The Dallas Cowboys defeated the Las Vegas Raiders, and with it came some feelings of goodness that we haven’t felt in a while. It’s just the Raiders, and no one is hearing the Rocky comeback theme playing in the background, but good things happened, and it’s okay to feel happy. The offense got back on track with four-straight touchdown drives that put the game away before the start of the fourth quarter. The defense featured the return/debut of several new players who are hoping to make strong contributions down the stretch. Sure, the chances of making the playoffs still seem insurmountable, but there are reasons to be optimistic about the team’s future, and those things revealed themselves on Monday night.
Quinnen Williams is that dude
The Cowboys have been searching forever to find a playmaker in the interior defensive line. The team has made attempts in the draft and in acquiring outside players to help out, but whatever they did, they always fell short. The front office made a huge move to acquire the New York Jets’ 27-year-old All-Pro defensive tackle, hoping he would finally provide the answers they were looking for. The trade came with mixed feelings as some questioned if Williams may have peaked, and the Cowboys were getting a player on the downswing. Suffice it to say, all eyes were on the team’s shiny new toy on Monday night.
Fortunately for the Cowboys, you couldn’t have scripted things any better. Williams was an absolute beast. When the Raiders tried to fend him off with a single blocker, he blew right around them like they were standing still. Vegas struggled to handle the power coming from the Cowboys’ interior defensive line. It wasn’t just Williams doing the damage, as his fellow DTs, Kenny Clark and Osa Odighizuwa, were creating problems as well. The improved strength in the middle showcased how effective other players could be as well. The entire defensive line played off each other, and suddenly the Cowboys could shut down the run and pressure the quarterbacks with the same personnel. And for the first time all season, they could achieve this with four defensive linemen. Suddenly, the team had more resources available in the secondary to shut down the passing game.
Williams’ outstanding debut demonstrated how effective this defense could be in defending the run and pressuring the quarterback quickly. He takes pressure off his fellow trench-mates and allows the team to do more with less. Williams, combined with the other new additions, makes this a more formidable unit and gives the team a better chance to win games.
Lamb and Pickens are becoming BFFs
It was unfortunate to see CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens standing on the sideline when the Cowboys’ offense took the field to start the game. You never want to see your two best offensive weapons be bystanders, but that is what happened. The word on the street is that they didn’t start as a result of disciplinary reasons resulting from being late to meetings. You have to hand it to head coach Brian Schottenheimer for holding them accountable for their actions. Even amid a difficult season where the team has a losing record and needs its two best pass catchers in a big way, the coach held firm and sidelined them for the first series. It’s a positive sign that Schottenheimer isn’t compromising his values and will follow through with repercussions regardless of who the players are stepping out of line.
Beyond that, it also could be an indication of how close Lamb and Pickens have become. It’s not good that friends are getting in trouble together, but they could be building a strong camaraderie. This could become important later when Pickens negotiates his new contract this offseason. With the type of year he is having, he’s looking at a nice payday, but having an opportunity to remain in a good situation with a new best friend could provide some incentive to stay in Dallas. That’s not to say that he’ll give the Cowboys a nice discount, but his friendship with Lamb and desire to stick around could help bridge the gap when the negotiations are getting close.
The Micah Parsons trade keeps looking better
If the Cowboys keep Pickens and Williams continues to show that he is as good as advertised, the perception of the Micah Parsons trade will start to turn in the Cowboys’ favor. Jerry Jones went on record after the trade and stated that they believed they could get three to five players in exchange for Parsons when you factor in players acquired in the trade itself (Kenny Clark), the draft picks (Quinnen Williams and a 2026 first-rounder), and other players they could sign because of the extra cap resources they’d have (possibly Pickens).
We don’t know how everything will play out. Do the Cowboys allocate that many financial resources at defensive tackle, or do they rebalance things a bit? Clark may be a trade candidate next offseason, or maybe they love being dominant in the middle and find a way to figure other things out. What this ultimately could mean is that the Cowboys gave up…
Micah Parsons and a 2026 second-round pick
and got in return…
Quinnen Williams, Kenny Clark, the ability to keep George Pickens, and a 2026 first-round pick
Re-signing Pickens may not have been in the cards if the Cowboys had to shell out a huge chunk of money to Parsons. When you look at it this way, the returns they are getting for Parsons keep looking better and better.
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