The latest news about the Dallas Cowboys
Why Jerry Jones wants his team to be aggressive as injury bug continues to strike Dallas Cowboys – Nick Harris, Fort Worth Star-Telegram
Jerry Jones continues to echo his confidence in the Cowboys young players.
Despite the injury issues, his team was still able to steal a last-minute win in a tough road environment that has seen opponents go 42-109-1 all-time at Acrisure Stadium against the Steelers.
“It shows me that our guys do step up,” Jones said. “You have to have that. If you’re going to have a winning team over the course of a year with the injury attrition you can have, you got to have young players step up. That, to me, was the most important thing about the other night.”
Jones said that Parsons and Bland are close to making their returns from injury to bolster the defense, although the expectation is that they will retake the field after the team’s week seven bye. Guyton has a “good chance to play” against Detroit on Sunday afternoon, Jones said on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning before taking the short helicopter ride to Arlington for Tuesday’s event.
Rookie Marshawn Kneeland is likely headed to the injured reserve list after a procedure on Tuesday to trim a meniscus injury that occurred on Sunday, according to team sources.
Factoring in Sam Williams’ season-ending knee injury at training camp with the injuries to Parsons, Lawrence and Kneeland, the Cowboys are reeling for depth at the defensive end position. They were able to finish the game in Pittsburgh with just Chauncey Golston, Tyrus Wheat and Carl Lawson, and Jones is content with letting the depth unit ride it out despite fans asking for the team to be aggressive in pursuing outside help.
“I agree with being aggressive, but the guys we got out there can be aggressive,” Jones said. “We’ve got guys on the practice squad that can step up there and make those plays in volume. Aggressive in the sense of being aggressive in letting the guys you have in this depth go play.”
DaRon Bland has ‘real chance’ to play Sunday vs. Detroit – Nick Eatman, Dallascowboys.com
Amidst all the recent injuries, DaRon Bland could suit up for the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday.
After missing the first five games of the season with a stress fracture in his foot, cornerback DaRon Bland has a shot to make his 2024 season debut on Sunday against the Lions.
Cowboys executive VP Stephen Jones said Bland could at least have a limited role when the team takes on Detroit at AT&T Stadium Sunday at AT&T Stadium.
“I think DaRon Bland has a real chance … I don’t know if he’ll play the whole game but I think he’s ready to start mixing it up,” Jones said on Tuesday. “Short of a real setback, DaRon should be ready to dress and help us on the defensive side of the ball and the secondary.”
Bland, who led the NFL in interceptions last season with nine, inlcduing a single-season record five returned for touchdowns, suffered the injury two weeks before the start of the season. The Cowboys placed Bland on IR-to return, meaning he was forced to miss the first four games of the season. He was not ready to return last week against the Steelers, but that could change on Sunday against Detroit.
The Lions feature a passing attack that includes Jared Goff, Amon-Ra St. Brown and tight end Sam LaPorta.
In Bland’s absence, the Cowboys have started three different cornerbacks in the five games. Rookie Caelen Carson started the first three games before suffering a shoulder injury. In the last two weeks, Andrew Booth and Amani Oruwariye have both started opposite of Trevon Diggs.
Davante Adams on the Cowboys? Why Dallas can’t afford to pass up a trade – Ralph Vacchiano, FOX Sports
If the Cowboys have to give up a third-round pick, should they convince themselves that Davante Adams is worth the risk?
If only there was help available. If only there were reinforcements willing to join them. If only there was some team, somewhere, ready — anxious, even — to trade an offensive weapon, maybe an elite wide receiver, who would be thrilled to be in Dallas in the next few days.
If only Jerry Jones and his front office could see the gift of Davante Adams that’s staring them in the face.
Of course they can. They just don’t want to — at least not at his price. And that is a ridiculous, unfathomable and unfortunate stance for a team that really could be a championship contender if they were willing to make one bold move.
Granted, this is not a new story. It’s a familiar one for the Cowboys who rarely seem to be big players in free agency. Take this offseason, where they ignored their obvious need at running back and balked at the $9 million guaranteed that could’ve landed them Derrick Henry. They claimed they couldn’t take on a contract like that when of course, with a little cap management, they absolutely could.
Now here they are again, with the Las Vegas Raiders seemingly desperate to dump the 31-year-old Adams on anyone who’ll take him. He clearly wants no part of the Raiders’ current game of quarterback roulette. And despite the fact that Adams has topped 100 catches and 1,100 yards in five of the last six seasons, the Raiders seem motivated to ship him out by the end of the week.
They’re reportedly looking for a second-round pick in return, though several league executives think the best they can hope for is a third-rounder, plus maybe something else. That seems a pretty reasonable price to pay for an elite receiver who could do what the Cowboys need the most — take some pressure off the over-covered CeeDee Lamb and give Prescott a second dangerous target.
Analyzing Cowboys snap counts: How both lines shuffled and made things work – Saad Yousuf, The Athletic
Five weeks into the season, the running back rotation seems to be working itself out.
Running back
Rico Dowdle (38), Hunter Luepke (23), Ezekiel Elliott (23)
With Vaughn inactive, Luepke entered the conversation as more of a pure running back as opposed to his regular fullback duties, along with other offensive roles sprinkled throughout. However, this game — for this position — was all about Dowdle’s emergence. The Cowboys said they’re sticking firm to the committee approach at running back this season but Dowdle is separating himself from the pack. That’s a huge development for the Cowboys if Dowdle is able to not just maintain what he’s doing but build and improve on it.
Dowdle popped off a 12-yard run in the game, which tied him with Lamb for longest run of the season. Later in the game, he added a 13-yard run to set the mark for himself. Consistent production, with some longer runs mixed in, is what the Cowboys need from the running game. Some of the struggles on the ground have been unfairly painted on the running backs, even though the offensive line is culpable as well. But even though the offensive line was churning due to injuries Sunday, Dowdle made it work.
Sunday marked the first game this season the Cowboys won the time of possession battle. For a defense without two of its top playmakers up front and two cornerbacks in the back end, that’s a recipe for success.
Wide receiver
Jalen Tolbert (68), CeeDee Lamb (66), Jalen Brooks (37), KaVontae Turpin (22), Ryan Flournoy (10)
This was a real, meaningful breakout game for Tolbert. He’s had flashes in the past, and sometimes his big plays have been clouded by the Cowboys losing by a large margin. But against the Steelers, Tolbert showed what a diverse weapon he can be. He lined up in various spots and made short contested catches, as well as being involved in the vertical passing game.
Brooks only had one catch on his lone target early in the game. It was a tough catch over the middle, which was good for him after he slipped on an intermediate pass over the middle a few weeks ago that resulted in an interception. Flournoy wasn’t targeted but was engaged as a blocker on run plays as he got his feet wet in the NFL.
Despite the broadcast stirring things up trying to read lips, there was nothing brewing between Lamb and Prescott on the sideline. The two were simply trying to get on track after Prescott’s first interception.
