Now, the games start to matter.

The Dallas Cowboys lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 17-15 on Thursday night in an affair that was as sloppy as expected given that neither team played its starters.

Even though the game held little value, there were a couple of players who took full advantage of their extended action in the preseason finale.

Who made good arguments to make the 53-man roster against Tampa Bay? Let's dive in and find out what we learned from the exhibition.

Donovan Olumba making it hard to keep him off the 53

Whether by hook or by crook, the Cowboys need to find a way to keep Donovan Olumba on their 53-man roster.

The only reason his roster spot is in doubt is because of the sheer amount of depth the team has at cornerback. It definitely hasn't been due to Olumba's play, as he's shown well in the games and during practices. To make the 53, he will likely have to beat out fifth-round pick Mike Jackson Sr., who was injured for most of camp.

The 23-year-old has continually made the most of his opportunities, the latest of which was a pick-six against Tampa Bay. Olumba profited from a tipped pass, but because he was in proper position, leveraged on top of the receiver, he had the proper sight lines to identify and adjust his course according to the deflection (above clip).

Listed at 6-2, 205 pounds, Olumba possesses the size and length that defensive backs coach Kris Richard covets in his corners. That size also comes with a cost, however, as Olumba is lacking in the deep speed and change-of-direction departments.

This is why it's so important for Olumba to be physical at the line of scrimmage and read route combinations while playing with the proper alignment and leverage, as he doesn't possess the athleticism to fall back on if he's out of position or initially beat.

Olumba has looked vastly improved in these crucial departments. He's constantly "stacking," or playing on top of receivers, which enables him to control the pace of routes to give himself a better opportunity to anticipate breaks while guarding against the deep ball. He's not perfect, as evidenced by his defensive holding penalty against Tampa Bay, but the good has vastly outweighed the bad.

If the game tape truly is king, it's pretty difficult to justify leaving Olumba off the 53. Through his play, both during camp and the preseason, he has proven to be one of the 53 best players on the Cowboys' current roster, which should be enough to earn him a spot on the regular-season roster.

Did Daniel Wise play himself onto the Cowboys' 53?

Because the starters get zero play and the 53-man roster is largely constructed, the fourth and final preseason game is often regarded as the least meaningful one on the slate. While that may be true from a macro perspective, there's always a bubble player or two making a legitimate case for the 53. This year, that player was undrafted free agent Daniel Wise.

Coming into the game, Wise's ceiling appeared to be the practice squad, but after his thrashing of the Bucs' offensive line to the tune of five tackles and two sacks, the Kansas product may have played himself into contention for the Cowboys' (or another team's) 53.

Wise's 2nd sack vs TB pic.twitter.com/UkGAqQFreX — All22Hype (@All22Hype) August 30, 2019

Wise's second sack was a bit fluky, as the rookie defensive lineman profited from Tampa Bay's running back losing his block in anticipating Wise (above clip). Nevertheless, Wise's first sack of the game was incredibly impressive:

Wise sack No. 1 vs TB pic.twitter.com/Oz1QU7aSNK — All22Hype (@All22Hype) August 30, 2019

On this play, Wise is aligned as the left defensive end with a slight outside shade over Tampa Bay's right tackle. Once the ball is snapped, he fires off the ball and uses a powerful long arm with his inside hand to attack the right tackle's outside shoulder/edge.

With the separation and knock-back Wise is able to create and maintain through his initial contact with the long arm, he is able to easily discard the block once the quarterback steps up in the pocket, putting him in prime position for the sack.

Pressure from Wise vs TB pic.twitter.com/dz9KPb3HQu — All22Hype (@All22Hype) August 30, 2019

This wasn't the only case of Wise using a powerful long arm to work his way to the quarterback, as he added another pressure (nearly a sack) that flushed the quarterback out of the pocket (above clip).

Wise, along with fellow undrafted free agent defensive lineman Ricky Walker, has shown well throughout camp, continually flashing during practices and in the preseason. Unfortunately for Wise, the Cowboys are blessed with a ton of depth across the defensive line, making open spots on the roster few and far between.

To make it, Wise would probably need to beat out Joe Jackson, another rookie defensive lineman who has performed well throughout camp and the preseason. Wise does have position flex on his side, proving capable of lining up at defensive end or under tackle (three-technique defensive tackle).

Was Wise's monstrous performance against Tampa Bay enough? Maybe not (my money is on Joe Jackson). We'll get that answer very soon (3 p.m. CT Saturday is the deadline for rosters to be cut from 90 players to 53), but he definitely gave himself a fighting chance, which is more than he could say coming into Thursday.

Welcome to the 53, Donovan Wilson

If there was any question as to whether Donovan Wilson would make the 53-man roster entering Thursday, the rookie safety silenced all doubters with his impressive second-quarter interception:

Wilson INT vs TB pic.twitter.com/CntrV5sX20 — All22Hype (@All22Hype) August 30, 2019

On this play, the Cowboys are playing a version of Tampa 2, where there are two split safeties with the MIKE linebacker taking any vertical routes down the middle of the field, giving the defense a three-deep, four-under zone instead of the two-deep, five-under zone in Cover 2.

When the ball is snapped, Wilson properly drops to depth at an angle toward the outside receiver to cover any deep routes from him.

Based on his responsibilities, Wilson was not supposed to be in position to haul in the interception off the underthrown ball, but his vision and anticipation ability enabled him to make a plus-break (breaking on the pass before it leaves the quarterback's hand) on it, which is why he was able to range from almost the numbers all the way to the far-side hash mark.

Coming out of the draft, Wilson was dubbed a strong safety candidate who'll make his biggest impact against the run. However, it has been his coverage ability that has flashed the most throughout the preseason, as he's displayed particularly impressive range as a deep safety. This is why he deserves to beat out Darian Thompson and George Iloka for the backup free safety spot.

Both of Wilson's ST tackles pic.twitter.com/5mJI08rZJq — All22Hype (@All22Hype) August 30, 2019

Arguably more important than his interception, Wilson also made his presence felt on special teams, securing two tackles on kickoffs (above clip). The Cowboys value special teams ability in their backups, so Wilson's exploits against Tampa Bay should only boost his argument to make the 53.

The Cowboys' front office will have many tough decisions to mull over in the next day, but Wilson's resume to make the 53 shouldn't be one of them.

Wilson did leave the game with a lower leg injury, which warrants monitoring -- he said he was fine postgame -- but it shouldn't affect his case to make the 53 much, as the team will still need to carry him on the initial 53 before placing him on injured reserve if the injury proves to be long-term.

Enjoy this post? More film studies:

-- 5 predictions for Cowboys' roster cuts: WR decisions, practice squad and more

-- The 5 players who have impressed the most at Cowboys camp

-- 3 things we learned from Cowboys-Texans, including critical roster auditions

Twitter: @JohnOwning