Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images What are your expectations for Sunday? At long last, it’s finally here: the 2024 NFL season has arrived, and with it, another year of Dallas Cowboys football. It’s that magical time of year where Cowboys fans convince themselves that this will be the year, that things won’t end in heartbreak like they have the last 20 some years. How this season goes for the Cowboys still remains a mystery, but one thing is for sure: this season does feel different already. Fan confidence is way down after an offseason that saw very few moves to upgrade the team and, as of publication, Dak Prescott is primed to play the season out on the final year of his contract. So we might not be entering this new season with the same ol’ attitude, preemptively planning the Super Bowl parade routes, but it seems as if sentiment has swung to the opposite extreme. This begs the question: what are some realistic expectations for this year’s Cowboys team as they gear up to face the Browns? Our own Tom Ryle and David Howman weigh in. Tom: Well, I’m going to be one of the Grinches today. I’m rather pessimistic, for two reasons. One is internal, and I’ll get to that later, but the first one to discuss is about the league overall. Every year, about half of the teams that made the playoffs the previous season come up short. Based on that, at least three of last year’s NFC playoff teams are not going to make it, and I have a strong feeling that it is the Cowboys’ turn in the barrel this year. They have made the postseason three years in a row. Not many seem to think they are one of the elite teams that should cruise into January with a playoff berth. I’m one of the doubters, and looking at the schedule, I’m not confident they can get over .500. We still don’t know what any team really is at this point, of course, but there are other signs that 2024 is going to be a struggle for Dallas. David: You’re a mean one, Mr. Grinch. Who hurt you? Obviously, this offseason hasn’t been one to write home about for the Cowboys, but it certainly hasn’t been the disaster some seem to think it is. The team once again appears to have aced the draft – they have four rookies listed as starters on the depth chart, which would be a franchise first in the common era – and they made some savvy additions in Eric Kendricks, Linval Joseph, Jordan Phillips, and even Dalvin Cook, who offers some value as a practice squad player. Dallas has never started 4 rookies in game 1 of a season (since 1970 merger). Unofficial depth chart lists 4 rookie starters (Guyton, Beebe, Liufau, Carson). Each will play a key role. Dallas has only started 3 rookies twice (’20: Lamb/Steele/Diggs; ’02: Williams/Gurode/Bryant). — Derek Eagleton (@derekeagleton) September 4, 2024 All of that is added to a team that returns the vast majority of their players from last year’s team, which was pretty darn good in their own right and cruised to the playoffs. I’m a little skeptical that the Cowboys can be the first team in nearly two decades to win the NFC East in consecutive seasons, but that’s mostly because I’m superstitious about these things. But this remains a two team race between the Cowboys and Eagles – the Commanders are in Year 1 of a totally new regime, and the Giants appear to be heading for a regime change too – and both of those teams have cruised to the postseason each of the last three years. I’m not sure why this year should be any different. Tom: Well, let’s start with that tidbit of rookies starting. It is highly improbable that they are all going to come out of the gate looking ready to go, and with them being at left tackle, center, and corner, and linebacker, that could make for a very long game. The big matchup is Tyler Guyton against Myles Garrett, and Dak Prescott better have eyes in the back of his head while there better be a tight end out there to help on most plays. They also look to be leaning a lot on Marshawn Kneeland and Marist Liafu, and don’t forget that DeMarvion Overshown is going to see his first NFL action after missing last season with an injury. It also doesn’t help that CeeDee Lamb just got his extension done and missed all of camp. They need him and Prescott to click right away. Meanwhile, we have a running back by committee situation, with Ezekiel Elliott listed as the starter. Shades of 2016! For the team to do well, almost everything has to go just right. And that is not something to pin our hopes on. David: Is that not how every NFL team feels right now, save for maybe the Chiefs? Everything has to go just right for any team to win, and luck absolutely plays a factor in winning, not just on a week-to-week basis but the whole enchilada. I’m not sure that’s a reason to discount the Cowboys, especially when they’ve got one of the more talented rosters in the league. In a roundabout way, you actually brought up one thing that gives me plenty of hope heading into Week 1: Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb. Sure, Lamb hasn’t been with the team until very recently, but we’ve heard all camp how he’s been working out and staying in contact with his quarterback, and those two have been on the same page for a minute now. I have zero concern about that connection not being in sync right from the jump. In the meantime, Lamb’s absence allowed Prescott to further deepen his connections with other receivers like Brandin Cooks, Jalen Tolbert, and Jalen Brooks, all of whom turned heads at various points in camp. As for

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images It is important for the Cowboys to use Cleveland’s defensive aggression against them. One of the best parts about the SB Nation network is the friendships that we have across it all with folks who cover the other 31 teams in the National Football League. For years we have generated all sorts of content around back and forth discussions with these people, all obviously in the name of garnering as much information that we can for the sake of the Dallas Cowboys. Gaining an understanding about opposing teams from those who know them best is invaluable. Thankfully we will be continuing that tradition this season here on the blog in a number of ways and one of them is the weekly conversations that I will have with people around those parts. This week I spoke to Jared Mueller from Dawgs By Nature, a conversation that you can watch below. It is Week 1 so we admittedly don’t know a ton about any team as the season has yet to officially begin. We obviously have all of last year to go off of and everything that we learned throughout training camp and the preseason, but all of the pages of 2024 are blank. Despite this being the case, one thing I wanted to know from Jared was what the Cowboys could do that he would find to be impressive. As an example if an opposing offense mitigated Micah Parsons then I think it is fair to say we would all walk away thinking highly of that team/player. I wanted to know that answer. Jared was kind enough to provide it. It will be important for Dallas to use Cleveland’s aggression on defense against them We are all well aware of the fact that the Browns boast one of the best defenses in the NFL at the outset of the season. Their entire group is stout, but they also happen to employ the reigning Defensive Player of the Year in Myles Garrett. So what the Cowboys could do to impress Mueller? He didn’t answer anything about Garrett specifically but he sort of included him. Mueller noted that the Browns are an incredibly aggressive defense and if the Cowboys are able to use that against them then he would walk away thinking highly of the group. According to NFL Next Gen Stats the Browns had the 14th-highest blitz rate in 2023 which is obviously not incredibly high; however, Mueller certainly knows the group better than we do. Despite such an almost average blitz rate the Browns were second in the NFL last year as far as quarterback pressure percentage was concerned (the Cowboys were first). They are very good at putting heat on things and to Jared’s point (which can be specifically viewed/heard at the 25-minute mark of the conversation) if Dallas is able to steer into the ice, so to speak, they may be able to weaponize it and turn it into gains while on offense. It is important for an offense to not get too far ahead of themselves and if the Cowboys do then they may get set up for a costly mistake. Patience is difficult to maintain sometimes, but it will be important on Sunday afternoon.

Brad Mills-Imagn Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys is here. What I’m seeing from the Dallas Cowboys: Rico Dowdle to get bigger load – Jon Machota, The Athletic Rico Dowdle has a great shot to show he’s the new lead dog in the running back room, if he can stay healthy. As the Cowboys open the season, Ezekiel Elliott is listed as running back No. 1 on the depth chart. Elliott will likely take the field with the first-team offense Sunday on the road against the Cleveland Browns. But Rico Dowdle, who is No. 2 on the depth chart, is my pick to lead the team in rushing. He showed noticeable juice and looked like an improved pass catcher. Dowdle is three years younger than Elliott and has had 1,969 fewer NFL rushing attempts and 339 fewer receptions. The plan is for Elliott to be as fresh as possible entering December. To do that, Dowdle will need to handle the larger load. This isn’t to say he will have a significant advantage in touches and yards, but look for him to have more. My projection is something like Dowdle getting 13 to 15 rushing attempts per game and Elliott getting closer to 10 to 12. Elliott averaged a career-low 10.8 carries per game last season with the New England Patriots. He averaged 15 per game during his 2022 season in Dallas. Even Troy Aikman doesn’t know how to fix one of the Cowboys’ biggest problems – Staff, DMN Frustration about the Cowboys’ postseason performance is growing, but despite what you keep reading and hearing on social media, there doesn’t seem to be an easy fix. Aikman: “I think it’s fair to say that the owner [Jerry Jones] is probably frustrated, as well. You know? Obviously, everyone has an opinion on on him, not only as the owner, but more specifically as a general manager. When you win 12 games in a regular season, it’s hard to do. And when you do that, can you then say that the team’s being mismanaged, or they’re not talented enough, or whatever the criticisms are? “But it’s hard to look at the Cowboys and see … they’ve won a lot of games, they’ve gotten into the postseason, and yet it hasn’t translated even when they’ve been the No. 1 seed. It hasn’t mattered who the head coach has been, it hasn’t mattered who the quarterback has been, for that matter. Yet, they’ve won a lot of regular season games. So I don’t know exactly how you fix that, and I just know that you have to play your best football in the biggest games, and that’s the key to every team. “When you look at the Chiefs and what they’ve accomplished, you know, they struggled a good early part of the season last year, and a lot of people thought, ‘Wow, this team’s just not as good. You know, it’s kind of unwinding on them a little bit.’ And again, the postseason they play their best football, and they win another Super Bowl, and it’s been kind of the opposite for Dallas. They just have not played their best football when the games have mattered most. And trying to solve that riddle is certainly the challenge, but it’s not just over the last few years. This has been going on for quite some time.” Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer and Micah Parsons are ‘evolving’ together – Brandon Loree, Blogging The Boys The new defensive general in Dallas and his best player are connecting nicely. When the Dallas Cowboys hired Mike Zimmer as their new defensive coordinator this offseason, the immediate reaction was to question whether his rough, prehistoric approach with players is extinct in today’s NFL. Fortunately for the Cowboys, Zimmer hasn’t fossilized just yet. Since he arrived in Dallas, Zimmer has seemingly evolved since his time as head coach with the Minnesota Vikings. He spoke about his personality and was accountable for the fact that, during his coaching career, he was “grouchy” at times. That fiery personality made Zimmer a respected defensive coordinator and eventual head coach. However, if he was looking to make a comeback after being away from football for a few seasons, Zimmer needed to find his softer side. After all, he’s filling the void left by former coordinator Dan Quinn, which contrasts with how Quinn used to be with his players. The now-head coach of the Washington Commanders was always the fun uncle in Dallas who got his defense to play relaxed and for each other. During his three-year stint in Dallas, Quinn’s persona helped shape a defense that ranked in the top ten in most categories. With Zimmer entering the picture, fans wondered if the coordinator had changed and how he would connect with someone like All-Pro Micah Parsons, who became highly fond of Quinn and their relationship. That merging of personalities never seemed to be an issue because Parsons and Zimmer have spent a lot of time together this offseason, sometimes over breakfast, discussing and evolving their approach for the upcoming season. “It’s going to be exciting, I’m gonna say that. … It’s really not about the number (of sacks), it’s really about letting the world know, ‘This dude is really the best.’” On his relationship with Cowboys DC Mike Zimmer: “I think we align. I think I just had to show Mike what I’m capable of and what I can do. Everything that he thought I would be I probably have achieved that and more. He came up to me and said, ‘You say you want to do this and you want to do that, if you just do this detailed stuff you can be the best ever.’ … I think we have evolved in a good way.” Mike McCarthy praises Linval Joseph ahead of Cowboys vs. Browns – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com After coaching against him, Mike McCarthy has a great appreciation for nose tackle Linval Joseph now that he’s with the Cowboys. When

Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images Kevin Stefanski and Mike Zimmer go way back Just six months ago, Cleveland Browns head coach Kevin Stefanski was awarded the NFL’s Coach of the Year trophy after leading his team to the playoffs despite starting five different quarterbacks throughout the season. It was Stefanski’s second time winning the award, putting him in a rare category of coaches. Now, Stefanski will follow up that magical season by hosting the Cowboys in Week 1. This marks a full circle moment for Stefanski, as the head coach and offensive play-caller will be going up against the man who played a pivotal role in his rise to coaching stardom: new Dallas defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Until Stefanski took the Browns head coaching job, the Minnesota Vikings were the only NFL team he had ever worked for. A Philadelphia native, Stefanski played defensive back at Penn, twice being selected to the All-Ivy League team. Upon his graduation, Stefanski spent a year as the assistant director of football operations for his alma mater. Then, at just 24 years old, he joined the Vikings as the assistant to then head coach Brad Childress. Stefanski was later promoted to assistant quarterbacks coach and retained in that role by interim head coach Leslie Frazier, who was named the full time head coach soon after. When Frazier was ultimately fired, though, Zimmer was brought in to lead the franchise next. Zimmer made sweeping changes to the Vikings, but he opted to retain Stefanski and, in fact, promote him to tight ends coach. Two years later, Stefanski moved to the running backs room. A year later, he was the quarterbacks coach. And in 2018, when Zimmer fired offensive coordinator John DeFillippo halfway through the season, he turned to Stefanski as his interim coordinator. The offense stabilized under Stefanski’s watch and, more importantly, Stefanski operated the run-first approach that Zimmer wanted. So Zimmer named Stefanski the full time offensive coordinator moving forward, bringing in coaching veteran Gary Kubiak as an offensive advisor to mentor Stefanski. A year later, Stefanski left for the top job in Cleveland, where he has a 37-30 record with two postseason appearances. Stefanski’s story cannot be told without highlighting his history with Zimmer, but it also informs his own schematic preferences. Stefanski has worked under a wide list of offensive minds: Childress was an offshoot of Andy Reid’s West Coast spread offense, as was Bill Musgrave under Frazier; Norv Turner brought his signature Air Coryell offense that helped win two Super Bowls for the Cowboys back in the 90’s; Pat Shurmur offered a more traditional version of the West Coast; and Kubiak led a masterclass in the offense he and Mike Shanahan popularized in the 80’s in Denver, which has since evolved into what Kyle Shanahan and Sean McVay are doing that’s taken the league by storm yet again. It is this final schematic preference that is most prevalent in the Browns’ attack, but to call Stefanski a Shanahan devotee is a little too simplistic. From the top down, things look the same. Stefanski’s offense features plenty of wide zone run plays and lots of play-action with deep crossing routes. But Stefanski has a much more diverse run scheme, which he has pieced together over time from all the different coaches he’s learned under. You’ll see just about every type of run concept in Cleveland, all of which has been fine-tuned to operate efficiently behind one of the league’s top offensive lines. Nick Chubb has long been the face of Stefanski’s electric rushing attack, but last year tested their ability to still produce without him when Chubb tore his ACL and MCL. The results were a mixed bag: the Browns finished fourth in rushing attempts and were just outside the top 10 in rushing yards for the year, but the efficiency fell quite a bit. Cleveland ranked 25th in yards per carry, 23rd in run DVOA, and 28th in EPA/rush. Chubb won’t be back for this game – he’s set to miss at least the first four games of the year while on the PUP list – but they’ve bolstered their running back room in preparation for Chubb’s absence. They return Jerome Ford, who ran for 813 yards last year, and also added bruising runner D’Onta Foreman, who tallied 425 rushing yards last year as part of a deep running back rotation in Chicago. The hope for Cleveland is that the run game gets back to its normal self – top 10 in DVOA in Stefanski’s first three years as head coach – because quarterback Deshaun Watson has struggled mightily in his time as a Brown. Without even discussing the off-field factors for Watson – who has played just 12 games in two years between suspensions and injuries – the quarterback’s play has been severely lacking. Still, though, Stefanski’s offense is designed to put minimal pressure on the quarterback. Like many other schemes from the Shanahan tree – an offense that Zimmer himself has done well against historically – this scheme aims to give the quarterback layups in the passing game. Having a route running aficionado like Amari Cooper, who will face his former team for the first time since being traded away, also helps. Now, Stefanski will get a chance to show what he can do against his former boss. He’s faced Zimmer once before: the Browns played the Vikings in 2021, Zimmer’s last season as head coach, and Cleveland won 17-14. A win for Stefanski’s team, but not a banner day for his offense against Zimmer’s defense. The head coach expects a similarly tough challenge for Round 2: “Preseason obviously is not a great indication for any team in terms of the scheme. Coach Zim, obviously I know really well, is an outstanding football coach so we know that we’ll have our work cut out for us. Personnel wise… they have a bunch of really, really good players from the d-line back through the secondary.” The Browns should present

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images It is time to offer picks for Sunday’s Cowboys/Browns game. The Dallas Cowboys start the 2024 season on the road, against an AFC opponent that made the playoffs last year. That is never an easy task for a team. Then consider the Cowboys will have a rookie left tackle seeing the first action of his career by going against Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett, and the task becomes even more daunting. But the Cowboys roster is a very talented bunch. Overlooked in all the doom-and-gloom of a strange offseason is the fact that the Cowboys have won 12 games in three straight seasons. You can’t do that in the NFL using smoke and mirrors. You have to have solid talent. So which direction should we go for the upcoming game when making a prediction. Our friends at FanDuel have the Cowboys as 2.5-point underdogs. Before we make the BTB pick here, let’s see what some others are saying. CBS Sports Here’s a Week 1 matchup between last year’s leader in scoring offense, and last year’s leader in total defense. Something’s gotta give. I’m low on the Cowboys this season, and I think their running back room could be very underwhelming. It’s not great for the Cowboys that they have to take on what may be the toughest defense in the league on the road while star wideout CeeDee Lamb spent a good chunk of time away from the team. Then there are the new starters on the offensive line that have to somehow contain Myles Garrett. The Browns went 8-1 at home last year, and allowed just 13.9 points per game. That, of course, ranked No. 1 in the NFL. I can’t tell you if Deshaun Watson is finally going to show up this year. But I still like the Browns Week 1. Projected score: Browns 21-17 One for the bad guys. What’s missing from this analysis is that the Browns are going to have injury problems at tackle, likely giving Micah Parsons an advantage just like Garrett has going up against a rookie. And the Browns ground attack will be missing Nick Chubb. Let’s check another opinion. USA Today Lorenzo Reyes: Cowboys 21, Browns 18 I think Cleveland’s defense may ultimately end up as the best in the NFL this season, but I have a difficult time trusting Deshaun Watson at quarterback. The Browns performed far better when Joe Flacco was under center. And on the other side, the Cowboys didn’t have a great offseason, but the pressure is immense on Mike McCarthy. I like Dallas in the upset. Tyler Dragon: Cowboys 25, Browns 24 Tom Brady’s broadcast debut might be more anticipated than the actual game. But the Cowboys and Browns are entering the season with a lot of pressure and expectations. Deshaun Watson might be under the most pressure of any quarterback this year. He hasn’t lived up to expectations following his record-breaking contract. Cleveland has a talented roster. They need Watson to regain his H-Town form. A couple for the good guys. And the play of Deshaun Watson could mean so much in this game. No position is more important than quarterback, and Watson has not been very good at it for a while. So to tack on to these other picks, take the Cowboys to cover, but really take them to cover and win. Everyone keeps talking about the Browns defense, and rightly so, but it’s not like the Cowboys are slouches on defense. And their one Achilles heel there, their run defense, was addressed by the change to Mike Zimmer at coordinator, who then set about getting bigger and stronger at defensive tackle and linebacker. The Cowboys defense should cause problems for Watson, and if the Browns can’t run the ball efficiently, that will be a major issue. The Cowboys run game isn’t exactly scaring anybody, but Dak Prescott is a much superior QB to Watson, and he does have CeeDee Lamb who will be the best receiver on the field. Both offenses may not be able to run the ball as well as they hoped, and if that’s the case you should take Prescott over Watson to pick up the slack. Even with the Cowboys having to start a rookie at corner, Watson doesn’t exactly strike fear in opponents. Take the Cowboys 24-17.

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images Go Packers. The 2024 NFL regular season began last night with the Kansas City Chiefs beating the Baltimore Ravens in a thriller. The NFL gives us a rare Friday night game this week, and they are doing it in Brazil, an NFL first. The Philadelphia Eagles will play the Green Bay Packers. Our partners at FanDuel have the Eagles as 2.5-point favorites in the game. This will be an interesting matchup. The Eagles offense is under new management with old friend Kellen Moore. How will that change shake things up for Jalen Hurts? On the other side, the Packers won’t be sneaking up on anybody this season. Jordan Love and company will need to show last year wasn’t a fluke. In this game, take the underdogs. The Eagles need to prove they are past last season’s collapse, and the Packers feel like a team on the rise. Packers 30 – Eagles 24. Check out FanDuel for all of your NFL betting needs. This is an open thread for game chat.

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images Here is the Dallas Cowboys injury report for Friday The NFL season kicked off in exciting fashion between the Baltimore Ravens and the Kansas City Chiefs, going down to the final seconds that saw the Chiefs narrowly edge out the Ravens. For the first time, we’ll have football on a Friday to open Week 1 with and NFC East rival, the Philadelphia Eagles, taking on the Green Bay Packers in Brazil. Obviously, Cowboys Nation hopes for the Eagles to stumble out of the gate as well as the rest of the division so that Dallas may have a chance at the early sole lead in the NFC East after Week 1. Partly for that to happen, the Cowboys must be as healthy as can be. In the final injury report before the season opener at the Cleveland Browns, here’s where the Cowboys stand with injuries. Final #Cowboys #Browns injury report pic.twitter.com/bOBMkm32Jf — Daryl Ruiter (@RuiterWrongFAN) September 6, 2024 Cornerback Caelen Carson appeared on a revised version of the injury report on Thursday with a knee injury, though he practiced in a full capacity. He should see significant action on Sunday in the absence of DaRon Bland who is sidelined with an injury. John Stephens didn’t practice all week with a hamstring injury and has been ruled out of this week’s game. Mazi Smith (Achilles), Marshawn Kneeland (knee), and Damone Clark (knee), were at practice and are expected to play Sunday. Regarding the Browns’ injuries, after declaring himself out of the starting lineup Wednesday, Jedrick Wills was officially ruled out for Sunday. His presumed replacement, Jack Conklin, has been limited all week but is listed as questionable