The Cowboys get one of their most explosive weapons back in Week 7.
FRISCO, Texas – As the Cowboys prepare to face the Commanders at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, they’ll be getting some of their key playmakers back in KaVontae Turpin.
Turpin has missed the last two games with a foot injury for Dallas. After being limited in practice on Wednesday and Thursday, Turpin was a full participant in Friday’s practice and carries no injury designation, meaning he’s good to go.
“I feel like I’m back to 100%,” Turpin said. “No hurting in my toes, I feel good now that I can be out there competing with my guys on Sunday…”
“Wednesday, I took it one day at a time, every play at a time. Thursday I went out there ready to go, then today I went out there not even worrying about it, just knowing that I’m going to be out there Sunday.”
He’ll be joining fellow WR CeeDee Lamb back out on the field as well, who has missed the last three full games for Dallas with a high ankle sprain. In the absence of Lamb and Turpin, George Pickens has stepped up big for the Cowboys offense.
With the additions of Lamb and Turpin back into the lineup, the hope is that the NFL’s number one offense can only continue to improve under first-year head coach Brian Schottenheimer.
“I would just say just keep the trust in Schotty,” Turpin said. “Hopefully he can get everybody the ball, everybody’s out there trying to make a play. My boy [George Pickens] man, I just hope they keep finding ways to move him, put him in the slot, and find ways to get him the ball.”
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs out vs. Commanders after ‘accident’ at his home Thursday night – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News
In a weird turn of events, Trevon Diggs will not play this Sunday.
FRISCO — Cowboys coach Brian Schottenheimer announced Friday that starting cornerback Trevon Diggs will miss Sunday’s game against Washington with a concussion.
Schottenheimer said Diggs suffered the concussion as a result of an accident at his home on Thursday night. Schottenheimer was informed of the health issue Friday morning before speaking with reporters.
“Trevon Diggs came in this morning with some concussion symptoms after having an accident in his home,” Schottenheimer said. “He’s been checked out by our doctors and he is in the protocol and he’ll miss the game.”
Schottenheimer said he didn’t have details on how the accident occurred. He didn’t know if Diggs went to the hospital because he needed more information.
Cowboys’ defensive progress, CeeDee Lamb’s impact and … the sun: 3 things I’m watching – Jon Machota, The Athletic
Several things will be under a microscope for the Cowboys versus the Commanders.
Over six weeks into the season and Dallas Cowboys defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus says his group is still working on finding its identity. That’s not a great sign for a unit that ranks among the league’s worst in several categories, including yards allowed (412 per game) and passer rating against (117.0).
Will it be any better this Sunday against Washington? Many would say that it couldn’t be any worse than it was last weekend in Charlotte.
But don’t expect significant changes. Eberflus, talking with reporters Thursday for the first time since the Cowboys’ disastrous defensive performance at Carolina, said the adjustments they are making are “subtle.”
“We had some good meetings this week, some good conversations,” Eberflus said. “When your performance has been inconsistent or not to the standard, you certainly look at everything. You try to find solutions, that’s the coach’s job to get that done. Nothing is off the table.”
All areas have struggled, which makes it difficult to expect a small change to lead to dramatic improvement. The current personnel doesn’t appear to be fully bought into the scheme. The roster could also use an upgrade in talent at all three levels. But Eberflus said he believes, “the solutions are in the room.”
“There’s no magic call,” he said. “You gotta do those three things, you gotta make sure that you’re fundamentally sound, make sure you do a great job playing with violence and then execute.”
Eberflus has coached in the NFL since 2009. He has been in charge of defenses for the better part of the past decade. Has he ever been in a situation like this one six weeks into a season?
“The numbers would not say that,” he responded. “But, hey, we are what we are. So we got to be where our feet are. It’s important that we do that. You can’t look at the past. This is where we are right now. We’re working to take a step this week.”
Rinse, Repeat: Cowboys made questionable hire at DC, then made his job impossible – K.D. Drummond, Cowboys Wire
Matt Eberflus was doomed from the start when the Cowboys hired him.
When Jerry Jones hired Brian Schottenheimer as the newest head coach of the Dallas Cowboys, it shocked most observers in the media and the fanbase. Over the last nine months though, Jones has been proven correct in his assessment of what the first-time head honcho was bringing to the table. His offense is creative, and possibly far more importantly, his presence demands a ton of respect from his troops.
His energy, knowledge and confidence have inspired a team of players who are used to being in the center of attention. At least, on the offense. The defense is a different story entirely, and while the club has operated under a separation of church and state for the last several staffs, the offensive-minded head coach is going to have to do something about the defense if things continue on their current trajectory in Week 7 against the Washington Commanders.
Enough is enough. The Cowboys have been down this road before and it did not end well.
In 2020, the club hired Mike McCarthy, a solely offensive-minded head coach, who in turn handed over the reigns of that year’s defense to Mike Nolan. Nolan didn’t inspire much confidence from the outside, but McCarthy believed in him. That year had extenuating circumstances, with the COVID-19 pandemic changing how life happened for the majority of the world. The NFL wasn’t exempt, and distancing protocols, testing and vaccination mandates and empty stadiums made things difficult on new coaching staffs.
Dallas struggled mightily, firing Nolan at the end of just one season, and moving on to the next defensive era rather quickly.
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