Cowboys’ Brian Schottenheimer on 3-4-1 start: Can take stats on offense and shove ‘em – Nick Shook, NFL.com
Schottenheimer is interested in wins not statistics.
In a parity-filled, unpredictable 2025 season, perhaps no team matches their overall record better the Dallas Cowboys.
At 3-4-1, Dallas has been good enough to win (and in one instance, tie) shootouts. The Cowboys have also been porous enough defensively to get shredded by the likes of Denver, Carolina and the Russell Wilson-led Giants, with the last being the most damning fact of all.
It’s been evident from the first week of the season: The Cowboys are an offensively driven team, powered by a unit capable of scoring enough to keep them in most games thanks in large part to the excellent play of quarterback Dak Prescott.
That’s understandably not satisfactory for first-year coach Brian Schottenheimer.
“None of us have done good enough. Coaches, players, head coach, none of us have done good enough,” Schottenheimer told reporters on Wednesday. “That’s real. Our scorecard is what it is. That’s not just defensively, that’s offensively. We’re a football team that’s 3-4-1. You can take the stats on offense and shove ‘em up your a– as far as I’m concerned.”
Clowney, Clark on defensive woes: ‘Hold each other accountable’ – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
The Cowboys have one of the worst defenses in team history this season, and it needs to change.
FRISCO, Texas — It’s statistically one of the worst defenses in the history of the Dallas Cowboys, so it stands to reason coaches and players alike are oscillating between frustration and anger. Eight games into the 2025 season, sitting at 3-4-1 and approaching the point of no return if they can’t figure out a way to consistently stop opposing offenses, there’s no shortage of pressure for that side of the ball to, at minimum, be serviceable.
The tone of each defensive player, however, remains one of determination, and that includes Jadeveon Clowney, now several games in after joining the team via free agency in September.
He’s been around the NFL block a few times, and seen his fair share of rosters — trying to figure out what’s holding the Cowboys’ defense back heading into the Week 9 matchup against the Arizona Cardinals.
“I tell the guys all the time, man, I’ve played on seven teams — it’s my seventh year,” said Clowney. “There’s a lot of talent on his roster for us to not be winning consistently. We always have to come back and figure out what’s going on. We’ve got a lot of talent here.”
Cowboys DL Perrion Winfrey designated to return from IR – Connor Livesay, Blogging The Boys
The former fourth-round pick is working his way back to the field.
The defensive tackle play from the Dallas Cowboys in 2025 has been less than ideal. With veterans Osa Odighizuwa and Kenny Clark really struggling the last few weeks, the Cowboys have tried mixing up snaps from Mazi Smith, Jay Toia, and Solomon Thomas to look for a jolt in production. With little success, the Cowboys may turn to an offseason hero in Perrion Winfrey, who the Dallas Cowboys designated to return off of IR.
Winfrey, 25, has yet to play this season for the Cowboys due to a back injury he suffered leading up to the Cowboys week one game against the Philadelphia Eagles. Winfrey was placed on IR before week one and has been flying under the radar since.
After slow first half, Cowboys second-round DE Donovan Ezeiruaku is improving week by week – Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News
Its been a methodical process, but Donovan Ezeiruaku is figuring things out.
FRISCO — In his senior season at Boston College, Donovan Ezeiruaku led the nation with 16 1/2 sacks with a 1.38 per game sack rate. He had 15 quarterback hits, 20 1/2 tackles for loss and 80 tackles.
In the pros, Ezeiruaku, the Cowboys’ second-round pick edge rusher, has just one sack and nine quarterback hits through eight games of his rookie season.
He said he’s improving each week, and that’s been evident recently as he hits the halfway mark of his first year as an NFL player.
In the last three weeks, Ezeiruaku has six tackles, three tackles for loss, four quarterback hits and one sack.
“I think I’ve been getting better every week,” he said. “I think it’s going pretty well in terms of my individual personal development. But it’s obviously tough when you know as a team we’re not doing what we’re supposed to do. Sometimes it feels that I’m not really progressing as a player individually but things are going well. I’m healthy and I’m going to continue to push and get wins.”
Dallas continues to have ties to Bengals’ star pass rusher Trey Hendrickson.
Dallas has been linked to Cincinnati Bengals superstar Trey Hendrickson, who led the league in sacks in 2024, but there have been conflicting reports on whether the team would actually part ways with him.
After Sunday’s heartbreaking loss to the New York Jets, Hendrickson could be back on the trade block. In fact, Hendrickson is listed as day-to-day with a reported hip issue. Players popping up on the injury report and being inactive before a potential trade is not an uncommon practice.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Cowboys remain interested in landing the 31-year-old pass rusher.
“Up to this point, the Bengals have rebuffed trade inquiries, and sources have maintained that Cincinnati has no plans to trade Hendrickson right now,” Fowler wrote.
”The Cowboys and 49ers are among the interested teams, though San Francisco made a move for a pass rusher Tuesday night.”
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