Cowboys news: Questionable trades, devastating injuries begin second half of season

The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys.

Cowboys Rumors: Dak Prescott’s Injury Diagnosed as Tendon Partially Torn off Bone – Doric Sam, Bleacher Report

The news continues to worsen for Dallas.

Dallas Cowboys star Dak Prescott suffered a partial avulsion of his hamstring tendon based on an initial examination, according to NFL Network’s Jane Slater.

Slater reported a recovery “typically” requires more than a four-week recovery, though Prescott is soliciting additional medical opinions. That’s why the Cowboys haven’t officially placed him on injured reserve just yet.

The veteran quarterback picked up the right hamstring injury in Dallas’ Week 9 loss to the Atlanta Falcons. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported that the 31-year-old is “expected to miss several weeks.” He reportedly was seeking a second opinion that would help the Cowboys determine whether or not to place him on injured reserve, which would rule him out for a minimum of three games.

Prescott and the Cowboys had struggled to find consistency this season, with the team losing three straight games to fall to 3-5 before he went down with the injury. He threw for 1,978 yards, 11 touchdowns and eight interceptions while completing 64.7 percent of his passes. He had thrown nine interceptions in all of 2023 against a league-high 36 touchdowns.

Without Prescott, Dallas will turn to veteran backup Cooper Rush to start under center. The 30-year-old has a career record of 5-1 as a starter, including a 4-1 run in 2022 when he was thrust into action after Prescott suffered a thumb injury in the season opener. The Cowboys chose not to add another quarterback at the trade deadline.

Prescott has endured multiple injuries throughout the years. Since 2020, he’s missed time with a fractured and dislocated ankle, a calf strain and a broken thumb. He’s no stranger to making a comeback, so Dallas is certainly hoping he will perform like his old self when he’s healthy enough to return.

NFL insiders regard trade price Cowboys paid for Jonathan Mingo as ‘shocker’ – RJ Ochoa, BloggingtheBoys.com

Many from around the league are surprised at the compensation Dallas provided in their trade.

ESPN discussed all of the action and noted insiders Jeremy Fowler and Dan Graziano discussed how the Mingo trade was a “shocker” and that the Panthers were “eager” to deal him.

Fowler: Carolina getting a fourth-rounder from Dallas in exchange for Mingo was a shocker. Former Day 2 picks who are out of the lineup typically don’t garner that. The Panthers were eager to deal him. Yes, contractual control was a factor in his value. Mingo is in the second year of his rookie deal, meaning Dallas has him under contract for the next 2½ seasons for slightly more than $4 million in total. The Cowboys felt they had to pay a premium for that, and Mingo does have some upside. But Carolina didn’t have much leverage here. On a day that mostly followed a well-worn script, this move was off script.

Graziano: Yeah, Dallas wasn’t going to trade players and wasn’t going to make a move for a rental. The Cowboys liked Mingo when he came out in the 2023 draft, where he was the No. 39 pick, and they felt they needed some size in their wide receiver corps. Having Mingo under contract for two more years after this season justifies the price in their eyes; basically, they didn’t think they’d get anyone they liked better with that fourth-round pick.

Fowler’s analysis is the more damning one as it is he who mentions the word shocker, that Carolina was eager and he even goes on to add that the Panthers had no leverage. All of that makes the trade even more confusing.

Graziano also notes that the Cowboys feel that the two extra years of team control is what justifies the price, but he also adds that the group didn’t believe they could get anyone that they liked better with that fourth-round pick. Excuse me, but that is insane.

Trey Lance ‘prepared’ in absence of Dak, praises Cooper Rush – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

It may finally be time to see what Dallas paid a fourth-rounder for before last season.

FRISCO, Texas — The timeline for the return of Dak Prescott has yet to be determined by the Dallas Cowboys, though it’s likely he’ll be moved to injured reserve with the hamstring injury suffered against the Atlanta Falcons. In his absence, head coach Mike McCarthy has made it clear the quarterback rotation will feature Cooper Rush as QB1 and Trey Lance on standby as QB2.

For Lance, this marks the closest he’s been to meaningful in-game action for the Cowboys since arriving via trade with the San Francisco 49ers in late August 2023, his only game action thus far having occurred in this year’s preseason slate.

“Last year was probably a whole different story,” said the former third-overall pick. “But having gone through the whole offseason program, and this season up to this point — great coaches, great guys around me — I feel prepared if that opportunity does happen at some point.”

“Man, you saw it,” said Lance of Rush. “I think, on Sunday, he made a ton of plays and I think we didn’t make as many plays as we needed to in the game, but I think he came in and gave us every opportunity to win.”

NFL trade deadline winners and losers: While Chiefs and Lions bolster Super Bowl hopes, Cowboys sacrifice only their future – Jori Epstein, Yahoo! Sports

You’d be hard-pressed to find someone considering Dallas’ trade a success.

NFL teams cast their final roster votes Tuesday as the league’s trade deadline arrived halfway through the 2024 regular season.

Eight players were swapped Tuesday before the 4 p.m. ET deadline, bringing the final count to 18 moves during the league’s trading period. Receivers accounted for the most frequently traded position (six) and highest-profile trades (looking at you, Davante Adams), while edge rusher ranked second, attracting four late movers.

No team surrendered its first- or second-round draft picks at the deadline this year, and the three trades involving third-round picks had caveats that complicated their value.

So who won and who lost? Will these trades shift odds for Super Bowl favorites and hot-seat coaches?

Losers

The next Dallas Cowboys coach

Maybe 2023 second-rounder Jonathan Mingo follows other Carolina Panthers castoffs to find success in Dallas. Maybe teaming up with Dak Prescott beside CeeDee Lamb gives Mingo the needed boost of confidence to get his career back on track. Even so, it will be challenging to justify the Cowboys’ 2025 fourth-round pick compensation in exchange for Mingo and a 2025 seventh-round pick. Because the Cowboys are not on track to renew head coach Mike McCarthy, and thus they should not be acquiring personnel for a coach and scheme they do not yet understand.

Dallas’ baffling trade reflects a team that liked Mingo’s measurables in the draft and appreciates how his speed can stretch the field while his physicality translates well to blocking for teammates. But a player who’s struggled with drops and lost playing time this season has an uphill climb. And he’ll likely be playing for his fifth head coach by the time he begins his third pro season. Will that coach appreciate the fourth-round pick the Cowboys’ front office gave up?

Here are the first injury reports of the week for both Dallas and Philadelphia.