The Dallas Cowboys lost their first of four preseason games last Thursday against the San Diego Chargers 17–7 but backup quarterback Dustin Vaughan had some great plays even though he did not throw for a touchdown.
Vaughan completed 12 of his 18 passes for 106 yards and showed how he deals with the defensive situations he faces in the field.
The 24-year-old admitted that it was hard not to think of the preseason game, which he called the "biggest job interview."
Vaughan, however, added that once he steps on the field, he was focused on how to help the team win and not think about the passes he will make which may affect his chances of making it to the final roster.
"He handled the duress of the game. I thought he kept his poise. I thought he handled some third down situations well, moving around in the pocket, seeing down the field, playing where it's real life. It's nice to see him respond as well as he did," Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett said, according to ESPN.
Cowboys quarterback Tony Romo does not have any significant backup yet but with the progress Vaughan showed in their first preseason game and if he can continue doing that and develop, he might be quarterback no. 2 for the Cowboys.
Vaughan was undrafted in 2014 out of West Texas A&M University and was signed by the Cowboys.
He discussed how hard it is adjusting to a much wider array of plays coming out of college and how that makes a quarterback overthink in the field, causing him to be slower.
"It gets to the point where you get enough knowledge to where you can stop thinking and start playing. That's really important," Vaughan shared, according to ESPN.
The Cowboys will continue their preseason and will still face the San Francisco 49ers, Minnesota Vikings, and the Houston Texans before opening the 2015 season.
