Cowboys news: Dallas hopes returning players will solve their problems

The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.

Cowboys refuse to help Dak Prescott as Ravens make no-brainer trade for cheap WR – Jerry Trotta, TheLandryHat.com

Multiple contenders around the league are making moves… Dallas remains stagnant.

While there is no defending Prescott’s play, it is obvious he needs more help. It’s hopeless to expect the running game to improve at this juncture, but what is stopping the Cowboys from trading for a wide receiver?

Whatever it is, Jerry Jones and Co. were caught snoozing again on Tuesday as the Ravens acquired Diontae Johnson and a 2025 sixth-round pick from the Panthers in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick.

Diontae Johnson trade proves Cowboys don’t want to help Dak Prescott

Johnson is a perfect fit in Baltimore, just like he would have been on the Cowboys. The Ravens needed a more consistent WR2 for Lamar Jackson, who might mess around and win his second straight MVP and third overall.

2023 first-round pick Zay Flowers has 41 catches for 527 yards on the season. No other Ravens pass-catcher has more than 24 catches or 422 receiving yards. Flowers has also accounted for eight more first downs than any Baltimore pass-catcher.

The Ravens came up short against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game last season and they went out and signed Derrick Henry to give Jackson the luxury of an elite rushing attack. The Cowboys lost in the Wild Card Round and Jerry Jones said Henry was too expensive to sign even though Henry lives in Dallas in the offseason and was open to playing for the Cowboys.

This isn’t about Henry, but Jackson won the MVP last season. Prescott finished runner-up behind Jackson. The Ravens are clearly going for it while Dallas is operating like a team in the midst of a rebuild.

Prescott needs to clean up his game, but no front office in the NFL does less to help its quarterback than the Cowboys. The Diontae Johnson trade won’t be the last piece of evidence before the Nov. 5 deadline is over.

Cowboys front office counting on returning injured players to turn season around – Dana Bartholomew, BloggingTheBoys.com

The franchise of “We Like Our Guys” is hoping some of those guys return soon.

It is no secret that this season has been disappointing through the first seven games, and the sand in the hourglass is running low for this team to turn things around. With 10 games left, currently third in the NFC East, there should be a sense of urgency to do just that. In order for this Cowboys team to have a chance in doing so, self-reflection needs to take place at every level of this organization. However, the front office for the Cowboys is determined to continue selling hope to the fans.

On Monday, Stephen Jones spoke with 105.3 The Fan to reiterate his confidence in the roster as it sits currently, citing the injuries on defense as the main contributor for this early adversity.

Jerry Jones joined 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday with the same sales pitch: hope that the players coming back from injury will somehow solve all of the issues and turn the season around. “That’s what we’ve got. That’s the reality”.

While these returning players will no doubt be an improvement, it is a bit negligent to say that it will be enough to get the season back on track. A lot of the struggles that are present today are the same struggles that the team faced last year and early this season when healthy. Mind you, the 49ers were also riddled with injuries this past weekend and were able to overcome it.

As it looks right now, the Cowboys are sticking with the personnel and staff that they have, holding steadfast in their plan of relying heavily on young players and the guys already in-house. The trade deadline is approaching next week and there is no sign of movement on that front for the Cowboys. The window for making the playoffs in 2024 is closing quick and there is very little room for error. Will hope be enough for the Cowboys to create that storybook ending? Right now, it’s getting difficult for even the most hopeful optimists to buy in.

Mailbag: Is safety a problem for Cowboys? – Tommy Yarrish, Mickey Spagnola, DallasCowboys.com

What was once a three-headed monster has certainly been tamed in 2024.

Safety was expected to be a position of strength for the Cowboys this season, but it seems like this group is struggling. Is it really a problem? Is age catching up with them? Or are they just victims of a poor defensive line? – Reggie Peterson/Memphis, TN

Mickey: Mickey: Well, look at it this way. As for age, not really since Malik Hooker is just 28 and Donovan Wilson 29. Here is what I think happened in the San Francisco game. The Cowboys were putting a high priority trying to stop the run, with linebackers filling the gaps on the line of scrimmage, at times have six to seven guys on the front. That put safety Donovan Wilson in a lot of single coverage it seems on the tight end, George Kittle, who is a handful to start with, and pass coverage is not a strength of Wilson’s. Tough matchup for a safety more of a run stopper. Plus, not sure we saw much pressure on Brock Purdy. Seemed to have the time of day in the pocket, which allows those crossing routes when in man, and if in zone, the communication must be spot on. Just need to get their top defensive guys out with injuries back on the field.

Tommy: It’s a mix of everything, but I think the largest factor in the safeties’ struggles is the fact that the defensive line has really struggled to generate pressure and quarterbacks have a lot of time to throw the football. On Sunday night, Brock Purdy was pressured on 33.3% of his drop backs, and when he wasn’t under duress, he completed 13 of 18 passes for 231 yards. With more than 2.5 seconds to throw, he was 9 of 15 for 151 yards. And the back breaker of them all was his second career highest output on the ground, with 56 yards and touchdown on eight carries. All ofthat shows me that even when the secondary is doing their job and covering receivers downfield, opposing quarterbacks aren’t being pressured nor brought to the ground enough to give the back end of the defense some support. It’s all a part of the complimentary football formula that the Cowboys have tried to establish through these first seven games but have come up short in doing so.

DaRon Bland injury update: Now or never for Cowboys All-Pro corner – Josh Sanchez, Sports Illustrated

Dallas had no choice but to activate Bland off of IR this week if he plans to play this season.

It is now or never for Dallas Cowboys All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland.

After beginning the season on injured reserve, the Cowboys started Bland’s 21-day window for a return. The final day to make a decision on Bland is today, Wednesday, October 30.

Bland has been close to a return since Week 6 against the Detroit Lions, but a setback has stopped him from making his highly-anticipated debut.

“Bland was nearly able to return to the lineup against the Lions in Week 6, but suffered a setback later in the week that held him out of the game and has still lingered,” Tommy Yarrish wrote. “Bland was also part of the rehab group this past week leading up to the 49ers game, where he did not participate in any practices during the week.

“The Cowboys will have to make a decision on Bland by Wednesday, as his 21-day practice window closes then. Bland will either need to be added to the active roster, or be placed on season-ending injured reserve.”

The Cowboys defense could use Bland’s presence on the field as we have seen throughout the first two months of the season.

Here are the injury reports for both the Cowboys and Falcons for Wednesday.