Cowboys depending on young players to step up even more in Week 5

The Cowboys have counted on young players to step up all season long and Sunday night will be no different.

Heading into the 2024 season, the Cowboys were very upfront with their plan to rely on rookies and young players to fill holes in their roster left by free agency exits. Five of their 2024 draft picks have already had significant playing time in the first four games. Week 5 may bring that number up to six.

The Cowboys suffered some major setbacks in the victory over the New York Giants last Thursday when it comes to injuries. Brandin Cooks, Micah Parsons, and DeMarcus Lawrence will all miss playing time in the next few weeks. If you’re wondering how the Cowboys plan to address these different positions, look no further than their original plan: the rookies and young players.

It is currently uncertain how much time Cooks will need to recover from an infection from some injections he received after the Giants game, but he is currently ruled out for this week’s matchup against the Steelers. Mike McCarthy and Dak Prescott have both mentioned that it is time for the young receivers to step up. The majority of the work will fall on the shoulders of Jalen Tolbert, KaVontae Turpin, and Jalen Brooks to carry the load in Cooks’ absence. However, it will also bring a big opportunity for rookie WR Ryan Flournoy as he looks to be activated for his first NFL game.

Many fans on X (Twitter) have been calling for Flournoy to get his chance long before the injury to Cooks. And during the first four games, he was anxiously waiting with them. Now that it looks like his time has come, he is ready to step up and help the offense be successful.

In a recent article by Patrik Walker on DallasCowboys.com, Flournoy talked about the inspiration and wisdom he has gained from Cooks’ leadership in the WR room.

“Just respecting the game, the game of football,” he said. “You win, you lose but the next play, you respect it again by going out and playing your hardest. Brandin Cooks is an amazing football player, and an even more amazing person. What he’s taught me over the past few months that I’ve been here, man, I feel like I could play 11 years in the league just as he [is].”

After he was drafted, Flournoy mentioned he compares to Dez Bryant in the type of WR he is. If Flournoy is able to showcase that and bring something different to this WR corps in Cooks’ absence, hopefully he will earn his permanent spot on the active roster.

On the other side of the ball, there is a massive hole in the defensive line left by the injuries to Lawrence and Parsons. In order to help add bodies to the defensive line room, the Cowboys’ front office went out and added a pass rusher in K.J. Henry from the Bengals practice squad. However, their plan for these next few games without their star pass rushers mainly features the guys already in the room: rookie Marshawn Kneeland and Chauncey Golston.

Marshawn Kneeland is the young player that the team is relying on to step up in these next few weeks, and it isn’t the first time he has been asked to do so. At the beginning of the season, he was asked to step up after Sam Williams tore his ACL and MCL. And he did. In his first four games he has done a pretty good job for a rookie. With six pressures and four QB hits, he ranks among the top of all rookie DL according to PFF. While those numbers are good for a rookie playing next to a few Pro Bowlers, he will now have to prove that he can step up again without them.

While this may seem like a very daunting task for the rookie to make up for the absence of a “tank” and a “lion”, Mike McCarthy hinted that his role will be a bit different than previous weeks and the coaching staff is looking for ways to make it easier for Kneeland this Sunday.

“I think the biggest thing is to own his role,” said McCarthy. “His role will be different this week and, without getting into specifics, he just needs to focus on that. He’s been playing in a couple different spots and special teams responsibilities. Of all the rookies who have played the first four games, he’s played the most positions. … When we get to Sunday, he’ll be able to focus more and have a more limited menu.”

This week (and possibly a few more weeks before the bye) will be a big week for these young players to try and hold down the fort until some of these injured players can return. The coaches and teammates around them have a lot of faith that they will be successful in doing so. They’ve got a big challenge ahead, but they seem ready to take it head on.