There was plenty to like about the Dallas Cowboys’ performance this past Sunday. Dallas put together their most complete game of the season, blowing out the Washington Commanders 44-22.
This week, the Cowboys face a Denver Broncos team that the franchise has not beaten in 30 years. If Dallas wants to change that, they’ll need to make some adjustments coming into this matchup. With that thought in mind, here are two players Dallas should use more this week against Denver.
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1) TE Brevyn Spann-Ford
Right now, it’s hard to criticize anything the Cowboys are doing on the offensive side of the ball. Seven games into the season, Dallas’ offense is averaging 32 points per game (second in the NFL) and leads the league in total yards. (2,734)
While there is no denying the Cowboys’ offense has been better than anyone could have imagined, there are still some tweaks Dallas could make to fine-tune their talented offensive unit. One of those changes should be demoting backup tight end Luke Schoonmaker in favor of 25-year-old Brevyn Spann-Ford.
Schoonmaker, who has not lived up to expectations after being a second-round pick back in 2023, has outsnapped Spann-Ford in every game this season. Last week against the Commanders, Schoonmaker’s inability to hold up as a run blocker cost Dallas two points on a safety.
The former Michigan Wolverine’s run-blocking issues have been a constant problem since he entered the league. On the year, the 27-year-old tight end has a 55.3 run block grade, showing just how much he has struggled in that department.
Schoonmaker has not been able to make up for his poor run blocking by making plays in the passing game like he did in college. Spann-Ford, on the other hand, has been very solid in the run game when he’s gotten his chances, and also has shown an ability to make plays down the field when he’s been given a chance in the passing game.
On Sunday against the Commanders, Spann-Ford was once again very effective as a run blocker.
It’s time for the Cowboys to pull the plug on the Luke Schoonmaker experience and start giving almost all of his offensive snaps to Brevyn Spann-Ford.
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2) DE Jadevon Clowney
It took a minute, but former first-overall pick Jadeveon Clowney may be starting to heat up. After signing with the Cowboys two games into the season, the 32-year-old pass-rusher had a breakout game against the Commanders on Sunday.
Clowney had by far his best showing of the season, recording four total pressures, three QB hurries, a fumble recovery, and his first sack of the season.
When Dallas signed Clowney, there was hope that he could significantly improve their overall pass rush. It may have taken the veteran a bit to get going, but he showed on Sunday that he is still capable of doing just that.
With guys like Dante Fowler and Sam Williams struggling to produce, Dallas needs to tighten up its pass rush rotation and give Clowney, as well as Donovan Ezeiruaku and James Houston, a large majority of the pass rush snaps.
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