Here’s what we know about the Cowboys after an up and down four weeks to begin the season.
It’s been a rollercoaster ride of a season for the Dallas Cowboys so far. A dominant victory in Week 1 against the Cleveland Browns was followed by back-to-back losses, in which Dallas was dominated for the most part. They got back to their winning ways against the New York Giants in Week 4, but it was a struggle for four quarters due to their pedestrian offense.
With edge rushers Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence on the shelf with injuries, the defensive side of the ball for the Cowboys will be tested immensely especially when it comes to rushing the passer over the next several weeks. It’s a crucial part of the season already for the Cowboys that could play a big part in if they have a shot at the playoffs. Here’s what we’ve learned about Dallas as they turn the page to Week 5.
Mazi Smith is finding his groove
Let the church say ‘Amen’. The former first-round pick started the season a lot like his career has gone so far, and that’s up and down, mostly down. However, since the fourth quarter of Week 3 against the Baltimore Ravens, Smith has looked the best has has in his career. A better burst off the line of scrimmage, and an ability to have a powerful initial punch, have been on display a lot, and he’s also shown how he can extend his arms and disengage from blocks.
Dallas could use more of a pass-rush uptick from Smith with the current state of the defensive line, and he’s looked better when it comes to pushing the pocket. Even without that, if Smith can continue being an anchor in the middle and help against the run, which is one of the Cowboys biggest weaknesses, a lot third and long situations will arise and give Dak Prescott and the offense some favorable scenarios as far as field position goes. The better Smith plays, the further the Cowboys can evolve on defense.
Tyler Guyton is going through his growing pains
As a first-round pick, Guyton has huge expectations on him, and he’s has to be thrown into the fire early. Week 1 was a battle with Myles Garrett, arguably the league’s best pass rusher, and Guyton took his lumps as expected, but he did survive, which was the main objective in that game. Of course his athleticism and ability to recover after he initially gets beat have be noticeable, but Guyton has also continued to show some of the deficiencies that he had coming into the league such as having suspect hands and leaning forward too much when he is blocking a defender.
In 183 pass-blocking snaps, Guyton has surrendered four sacks, given up 11 pressures, and logged seven penalties. So, needless to say, the Cowboys need him to be more of a consistent force as the main protector of Prescott’s blind side. He’s also got to get better as a run blocker, which was another knock to his game coming out of Oklahoma. With experience comes knowledge, and the Cowboys needs Guyton to learn and apply these lessons quickly as the season goes along.
Cowboys need more from their wide receivers outside of CeeDee Lamb
Lamb has established himself as one of the best wide receivers in the NFL, and he’s coming off his best game of the year with 98 yards and a touchdown. However, as dynamic as he is, Lamb needs guys like Brandin Cooks and Jalen Tolbert to be more effective. He won’t even have Cooks for this week at least, meaning someone has to emerge from Tolbert, Jalen Brooks, or KaVontae Turpin. Teams can easily rotate coverage to Lamb without the threat of another guy, which totally handicaps the Cowboys passing game.
One thing that will help is some better route concepts by the Cowboys instead of the standard comebacks, curls, slants, and outs. Mike McCarthy has got to get a little more creative so the Cowboys receivers can get more separation because that has been a major issue. Dallas already has a suspect rushing attack, and that puts a lot of emphasis on the passing game to be efficient. Lamb needs another threat alongside him to keep defenses honest.
