Jerry Jones: When Cowboys have had NFL’s highest-paid player, ‘we’ve won Super Bowls’ :: Dallas Morning News
Jones put Prescott’s new megacontract in a unique perspective, hoping that history repeats itself. “I will say this: any time that we’ve ever made players the highest-paid player — key players, such as Troy Aikman, the highest-paid player in the game — we’ve won Super Bowls.”
CeeDee Lamb never had interest in playing without Dak Prescott :: SI.com
The wide receiver told Kay Adams on her show that he didn’t want to start over with a new quarterback or go through a quarterback carousel. Lamb says he and Prescott stayed in contact throughout his own contract negotiations, and he was relieved that both of them have been locked in for the foreseeable future.
Cowboys WR CeeDee Lamb offers advice for Ja’Marr Chase and his contract saga :: SI.com
Lamb says he would not have played for the Cowboys in Week 1 had his new extension not come through. But he says Cincinnati’s Ja’Marr Chase is playing it right and should “keep working, keep grinding,” even without a new deal of his own. Chase rolled out a six-catch performance against New England and said last week he’s willing to play the rest of the season with or without an extension.
If We’re Being Honest: Cowboys offense was actually awful for half of Week 1 win :: Cowboys Wire
Lost in the excitement of a convincing win was the fact the Cowboys offense didn’t convert a single third down after halftime and moved the ball just 49 yards in the final 30 minutes of play. McCarthy spoke of the sloppiness that often comes with September football, but Dak Prescott & Co. probably can’t afford to wait until October to ramp up to full strength.
Jake Ferguson injury opens door for out-the-box plan centered around under-the-radar UDFA :: Cowboys Wire
If the tight end has to miss time with his MCL sprain, there’s nothing that says the Cowboys have to use another tight end to pick up all the slack. McCarthy says fullback Hunter Luepke is “at the front of the line.” Of Luepke’s 45 snaps in Week 1, only eight came out of the backfield. The bulk of his snaps on offense actually came as an inline TE, allowing the offense to be in either 12 or 21 personnel any time he’s on the field.
Ezekiel Elliott emotional after first TD following reunion with Cowboys, feels rejuvenated :: The Mothership
From the hurdled defender to start the game to the short yardage touchdown to catching the ball out of the backfield to his rabid willingness to protect Dak Prescott — Elliott cooked on Sunday. “It felt good to be back out there with the Star on my helmet,” said two-time All-Pro. “Great team win. Wish the offense could have finished stronger at the end, but it’s always great to get that first away win and let’s keep building on that.”
‘What a kick’: Inside the sequence that scrapped 71-yard FG try by Cowboys’ Brandon Aubrey :: Cowboys Wire
John Fassel blamed a late switch of footballs and a last-second substitution by the Browns for the delay of game penalty that wiped out Aubrey’s 66-yard field goal Sunday. With the try moved back five yards, both Fassel and Mike McCarthy had flashbacks to field goals that were returned against them earlier in their careers and opted to wave off an NFL-record 71-yard attempt. Aubrey called the decision “the right call” based on the conditions in the stadium, but he said he’d love the chance to go for one from 70-plus someday.
Soak up Week 1’s Sounds from the Sideline :: Dallas Cowboys
Cowboys’ Parsons, Lawrence continue troubling identity, still leaving meat on the bone :: Cowboys Wire
The edge rushers combined for 18 pressures and three sacks Sunday, but they could have had more. Both Parsons and Lawrence had their hands on Deshaun Watson two other times but allowed him to escape. It’s not a new issue; Dallas ranked tops last year in pressure, but only 14th in actual sacks. A sack results in an EPA impact that’s 25 times that of a simple pressure, so it will be important for Cowboys defenders to seal the deal far more often when they get into opposing backfields.
NFL Week 1 best and worst coaching decisions: Andy Reid’s motion plays spark Chiefs :: The Athletic
Defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer’s weaponization of Micah Parsons was lauded as one of the NFL’s best coaching jobs of Week 1. The veteran coach smartly realized it’s less about his system and more about how he’ll maximize one of the league’s most feared players. Parsons lined up all over the field on Sunday, and everything about it was not only purposeful, it was hugely successful.
What the Cowboys’ DeMarvion Overshown showed in Cleveland was worth a painful wait :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram
If Overshown is as good as he displayed Sunday, he solves a major issue for the Cowboys that they could never fix last season. “I’ve been ready for some time now and they let me cut it loose [against Cleveland], and definitely thankful. Grateful. Blessed,” Overshown said. Whatever doubt may have existed that he was not “right,” he corrected in an NFL debut with 11 tackles, one sack, a tackle for loss, and two QB hits.
Winner, Losers from Cowboys impressive victory over Cleveland :: Cowboys Wire
Kendricks had a spectacular Cowboys debut, showing the former free agent still has plenty left to give. And Overshown finally got to show what had Cowboys coaches so excited before his injury last year. The Cowboys as a whole, though, struggled in the run game, and Ferguson’s knee injury- even if not as severe as feared- won’t help the offense in the short-term.
NFL Week 2 Power Rankings 2024: How all 32 teams stack up :: ESPN
The Cowboys climb four spots in ESPN’s power rankings, from 11th to 7th, following their big win in Cleveland. That represented the biggest improvement for any team in the top 10. Overshown was singled out as turning in the best newcomer performance. There might be growing pains for him as the year progresses, but he is off to a great start.
Cowboys 2025 Tracker: How PFF graded each pending free agent in Week 1 :: Cowboys Wire
Some of the top-graded Cowboys could be on the move next season. Cornerback Jourdan Lewis and linebacker Eric Kendricks were given high scores in key categories, as were KaVontae Turpin for his punt return and long snapper Trent Sieg in a specialized role. Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle may have done better than you think in certain metrics.
Cowboys restructured controversial contract to create cap space before season started :: Cowboys Wire
Dallas inked Terence Steele to a five-year, $82.5 million extension right before the start of the 2023 season. A new restructure, though, has pushed $4.5 million of the right tackle’s base salary for this year into the future. The move shrinks Steele’s base salary from $7.25 million to $1.625 million for the 2024 season, shaving $4.5 million from this year’s cap hit and adding $1.125 million to each of the next four seasons.
183 Senior player nominees announced for Pro Football Hall of Fame Class of 2025 :: NFL.com
The list of nearly 200 players who last played at least 25 full seasons ago will be reduced to 50 names over the next several weeks. Among the former Cowboys in this year’s Seniors category are Don Meredith, Daryl Johnston, Nate Newton, Ed “Too Tall” Jones, Harvey Martin, and Everson Walls.
