Back issue could delay return to NFL for Cowboys’ exciting defender after strong camp – K.D. Drummond, The Cowboys Wire
Perrion Winfrey had a strong camp and preseason to make the Cowboys roster, but now is dealing with a back issue ahead of week one.
Winfrey spent just one season in Cleveland, having a firearm charge eventually leading to his release. He latched on with the New York Jets, but wasn’t able to establish himself and eventually ended up in the UFL with the Birmingham Stallions. Winfrey turned that setback into opportunity, making All-UFL this past season and getting himself back on the radar of NFL clubs.
McClay pounced and brought him to Dallas.
Unfortunately, WInfrey’s ability to re-debut in the NFL after being run out the league his first time through is up for debate. A back injury suffered earlier in the week had him sit out of Tuesday’s practice, so it’s unsure whether he’ll be available to play against the Eagles on Thursday night.
Winfrey is one of five defensive tackles in the Dallas rotation to start the year. Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark will be the starters, with Winfrey subbing in alongside Solomon Thomas and Mazi Smith. Some observers have mentioned how his rise reminds them of the positive start to his Cowboys career that David Irving had.
The Eagles’ HC sees what many Cowboys fans are still hoping to see without Parsons on defense, which is quality depth at defensive end.
The Philadelphia Eagles won’t have to face Micah Parsons ahead of Thursday night’s season-opener against the Dallas Cowboys, following his shocking trade to the Green Bay Packers, but the Birds are focusing on who will be on the field.
“We have so much going on here,” head coach Sirianni told reporters while discussing the Parsons trade. “We’re getting ready to play the Cowboys, so he’s in your thoughts for game planning, but they still have guys that we have to prepare for. They have Kenny Clark, who’s a really good player, and they have good depth at that defensive end group. You don’t get too wrapped up in that except for some of the things you’re doing with the game plan. But, also understanding that they have a lot of good players over there and getting ready for those guys and shifting your attention to that.”
Star offensive tackle Jordan Mailata also addressed the absence of Parsons.
“A sigh of relief,” he told reporters Sunday, laughing, when asked what preparations were like now that Parsons isn’t in Dallas. “I say that as a joke, but at the same time, it’s just kinda crazy. For the last four, five years we’ve played the Cowboys, we’ve come up with a game plan, because Micah’s a gamer. So it is a sigh of relief that you don’t have to plan like that anymore. However, that is a talented D-line and talented defense, so you’ve got to treat them with the same respect with or without Parsons.”
The Cowboys need these players to be X-factors against the Eagles – Shane Taylor, Inside The Star
The Cowboys are all-in on being a sounder run defense going against the Eagles, but will need Mazi Smith to be a factor here.
Mazi Smith
You want to beat the Eagles? You have to stop Barkley, and Mazi Smith my eyes are all on you my guy.
You were a first round pick to come in and stop the run. You have not done much in your first two years. Now is the time.
The frustrating thing about Smith’s NFL career thus far is he appears to have the physical tools to succeed. He is 6-foot-3, with a 33 3/4″ wingspan while weighing 337 pounds. He has everything he needs to stop being a no-show every single week, yet here we are again.
This will be his last season as a Dallas Cowboy. I think if he does not produce the way that he should.
The Eagles are going to lean on the run and even though Micah Parsons was an edge rusher, more weight is going to be on Mazi Smith with him being gone.
Perfect time for your breakout game, Thursday.
Cowboys point/counterpoint: Did Micah Parsons trade kill season before it even began? – David Howman, Blogging The Boys
The Cowboys will find out quickly what they are up against in the NFC East this year with week one at the Eagles and week two vs. the Giants.
I do feel like every year we talk ourselves into the NFC East being tougher than it ever has been, and every year (that Prescott stays healthy) the Cowboys are in the playoffs. Obviously the standard is more than just that, but people are forgetting how much Prescott does for this team’s chances.
The defense may not be as good as it was in the Quinn years, but having Prescott back under center – and with an upgraded receiving corps, no less – is huge. He’s won plenty of shootouts over the years, some of those even coming in the Quinn years, and he’s capable of doing it with Lamb, Pickens, Turpin, and Ferguson.
As for the rest of the division, it’s easy to make the case for any of those teams to either regress or take a huge step forward. I’m not convinced any of them are surefire contenders at this stage.
Tom: Yeah, the season hasn’t started and we really don’t know how any team is going to play on the field. But I have a hard time seeing the Eagles taking much of a step back. They rely so heavily on the running game, and that usually comes around quickly. That roster still looks very deep.
I’ll give you the others being less certain. Still, my concerns about Dallas are more from looking at them. They lack depth in key areas, the running back room is still a bit of a mystery, that O line has to come together in a hurry, it is a big leap to say Kenny Clark is going to fix the defensive line, and on and on. I don’t think Schottenheimer was a bad hire. I just think he has the deck stacked against him. I can’t help but think that this team would have to seriously overachieve in order to even make the playoffs. In the tumultuous world of the Dallas Cowboys, that seems unlikely.
David: The Eagles lost a handful of starters on defense and nearly half of their offensive staff, namely offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Philadelphia insiders were praising Moore for being the much-needed buffer between Nick Sirianni and Jalen Hurts, and now that dynamic is gone, replaced by a first time playcaller who’s been Sirianni’s right hand man for a long time.
Between those factors and the inevitable Super Bowl hangover, I can easily see the Eagles taking a step back. I don’t think it’ll happen, but I could even see them miss the postseason altogether.
2025 NFL projected win totals: Floor & ceiling for each NFC team – Cynthia Frelund, NFL.com
It is very humbling to see the Cowboys only ahead of the Saints, and (barely) the Giants on this list.
Wins 5.8
Not sure if you heard, but the Cowboys traded Micah Parsons to the Packers. I think DT Kenny Clark, who was part of the return package from Green Bay, is a valuable asset, but I was very leery of Dallas’ banged-up secondary even before the franchise parted ways with Parsons.
One positive note: CeeDee Lamb had 101 receptions for 1,194 receiving yards in 2024, marking his third consecutive season with triple-digit catches — and he forecasts to do it again this season.
The Cowboys might have a plan on defense after all… at least when it comes to the coaching staff.
Mickey Spagnola and Tommy Yarrish of the official Cowboys’ website answer if Eberflus can avoid the awful defensive start that Zimmer was responsible for in 2024. Yarrish gives some optimism to Eberflus, thanks to one adjustment that Zimmer never bothered to think about.
“I think Eberflus has a lot of guys on this staff that are familiar with how he does thing and his system. That wasn’t necessarily as much of the case with Mike Zimmer. Familiarity with the scheme and how Eberflus will call the defense in general helps avoid some of the things early from last season that Mike Zimmer regretted not doing earlier.”
Matt Eberflus having former Bears coaches next to him is what the Cowboys needed
Of course, no one is trying to turn the Cowboys into the Bears, but Eberflus having guys that he knows well on the staff is a major difference from Zimmer. Dave Borgonzi, the linebackers coach, and Andre Curtis, the defensive passing game coordinator are faces that Eberflus knows well from his time with the Bears.
It almost seems like the hiring of Zimmer was too easy, as if it was rushed of some sort. Eberflus having his old Bears coaches along with Jack Sanborn at linebacker should make for defensive communication to look miles better.
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