ARLINGTON, Texas -- Did inside linebacker Orie Lemon punch his ticket to the 53-man roster with his pick six in the preseason finale?

Lemon certainly hopes so. If nothing else, Lemon’s strong preseason made it much more difficult for the Cowboys to get him back on the practice squad.

“I feel good that I put some good film out,” said Lemon, who spent his rookie season on the practice squad after going undrafted out of Oklahoma State. “I want to play here. I don’t want to go anywhere else. It’s like family to me, so I would love to stay here. But if I have to go somewhere else, I know that’s a decision they make up in the offices and everything. I’m just going to do what I have to do.”

Lemon made a lot of plays as an inside linebacker during training camp and continued to be active on defense throughout the preseason.

The question about Lemon, however, is whether he can play well enough on special teams to make him active on game days. That’s not news to Lemon.

“I’ve got to get better at special teams,” Lemon said. “If I do be on somebody’s team, it will be on special teams mostly. (His preseason performance) opened up a lot of eyes, but I’m not for sure because you never know.”