deserves credit for playing well on Friday. Ever giving maximum effort, the the 2023 sixth-round pick carried 10 times for a team-high 42 rushing yards. He wasn’t targeted in the passing game, but he handled himself well in pass protection.

However, it’s hard to score this preseason as anything but a loss for No. 42. The fact he received the most carries of any Dallas running back in the finale says a lot about where he’s at on the depth chart. He only received two carries in Week 1 and he followed that up with five carries for 11 yards in an ugly showing across the board from the offense against the Ravens.

Winner: Jalen Brooks

It would be cool to see Brooks emerge within the offense during the regular season, but it’s a win regardless that he’s primed to make the 53-man roster. He finished the preseason with five catches for 72 yards and a nice touchdown grab that required a lot of concentration in Friday’s win.

On top of flashing as a pass-catcher and showing a strong rapport with Joe Milton, Brooks has emerged as one of the Cowboys’ top special teams gunners. He deserves a lot of credit for weaving that into his game, knowing how crucial it is for where he is on the roster.

Winner: Shemar James

There is a surprisingly relaxed feeling about Dallas’ linebacker room going into the season, and James is a big reason why.

The fifth-round pick out of Florida capped an active preseason with an interception against the Falcons. That was nothing less than he deserved as he entered the game with a team-high seven defensive stops and tied for the lead with 10 total tackles, per PFF.

James might not have a significant role out of the gates, but he’ll see plenty of the field in the regular season.