Updates: John Stephens added to injury report :: The Mothership
The tight end who missed all of 2023 with an ACL tear may be in doubt for this season’s opener, too. Stephens made the first injury report of the season with hamstring trouble. He was the only Cowboys player on the roster who did not practice on Wednesday.
Cowboys WR Brandin Cooks: Amount of criticism cast on Dak Prescott ‘blasphemy’ :: NFL.com
The veteran receiver called the widespread criticism of his quarterback “unbelievable,” saying, “The guy shows up every year, year in and year out.” Cooks put it on himself and his teammates to do more to help Prescott. “A lot of those great quarterbacks that I’ve been with- Tom [Brady] and Drew [Brees]- don’t get me wrong, they won a lot of games, won a lot of Super Bowls, but they had a lot of help around them as well, right?” he asked. “When we hear that disrespect, I take that personally and as his teammates we should take that personally.”
Rapoport: Prescott, Cowboys ‘are not close’ on new deal prior to Week 1 :: Kevin Gray Jr.
McCarthy reveals 2024 theme, but what are these Cowboys actually ‘rooted’ in? :: Cowboys Wire
The coach’s theme for the season seeks to build off the foundation he’s built over his four years in Dallas. But McCarthy will need buy-in from a team who largely has even less history with the club; only 19% of the Cowboys’ presumptive Week 1 roster has been there with him from the start. McCarthy’s hoping for explosive growth in Year Five; it may be the only thing keeping him “rooted” in Dallas past 2024.
NFL Hope-O-Meter results: Ranking how optimistic fans are for all 32 teams :: The Athletic
Thirty-six regular-season wins in three years have not carried over to 2024 optimism for Cowboys Nation. The team ranks 30th out of 32 in this survey, with only a pathetic 19.9% of fans feeling hopeful about the Cowboys’ chances this season. Fans pointed to a poor offseason, contract uncertainty, and a “toxic” atmosphere thanks to the Jones family. (Fans were surveyed before CeeDee Lamb’s contract extension came down, but that news is unlikely to have moved the needle dramatically.)
New jersey number, Who’s this? Cowboys 53-man roster, practice squad for Week 1 vs Cleveland Browns :: Cowboys Wire
Among the notable jersey updates, Caelen Carson will now wear the old No. 21 that terrorized opposing quarterbacks when it was worn by Deion Sanders. Carl Lawson inherits Leighton Vander Esch’s old No. 55, Ryan Flournoy moves to 80, and Brevyn Spann-Ford takes over No. 89.
NFL scout provides huge prediction for Browns QB Deshaun Watson vs. Cowboys :: SI.com
One AFC-based scout is expecting Watson to light things up on Sunday: “I don’t think the Cowboys’ secondary is going to be very good. Losing Stephon Gilmore was a huge setback for them. Trevon Diggs is a playmaker, but he is capable of giving up big plays, too. Watson could throw an interception; I just won’t predict that. I think around 250 to 300 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions. I also think Cleveland will come away with a win. With all the drama that Dallas has gone through this offseason, I expect a slightly slow start as they figure everything out.”
Playing for hated college team will help Cowboys rookie LB ‘cut it loose’ as Week 1 starter in Cleveland :: Cowboys WIre
Marist Liufau says his own experience at some of the nation’s most intimidating college venues has him well prepared for Cleveland’s Dawg Pound. “You either love Notre Dame or you hate them, so everywhere we go on the road, everyone hates us,” he said of his alma mater. “That’s helped me to grow as a player and kind of handle those environments and sort it out.” The rookie linebacker is set to start in Week 1.
A heavy task? Dallas Cowboys rookie CB Caelen Carson is ready for his NFL debut against Cleveland :: DLLS
The fifth-round rookie has been thrust into a Week 1 starting role with the injury to DaRon Bland, but he’s taking it in stride. The same thing happened to him as a true freshman at Wake Forest. “I don’t try and make it a big moment. It’s just going to be like any other game,” Carson said. “I’ve been playing football all my life, so I just feel like nothing changes. It’s just more people and television, but at the end of the day, you’ve been doing this since you were five years old.”
Cowboys rookie LT Tyler Guyton faces toughest challenge of year in Week 1 :: Cowboys Wire
The first-round draft pick has arguably the toughest one-on-one matchup in the NFL right out of the gate in 2024, facing Browns defensive end and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett. Guyton has done nothing but impress in camp and the preseason, but Garrett is a different kind of game-wrecker. The good news is that everything after Week 1 is likely to be easier for the young left tackle.
PFF thinks Micah Parsons is going to tie this all-time Cowboys record :: Cowboys Wire
The polarizing outlet predicts Dallas to finish third in the division, but they also forecast Parsons to end the season with 20 sacks. Somehow, though, that’s still not good enough to win him the Defensive Player of the Year honors.
The Original No. 88 of the Dallas Cowboys explains how the ’88 Club’ started at No. 13 :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
The Cowboys’ “88 Club” has become an entity all its own, spanning several generations of legendary Dallas receivers to wear the famed number. But it almost never got off the ground with Drew Pearson; he was issued No. 13 before his first preseason game with the club back in 1973. No. 88 belonged to Ron Sellers, who was later traded to Miami. Pearson picked 88 only because it was the best of what was left once he officially made the squad.
The NFL’s most valuable teams 2024 :: Forbes
The Cowboys have been the most valuable team in the world’s richest sports league for 18 straight years. Now they’re the first sports franchise to cross the $10 billion threshold. That figure represents a staggering 77% increase since just the COVID year of 2020. At $10.1 billion, they now have a $2.5 billion lead on the NFL’s second-most-valuable team, the Los Angeles Rams.
Commanders suspend employee who railed against Jerry Jones, NFL players and fans in video :: Dallas Morning News
Washington’s vice president of content Rael Enteen was seen in a video calling some players dumb and homophobic and calling fans “high school-educated alcoholics” and “mouth breathers.” Enteen claimed Jones is the person who “really owns the NFL” and said that he believes Jones “hates gay people and Black people.” He also went after the NFL commissioner, calling Roger Goodell “a $50 million puppet.” The Commanders have suspended Enteen pending an internal investigation.
