Kellen Moore coached the Cowboys' offense for years — now he brings his Saints into AT&T Stadium as the opposing head coach for a preseason finale that's really about two rosters still figuring themselves out.
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SAT AUG 29 · 7:00 PM CT
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The headline is a reunion, but the real story is Tyler Shough. He lost the QB1 job in camp a year ago, took over anyway after a 1-6 start, and went 5-4 down the stretch to put himself in the Offensive Rookie of the Year conversation. Moore has already said the job is Shough's, full stop, and the Saints spent the offseason building around him — Travis Etienne in the backfield, Jordyn Tyson and Oscar Delp added to a receiver room that already has Chris Olave. Dallas, meanwhile, will be watching Dak Prescott closely after he was limited during minicamp with fluid on his knee — nothing the team considers serious, but not something they're going to push in a preseason finale either.
Whoever's actually on the field will be working through their own subplots. George Pickens sat out team drills at mandatory minicamp, while rookie-adjacent names like Ryan Flournoy have been the ones drawing praise from Brian Schottenheimer's staff this spring. Jaydon Blue reportedly looks like a different player than he did as a rookie. None of that tells you who wins on Friday, August 28, but it tells you who's fighting for reps when the lights come on.
Dallas' defense is also getting a facelift under new coordinator Christian Parker, with Marist Liufau projected to move to outside linebacker in the new scheme. That's the kind of thing preseason games exist to sort out, and it's a bigger deal for the Cowboys' fourth-preseason-week evaluation than anything on the scoreboard. The Saints, for their part, are still nursing bumps and bruises across the roster as they get their first extended look at the Shough-led offense against outside competition.
New Orleans Saints
Dallas Cowboys
Context matters here: New Orleans closed 2025 on a 4-1 heater, taking down Tampa Bay, Carolina, the Jets and Tennessee before a lone loss to Atlanta. Dallas did the opposite, dropping four of its last five and getting outscored by 14, 8, 17 and 17 points in those losses. Neither stretch means much for a preseason tilt where starters might play a series or two, but it's the backdrop both fan bases are walking in with.
New Orleans Saints
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Dallas Cowboys
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Fully healthy — no injuries to report
Don't expect either team to treat this like a must-win. Preseason finales are roster-cut theater — front offices are searching for the last few names on a 53-man roster, not building game plans. Still, for a Saints team hoping Shough's rookie flash was real and a Cowboys team hoping last year's late-season collapse was a blip, even the scrubs-and-camp-bodies version of this game is worth a look.
