Your Wednesday morning news around the Dallas Cowboys.
Time to play Dalvin Cook? Jerry Jones addresses Cowboys’ running back situation – Joey Hayden, Dallas Morning News
The Dallas Cowboys are struggling to run the ball. Is it time they turn the reigns over to Dalvin Cook?
However, even with the veteran presence of Dalvin Cook in the wings on the Cowboys’ practice squad, team owner and general manager Jerry Jones doesn’t appear to be in a rush to shake up the Dallas rushing attack.
“I don’t necessarily see a change that would involve Cook this week,” Jones said Tuesday morning during his weekly radio interview with 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM).
“I like what we are with our running backs. We’ve got got good depth. We just didn’t get to run them enough Sunday.”
Up next for the Cowboys will be the Baltimore Ravens, a team heading into AT&T Stadium desperate for a victory after a surprising 0-2 start.
While the offense is led by reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson, joining him in the backfield is running back Derrick Henry, a name that many floated as a possible option for the Cowboys over the offseason in free agency.
Ahead of the looming matchup against Henry, Jones was also asked about the team’s decision to not pursue the two-time league leader in rushing after the departure of Tony Pollard.
“If you’ve got a good player out there and you don’t sign him, guess what, you’re probably going to be playing him,” Jones said. “When you do sign them, you take one out of your competition and you put him over on your side.
Big Picture: 10 Storylines for Cowboys & Ravens – Nick Eatman, DallasCowboys.com
Here are a few storylines that could pop up during this weekend’s matchup.
Ravens
– The Ravens are surprisingly 0-2 to start the season and have only been 0-3 once (2015) in franchise history. So to say they would enter Sunday’s game at AT&T Stadium in desperation would be an understatement, especially considering this is a franchise that has been to the playoffs five of the last six years, including a trip to the AFC Championship Game last season with the league’s MVP.
– Speaking of Lamar Jackson, he leads a Ravens offense ranked No. 1 in total yards after two weeks with 417.5 yards per game. He’s arguably the most dynamic running quarterback in NFL history, rushing for 83.5 yards per game in the first two weeks. But that’s also around his QB rating of 86.5. Jackson has thrown an interception in each of his first two losses.
Cowboys
– What a wake-up call it was for the Cowboys, who were humbled with a 25-point blowout home loss to the Saints in Week 2. It was the first regular-season home loss at AT&T Stadium in 16 games and the biggest blowout at home since the 2020 season (38-10 loss to Arizona). More alarming for the Cowboys, was how similar the game felt to the playoff loss at home to Green Bay back in January, when the Packers steamrolled to a 21-point halftime lead and cruised to the Divisional round.
– What a defense a week makes. After Mike Zimmer’s defense received a ton of praise for a dominating win over Cleveland, the unit was gutted by the Saints, who scored touchdowns on their first six drives. The defense had no answer for Alvin Kamara, who did the majority of damage on the perimeter, torching the Cowboys on the edge. After getting a sack and 11 pressures in Week 1 in Cleveland, All-Pro pass-rusher Micah Parsons was held in check by the Saints, totaling just three pressures and no sacks.
Cowboys HC Mike McCarthy Could Be Replaced by ‘Rising, Bright Football Mind’ – Anne Erickson, Heavy on Cowboys
Hey, if you can’t beat them, hire them.
Klint Kubiak Could Be One of Jerry Jones’ ‘First Calls This Offseason’
Joe Summers of Sport DFW has a September 15 feature where he says the “perfect” McCarthy replacement was “made clear” during the Cowboys vs. Saints game.
“New Orleans offensive coordinator Klint Kubiak is quickly becoming a popular head coaching candidate,” the NFL writer and expert stated. “Derek Carr led the Saints to scores on every drive in Week 1 then continued that streak into the 4th quarter against the Cowboys, giving Jerry Jones a perfect look at someone who could replace McCarthy once he’s let go.”
He added that, “Just like in 2023, Dallas was overmatched against superior schemes. Kubiak is a rising, bright football mind and could be one of Jones’ first calls this offseason. Aside from the clear strategic mistake of employing a lame-duck coach, it’s time for Jones to consider alternatives. McCarthy will remain the coach for the rest of the 2024-25 season, though someone else will almost certainly be manning the ship following the year.”
Cowboys’ defense still can’t slow Shanahan coaching disciples – Todd Archer, ESPN
Hopefully, Mike Zimmer can course correct when facing coaches from the “Shanahan Tree.”
Not only have Kyle Shanahan’s San Francisco 49ers beaten the Cowboys three straight times — ending two of Dallas’ past three playoff runs — his coaching-tree offspring have done a number on them as well.
In January, Matt LaFleur led the Green Bay Packers to a wild-card win against the Cowboys (their other recent playoff loss). In December, Mike McDaniel put together a plan that led to the Miami Dolphins beating the Cowboys.
On Sunday, Klint Kubiak, in his second game as the New Orleans Saints’ offensive coordinator, overwhelmed the Cowboys’ defense on the way to a 44-19 victory.
Later this season, the Cowboys (1-1) will face the Houston Texans (OC Bobby Slowik), Atlanta Falcons (OC Zac Robinson) and Cincinnati Bengals (HC Zac Taylor). Those coaches have direct ties to Shanahan or Los Angeles Rams coach Sean McVay, who coached with Shanahan under Shanahan’s father, Mike, when they were with Washington. The Detroit Lions visit AT&T Stadium next month with offensive coordinator Ben Johnson, who despite having no direct ties to Shanahan or McVay, has a similar attack.
Whether it has been Dan Quinn or Mike Zimmer as the Cowboys’ defensive coordinator, it has not mattered.
In the past nine games against a “Shanahan offense,” the Cowboys have lost seven. Four have been decided by one score or fewer, and three have been blowouts decided by a combined 73 points, including that 25-point blowout by Kubiak’s Saints on Sunday. The only wins came last season versus McVay’s Rams and the Seattle Seahawks, who still gained 406 total yards.
