SEATTLE -- The Seattle Seahawks beat the Dallas Cowboys, 27-17, on Thursday night. Below are five things that stood out after having rewatched the third preseason game.

1. C.J. Prosise looks the part.

The third-round pick out of Notre Dame made his preseason debut, carrying four times for 23 yards. He was on the field for 16 snaps.

Prosise looked good on all four carries. The first was a draw on third-and-20, and the second was a 5-yard gain on third-and-10. On Prosise's third carry, he was met by a defender four yards behind the line of scrimmage, but he spun out of a tackle and turned it into just a 1-yard loss. And on his final carry, Prosise broke a tackle and gained eight yards.

The Seahawks drafted Prosise with the hope that he could be their third-down back, but he suffered a hamstring injury on the first day of training camp. It will be interesting to see if they're comfortable using him right away on third downs or whether Prosise needs some more time to carve out a role.

2. The little things stand out with Christine Michael.

The numbers look great: 24 carries for 157 yards in three preseason games. But it's the little things that stand out with Michael.

Twice on Thursday night, he identified the right defender and did a good job picking up the blitz. He's carrying out his fakes on play-action and looks comfortable in the passing game as a receiver.

At this time last year, the Seahawks gave up on Michael, trading him to the Dallas Cowboys for a seventh-round pick. But he's been the story of camp in 2016 and looks poised to be a dependable contributor on offense.

3. It's tough to get a read on veterans Jahri Evans, Brandon Browner.

The Seahawks have played Browner exclusively at safety with the second and third teams. When they signed him, the thought was that Browner could have a specialized role and be someone who could match up with opposing tight ends. If that's still part of the plan, the Seahawks are not showing their hand during the preseason.

Evans has been used exclusively at right guard with the second team. Do they value his experience enough to keep Evans on the roster? Or will they go with a younger option who has more upside down the road?

Those are the questions that Pete Carroll and John Schneider will have to answer in the next couple of weeks.

4. Sometimes, it's just fine if Russell Wilson holds on to the ball.

After the second preseason game, Carroll noted that Wilson was responsible for the sacks because he didn't get rid of the ball quickly enough. And he was telling the truth.

But there's a reason why Wilson sometimes takes exception to that line of questioning. On the second touchdown, he bought time, spun out of the pocket, rolled to his right and found Tyler Lockett for the score.

The Seahawks' offense has different elements: the zone read, run-pass options, the traditional run game, play-action, the quick passing game and Wilson's improvisation. When Wilson was on fire during the second half of last year, Carroll loved the different elements working together.

There are times when Wilson needs to get the ball out and other instances when they want him to buy time and demoralize defenses. Wilson showed last year that he's capable of finding the right balance. Now he'll have to do it again.

5. Earl Thomas looks ready to go.

The free safety sometimes gets taken for granted, but after battling through a shoulder injury last season, he looks 100 percent.

Thomas usually gets recognized for his tremendous range, but he is a phenomenal downhill player. He made a nice tackle one-on-one with QB Dak Prescott and blew up a screen to Alfred Morris for no gain. He was in great position on a deep attempt to Cole Beasley and later made a great break on the ball for a pass breakup.

Thomas looks like a player who is ready to have a monster season in 2016.