The Dallas Cowboys went into Bank of America stadium with bags of confidence after the New York Jets performance, but the defense looked a distant relative from who they were the week previous. The losses on the defensive side of the ball kept coming, and it led to Dallas taking a huge loss to a team they should have cake-walked. But how did the Cowboys rookie class play in a game that frustrated so many fans? Let’s dive in and find out.
OG Tyler Booker
Currently out with a high ankle sprain.
DE Donovan Ezeiruaku
(Game stats- Snaps: 37, Total Tackles: 1, Pressures: 3, Sacks: 0, TFL: 1, FF: 1)
He’s still chasing that first sack, but Ezeiruaku isn’t just flashing anymore, he’s settling in. The rookie’s ledger now reads 12 tackles, one forced fumble, two tackles for loss and a string of steady pressures. Sunday’s tape was the loudest hint yet that the dam’s about to break.
The spotlight for Ezeiruaku last week came late in the game with a clinic-level punch-out. On a scramble drill, Ezeiruaku got Rico Dowdle from behind and ripped the ball free at the Dallas 41-yard line after a botched play from Carolina. The play had hustle and execution. It didn’t rewrite the scoreboard, but it rewired the sideline, giving a jittery defense the jolt it needed while Carolina’s ground game kept grinding.
The game ended in a loss but Ezeiruaku’s PFF score of 92.1 wasn’t just the highest score for any defensive player, it was the highest grade for any Cowboys player in the Week 6 defeat. Solid play, just a shame the rest of the defense struggled so badly.
CB Shavon Revel Jr.
Non-Football Injury list
RB Jaydon Blue
(Game stats- Snaps: 5, Rush Attempts: 3, Rush Yards: 0, Avg: 0, Kick Returns: 2, Return Yards: 40)
Beyond the two kick returns, Blue was pretty silent against the Panthers. He managed a long kick return of 25 yards, but in the ground game he really struggled. On three rush attempts, Blue totaled a grand total of zero yards. The rush attack by Dallas in general struggled, but getting no yards for the entire game shows that Blue is a support back at this point rather than one who can feature heavily at this stage.
LB Shemar James
(Game stats- Snaps: 59, Total Tackles: 11, Pressures: 0, Sacks: 0)
Dropped into the fire, James played like a rookie who’s already learned the neighborhood. From his first series, he lined up as the WILL in nickel and the MIKE in certain base looks, handled the huddle calls, and set the edge from the inside-out with real intent. The Panthers tried to stress him with motion and RPO plays, and James answered with quick reads and got downhill before blocks could fully form.
It wasn’t spotless. He overran the front side and left the cutback lane wider than it needed to be on one play. Later, hard run-action bought Carolina a brief window behind him and there was a perimeter rep where his angle got a tick too flat, gifting a few extra yards after contact. These are rookie issues, and they’re fixable. Credit to James, he adjusted in the game and in the second half, the same plays were tighter with him.
OT Ajani Cornelius
Inactive
DT Jay Toia
(Game stats- Snaps: 17, Total Tackles: 1, Pressures: 0, Sacks: 0)
Carolina leaned on a steady diet of inside runs to Rico Dowdle, and Dallas countered by planting Toia in the middle as the human traffic cone. Early in the game he fit like a true 1-tech. As the game continued and the Panthers tried to dent the A-gaps, Toia looked to have some problems. He chased a hair too far laterally and left the backside A-gap open letting Dowdle gash upfield. Later a quick counter caught him half a beat late off the ball and the double-team carried him a yard deeper than you’d like. There was also a boot where he took one too many upfield steps before retracing, buying Bryce Young extra time to deliver.
Not a great day for Toia but the plus was there were moments where he was able to drop his anchor, play with heavy hands, low pads, and patient power.
RB Phil Mafah
Injured reserve
WR Traeshon Holden
Practice squad
TE Rivaldo Fairweather
Practice squad
LB Justin Barron
Practice squad
CB Alijah Clark
(Game stats- Snaps: 17, Total Tackles: 2)
Clark came in for special teams duty again this week, and the results were once again eyebrow raising. He played gunner almost textbook and made one terrific tackle downfield on a punt. He was there in a shot and brought the play to an end with an immediate tackle to stall any possible return. Good work like that gets the attention of coaches.
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