The latest headlines surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.
What led to the Cowboys’ roster woes, and is there a fix? – Todd Archer, ESPN
Offseason management, relying on young rookies, and injuries to key players have all contributed to Cowboys’ struggles this season.
It goes beyond the length of time it took to sign wide receiver CeeDee Lamb and quarterback Dak Prescott to contracts that make them the second-highest-paid receiver in the NFL and the highest-paid player in NFL history.
After the stunning 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the wild-card round in January, the Cowboys knew they faced difficult decisions on their impending free agents.
They tried to keep running back Tony Pollard with a lucrative multiyear offer that was not far off the three-year deal he signed with the Tennessee Titans (three years, with a max of $24 million and $10.49 million guaranteed). He has 339 yards on 78 carries and three touchdowns in five games.
The Cowboys never made a call to Derrick Henry despite the fact that he lives in the Dallas area. The free agent running back signed a two-year deal with the Baltimore Ravens that guaranteed him $9 million. After seeing Henry rush for 151 yards and two touchdowns against Dallas in Week 3, Jones said the Cowboys could not afford him. With a different structure of the deal, though, the Cowboys could have matched that guaranteed money, but it was their choice to pass on Henry, who leads the NFL in rushing (704 yards).
Instead, the Cowboys re-signed Rico Dowdle to a one-year, $1.255 million deal, including a $200,000 signing bonus, and signed Ezekiel Elliott, the franchise’s third-leading rusher of all time, who spent last season with the New England Patriots. Elliott received a one-year deal worth up to $3 million with $2 million guaranteed.
After 6 games, CeeDee’s stats look like 2023 – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
CeeDee Lamb is consistently being doubled, which may lead to lower than desired production.
Obviously, the expectations are much higher now after his training-camp holdout and then signing a four-year, $136 million extension as one of the highest-paid receivers in the league.
But after six games this year, Lamb has 32 catches for 467 yards and two touchdowns.
In 2023, at the six-game mark, Lamb had 34 catches for 475 yards and one touchdown.
Clearly, there are some differences and Cowboys WR coach Robert Prince says the coverages have been more consistent in doubling Lamb.
“Yeah, there’s probably a little bit more cloud (coverage) on him and especially on third down,” Prince said. “ And you’ll see they’ll play some man with double coverage on him (but) he has the opportunity to still beat double coverages, but he also knows that hey, if he’s doubled, some other guys are getting single coverage. He just wants to win and whatever we have to do, that’s what he wants.”
Prince was asked if putting Lamb in motion more before the snap might help free him up more.
“Yeah, but the thing is … he wears 88 for every game, so even though we move him around, they can find 88 and we’re still moving them around,” Prince said. “But I think teams are doing a little bit better job of finding him and trying to double him. But we have some things that it can still defeat double coverage, so we feel pretty good about it.”
High 5: Which player has been missed the most? – Kyle Youmans, DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys have been plagued with injuries this season. Getting these players healthy and back on the active roster cannot come soon enough.
3) Demarcus Lawrence (Foot) – Like Kendricks, Demarcus Lawrence brings an element of leadership to the defense. This defense wasn’t perfect before Lawrence was injured. Nor will it be once he returns. But having him back on the edge provides a strong foundation for growth in the run defense, allowing the other guys around them to play within the scheme and not do too much. Lawrence is undoubtably the best run defender on the defensive line and that’s even more apparent when he’s not in the fold.
2) DaRon Bland (Foot) – Anytime there’s an All-Pro missing out of the lineup, it’s going to hurt. Not only from a production standpoint, but a scheme one as well. Teams aren’t afraid to test Bland’s replacements on the boundary or even try throwing at Trevon Diggs and Jourdan Lewis as starters. But the three together again presents a challenge to any offensive coordinator that relies on the passing attack to have some success. It was unfortunate to not have him out there in Week 6 against Detroit, but now he can be ready for San Francisco.
1) Micah Parsons (Ankle) – Any objections? One of the top two or three edge rushers in football has been missing off the defensive line for a few weeks. Of course he’s going to be missed. Parsons had his fair share of struggles adjusting to a new scheme and new defensive coordinator prior to the injury. But his impact is still unquestioned. He and Demarcus Lawrence had combined for 47 percent of the Cowboys pressures entering Week 5. And since Parsons was drafted in 2021, the team pressure rate is nearly six percentage points higher with him on the field, than off it. Teams don’t fear the current pass rush without Parsons, but they will when he returns.
New York Jets Struggling WR Named Trade Candidate for Dallas Cowboys – Jon Conahan, Sports Illustrated
Jets WR Mike Williams may be a possibility if the Cowboys were looking for a trade.
Williams is only on a one-year deal due to returning from an ACL injury. He needs to show NFL teams that he deserves another contract. With how he’s currently playing, he’s not in line to get paid handsomely next offseason.
Looking for potential fits if he were to be traded, Scott Polacek of Bleacher Report named the Dallas Cowboys as a team that could use him.
“He hasn’t been the same yet this season as he bounces back from the torn ACL that limited him to just three games in 2023, but a change of scenery could help. The Dallas Cowboys could also use a change after Sunday’s blowout 47-9 loss to the Detroit Lions. They aren’t exactly loaded with proven options at wideout outside of CeeDee Lamb. Williams could be an ideal deep threat who could take advantage of the single coverage he would see basically any time he was on the field with opposing defenses focusing so much of their attention on slowing Lamb and accounting for tight end Jake Ferguson.”
The Cowboys, similar to New York, have struggled in ways they weren’t expected to entering the campaign. However, for a team as talented as Dallas, it wouldn’t be surprising to see them turn things around.
Sitting at 3-3, the Cowboys are still only one game behind the first-place Washington Commanders in the NFC East.
NFL trade deadline 2024: Player and draft pick team offers – Bill Barnwell, ESPN
Another trade candidate if Dallas was so inclined.
Cowboys move for a RB with intriguing tools
Bears get: 2025 sixth-round pick
Cowboys get: RB Khalil Herbert
Cowboys team owner Jerry Jones might not like his offseason decision-making being second-guessed, but as I don’t host a radio show with him, I can speak freely. Dallas didn’t address its running game in the offseason, and it is struggling on the ground. Ezekiel Elliott has been mostly phased out of the rotation, leaving Rico Dowdle, who has generated minus-18 rush yards over expected (RYOE) in a relatively quiet start to the season.
There’s no Derrick Henry lurking as an immediately impactful back, but what about adding another set of fresh legs to compete with Dowdle? Herbert is probably not the sort of back to shoulder a workload of 20 carries per game, but among the 46 players with 300 carries or more between 2021 and 2023, his 4.9 yards-per-carry average ranks seventh. He generated 189 RYOE over that stretch, which ranked 11th among all backs. Some of that was playing alongside Justin Fields, but Chicago’s other backs produced minus-256 RYOE across their carries.
