The latest news about the Dallas Cowboys before Thanksgiving.
Cowboys O-line embodies ‘five is one’ mentality vs. Commanders – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys offensive line had one of its best games, even without Tyler Smith and Zack Martin.
Zack Martin and Tyler Smith have made a combined 10 All-Pro teams and 10 additional Pro Bowls. Both did not play on Sunday against the Washington Commanders.
Typical rule of thumb tells you that when you’re without that experience and pedigree on the offensive line, you see a dip in play. Instead, Brock Hoffman and T.J. Bass helped lead the Cowboys to one of, if not their best performance on the offensive line this season.
“We definitely had a lot of moving parts, but we have a standard in our o-line room that says ‘five is one,’” Hoffman said. “And no matter who’s in there, we all play to that standard that’s been set for the Dallas Cowboys for years.”
Between Bass, Hoffman, and rookie center Cooper Beebe, only two pressures were registered on Cooper Rush on a combined 99 pass blocks, allowing him to complete 24 of his 32 passing attempts for 247 yards and two touchdowns. In the run game, they allowed Rico Dowdle to rush for 86 yards on 19 carries, his second-best rushing performance of the season.
“It was time for us to step up and I thought we did,” Beebe said. “I thought we played with a pretty good attitude, something that I feel like we hadn’t been playing with for a couple weeks, it was nice to get a win and get back on track.”
Jerry Jones: ‘Not crazy’ Cowboys may keep Mike McCarthy – Todd Archer, ESPN.com
If the Dallas Cowboys do the impossible, there is a world in which Mike McCarthy could be the head coach next season.
“I don’t think that’s crazy at all. That’s not crazy,” Jones said. “Listen, Mike McCarthy is an outstanding coach. … Mike McCarthy has been there, done that. He’s got great ideas. So the bottom line is in no place in my body language or anything else have you seen an indication about what we’re going to be doing relative to this staff at the end of this year. And we shouldn’t. We’ve got a lot of football left.”
McCarthy was asked about Jones’ comments later Tuesday.
“I really haven’t talked about it all year and definitely not going to start on a short week and an important division game,” he said. “But I’m not going to throw away positive vibes, either. So keep them coming. It’s all good. But, yeah, that’s not something I’m really focused on.”
The Cowboys are 4-7 and snapped a five-game losing streak in Sunday’s win against the Washington Commanders. They play the 2-9 New York Giants on Thanksgiving, followed by games against the Cincinnati Bengals (4-7) and Carolina Panthers (3-8).
“This thing isn’t over,” Jones said to The Fan.
Jones noted the Cowboys will have players such as wide receiver Brandin Cooks, defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence and others coming off injured reserve and guards Zack Martin (ankle, shoulder) and Tyler Smith (knee, ankle) and tight end Jake Ferguson (concussion) returning from injuries.
But the Cowboys are on thin ice. Since 1990, seven teams have started 4-7 and made the playoffs; however, two of those teams (Washington in 2020 and Carolina in 2014) won their divisions with sub-.500 records. Since the expansion to the 17-game schedule in 2021, two teams have made the playoffs with 4-7 starts (Jacksonville in 2022 and Tampa Bay in 2023), but both were division winners.
DaRon Bland ‘feels great’ after 2024 debut, ahead of Thanksgiving bout vs. Giants – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
Could DaRon Bland have a pick-six on Thanksgiving for a second year in a row?
The good news for Bland is that, following his 2024 debut against the Washington Commanders, his surgically-repaired foot is showing no signs of a setback.
“The soreness wasn’t too bad,” he said. “[I’m] good.”
That matters in a major way when considering the Cowboys are tasked with taking the field for a second game in a matter of only four days. That is difficult enough of a task for players who haven’t missed any time prior to this stretch but, for one who missed the previous 10 games, the challenge is heightened.
For his part, Bland says he’s ready to get back on the field again, not taken any snaps for granted at this point.
“It was good being back out there,” the All-Pro said. “I felt like I knocked off some rust. … [I feel] Better than I thought it would. I thought I’d be a lot more rusty, but I feel pretty good.”
He was met with a bit of a surprise when the Cowboys ditched their plan to put him on a pitch count later in the eventual upset win over the Commanders, Bland going on to log more than 60 reps in this first game back.
His play helped contribute to one of the best collective efforts from Dallas’ defense this season, one they’re hoping to duplicate on Thansgiving, sans the late-game anxiety.
“We just needed to hunker down a little bit,” said Bland.
Giants’ Daboll says sore Tommy DeVito not 100% to play Thursday – Jordan Raanan, ESPN.com
It’s not likely, but we live in a world where the Thanksgiving matchup could feature Cooper Rush vs Tim Boyle.
Daboll is “hopeful” that DeVito will be ready to make his second start since replacing Daniel Jones. DeVito was projected as a limited participant in Tuesday’s walk-through practice as the Giants try to snap a six-game skid.
“The plan is to play,” DeVito said afterward. “Yeah, see how I feel [Wednesday]. Hopefully wake up feeling a little bit better after I get some more treatment.”
DeVito will start if he’s healthy enough to play. Backup Drew Lock will take some reps at practice just in case.
The Giants (2-9) are operating on a short week with just four days between games. That gives DeVito, who took several big hits in Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, limited time to prove he’s able to play.
“He threw in the walk-through,” Daboll said. “I wouldn’t say it’s timing or a lot of depth to it or velocity to it, but he was throwing in a walk-through. He’s going to test it out here [Tuesday] in practice in another walk-through, so I’m hopeful, but it’s not 100 percent.”
DeVito wasn’t on the projected injury report Monday.
“Just this morning, like today, he was out there with his sleeve and I’m like, ‘You good?’” Daboll said. “He’s like, ‘Yeah, I’ll be good. I’ll be good. I’m a little sore.’”
A strong showing puts Josh Butler in the mix at cornerback for the Cowboys, now and later – Dan Rogers, Blogging the Boys
If Trevon Diggs can’t go on Thursday, Josh Butler will have another opportunity to start.
The Dallas Cowboys were not expected to beat the Washington Commanders on Sunday. After losing five straight games, it was evident that the wheels had come off causing them to spin out of control. But somehow, this team managed to get control of the steering wheel and drive themselves to victory. It wasn’t easy as there were some potholes along the way and they were a little reckless at times, but they managed to park themselves into the win column for the first time since early October.
This win was a collective effort by a cast of characters we wouldn’t expect to lead the charge. The team featured many backups and a few backups to backups. With the team dealing with many injuries, desperate times call for desperate measures. The Cowboys had to reach deep for this one.
One of those down-the-roster guys who was thrown into action was cornerback Josh Butler. After playing college at Michigan State, Butler wasn’t drafted forcing him to play in alternative leagues, including the USFL last year. The Cowboys signed him last summer and he flashed in the preseason but ultimately didn’t make the roster. He spent last year on the practice squad.
He returned this season but again failed to make the team at final roster cuts. Back to the practice squad, he went. With recent injuries, the Cowboys finally called his number. He’s played in the last four games, including the last two where he has started at outside corner.
On Sunday, Butler played his best game. He did a good job staying toe-to-toe with the receiver, getting his head turned around, and making plays on the ball. He traveled mostly with former Cowboys wide receiver Noah Brown who has become the Commanders no. 2 WR option. Washington attacked Butler early and often, which allowed him to rack up the tackles, but he did a good job keeping things in front of him. He played with good physicality, not shying away from contact, and his closing ability led to three pass breakups. It was quite an impressive showing for a guy who didn’t even make the Cowboys final roster in September.
