By the end of the 2019 NFL season, budding superstars Dalvin Cook and Ezekiel Elliott finished fourth and fifth in rushing touchdowns, and combined for nearly 2,500 yards; a backfield with the two of them would have been unstoppable. Now, the Dallas Cowboys running back room has made that a reality. The only problem is, we are five years removed from 2019. It became obvious towards the end of the 2023 season that running back was about to become a major need for Dallas. Veteran Tony Pollard was set to leave in free agency, and they had no clear heir to take his spot. So, in a free agent class that featured names like Derrick Henry, Saquon Barkley, and Josh Jacobs, the Cowboys decided to run it back with Elliott, who has not seen an above average season since that 2019 campaign. Fast-forward to a couple of days ago, and Dallas decides to complement one aging, former-star with another in Cook, who, at 29 years old, has developed the nickname “Dalvin Cooked,” as he has appeared to many as being far past his prime within the last year. Cowboys to sign RB Dalvin Cook. (via @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/KNIauYKR5E — NFL (@NFL) August 28, 2024 Simply put, this strategy of throwing it back to the good old days is not going to save the Cowboys running back corps. This is true for both veterans, and for different reasons, so let’s get into them. Ezekiel Elliott: Fleeting Juice Is Major Concern It pains me to talk badly about Elliott; he is one of my favorite players of all-time. Nothing could beat the “prime Zeke days” in Dallas, but those days are in the past. I was a proponent of re-signing Elliott, but as an RB2/RB3 behind a younger, more electric top option. His skills at this point are pass-catching, blocking, and potentially goal line work. His juice, long-speed, and game-breaking abilities are more or less gone in 2024. At his age with his workload history, that’s normal, and it doesn’t mean he can’t contribute this season. What it does mean is he can’t lead the way, and it is unfair to ask him to do so. The Cowboys are setting him, and the offense, up for failure by making him the RB1. Elliott is now over 2,000 carries in his NFL career after carrying the rock 184 times for the Patriots last year. Any suggestion that he would be able to provide a stronger spark into the offense than a guy like Rico Dowdle or Deuce Vaughn is simply wrong. Ezekiel Elliott had 184 carries last year. His longest run was 17 yards. — Marcus Mosher (@Marcus_Mosher) March 27, 2024 If they want to use Elliott, like I said, that is completely fine, he can still contribute. Where things go wrong is when you start leaning more on the past than on the future, and that’s what making Zeke the primary carrier does. Additionally, when you throw Cook into the mix, I find it hard to see a place for both guys. Elliott and Cook combined, with the two younger backs and Hunter Luepke, overcrowd the room and for what gain? To make sure you have two guys past their prime in there? Let’s talk about that problem. Dalvin Cook: Injury History Has Caught Up I completely understand the rationale some fans have had regarding signing Dalvin Cook. I even wrote about the possibility and the reasons why not too long ago. The issue is, in reality, he just does not fit into this roster when you include Elliott. Both are 29 years old, and despite Cook having more recent success, I think his skills might be more diminished than Elliott’s at this point because of his extensive injury history. His 2023 was deeply concerning. The Vikings decided to move on from him, both to save money and clear up touches despite rushing for 1,173 yards in his final season. I suspect they saw the warning signs. Then, after months of working out for various teams, he latched onto the Jets, who barely gave him any burn, and when they did, it was ugly. Reminder that Dalvin Cook is: * NFL’s 4th-worst RB in Rush Yards over Expectation* 4th-worst RB in Success Rate* Dead last in yards per attempt* PFF’s No. 52 graded RB among 57 qualifiers https://t.co/0OTh4BEIfn — Adam Levitan (@adamlevitan) October 4, 2023 The counterpoint to the “washed” argument is “he had one bad season, players don’t fall off that quickly.” Well, that’s not true for running backs. This happens all the time at the position. The fact that it took until age 28 for Cook, with all his injuries, is almost impressive. It is rare for guys at the position to continue playing well into their 30s, and when you add in the wear and tear on Cook’s tires, it makes perfect sense that he is just out of gas. Now, the Cowboys running back room has two guys who are, in my view, at the end of the road, and two guys (Dowdle and Vaughn) who are just getting started. The room is now too crowded to get everybody involved, and I don’t think you can rely on the two veterans to carry the load. Because of that, Dallas will be left in no-mans-land trying to split up carries for their crowded and aging room. I don’t see a world where that is a great success.

The Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones is known for his hardheadedness, but Dak Prescott versus Jerry Jones is about to happen. As we all know, Jerry played hardball with CeeDee Lamb and was still paid top of the market. The contract was undoubtedly a big news flash for Dak Prescott, who is still waiting for his new deal. CeeDee Lamb’s new deal was a four-year, $136 million contract extension with the Cowboys on August 27, 2024. $100 million is guaranteed, of which $82 million is a new guarantee. $67 million is fully guaranteed at signing, including a $38 million signing bonus. Dak Prescott is taking notes, and by the sound of the remarks made in the media, Dak may not be a happy camper at this point. Which may not be a good sign for the future. Dak Prescott Going to the Media Many fans do not want to hear this, but Dak Prescott is one of the top five quarterbacks in the NFL based on statistics and regular-season records. His playoff record isn’t excellent, but guess what? Neither is Lamar Jackson’s playoff record, but he was an MVP. In case anyone forgot, Dak Prescott was the MVP runner-up. That said, Dak Prescott knows he deserves a new contract, and if Jerry Jones and the Cowboys front office do not offer him one soon, it could be bad for Cowboys fans. As Dak Prescott goes into the 2024 season, his last season under contract, he expressed his displeasure when speaking to the media. When speaking to the media, Dak said, “I think it says a lot if it is or if it isn’t” regarding a new deal. Dak Prescott said he doesn’t have to have a new contract before the season starts, but “I think it says a lot if it is or if it isn’t.” What does it say if it isn’t done? “Just how people feel.” pic.twitter.com/XDXGDl7LKn — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 29, 2024 Reading between the lines, Dak Prescott could be telling the Cowboys nation and the rest of the league the ball is in Jerry Jones’ court. Fans know Dak Prescott wants to be a Cowboy, but after reading the room, it is a great possibility this is the last year of Dak Prescott’s tenure as the Dallas Cowboys quarterback. Oh, and by the way, Dak Prescott has stopped listening to what Jerry Jones says in the media. Dak Prescott: “I stopped, honestly, listening to things (Jerry Jones) says to the media a long time ago. It doesn’t really hold weight with me.” https://t.co/wT742UnccH — Jon Machota (@jonmachota) August 29, 2024 Jerry Jones Takes the High Road for Now Jerry Jones had a lot to say about his star quarterback‘s contract situation. However, he mostly just talked in circles, which he is very good at. Jerry Jones had this to say, “You could easily say, if you hadn’t seen it by now, you haven’t seen it, I’m such a fan of Dak’s and appreciate all of the great things that we all know that he’s there. I appreciate his work ethic probably more than anything out here. I can’t tell you how proud I am that we’ve got him this year to start this campaign. Needing to see, I just gave an explanation where when you look at a situation, you’ve also got to weigh, ‘OK, what are the consequences of the other side of the coin.’ Dak’s situation, right now, for me, from my mirror, has more to do with our [salary cap] situation than it does with the merits of Dak Prescott being the quarterback of the Dallas Cowboys.” That was a long quote, but let’s try translating the “Jerry-isms.” One thing that is noticed is the statement, “I can’t tell you how proud I am that we’ve got him this year to start this campaign.” This statement says Jerry Jones only wants Dak Prescott this year. If Prescott gets signed, it will be others in the front office who push the issue. It would not be Jerry Jones who wanted the deal. Jerry does not talk about the future with Dak Prescott but only talks about the year under contract. We could break down the quote and find details that give clues for the future. The only problem is that it would be a long article. As for the season, let us, as a fanbase, enjoy the year. This could be the last year we get the opportunity to continue winning. If the Cowboys start over at quarterback, prepare for pre-Tony Romo type of quarterback play. Unless the front office catches lightning in a bottle with what will be a mid-20s draft pick and gets a quarterback of the future. It is going to be a rough few years after 2024. It’s not a likely outcome, but crazier things have happened. This season could genuinely be the end of the Dak Prescott era.

You have no idea how nice it is to finally be talking about regular season football. It makes it even better that we don’t have to worry about whether CeeDee Lamb will be there either, now that he has signed his contract. Normally, we would expect the Dallas Cowboys to take on someone like the New York Giants in the first week of the season. Well, this year they are on the road to take on the Cleveland Browns. A team with another quarterback with a huge amount of pressure on him to finally do something and earn that money he signed for. That would be Deshaun Watson. BREAKING: WR CeeDee Lamb, Cowboys agree to 4-year, $136M extension with $100M guaranteed. (via @tompelissero, @rapsheet) pic.twitter.com/S0A7chtCQ6 — NFL (@NFL) August 26, 2024 Big Break For Big D The Cowboys will have enough trouble to start the year dealing with Myles Garrett and the no. 1 overall defense from 2023, so the news that was reported this week will help their defense. The Browns put star running back Nick Chubb on the physically unable to perform list. That means he will be inactive for the first four games of the regular season. Browns RB Nick Chubb (knee) will start the season on Reserve/PUP list, will miss first 4 games of the season. (via @TomPelissero) pic.twitter.com/sA87drsKkC — NFL (@NFL) August 26, 2024 Chubb has been rehabbing a severe left knee injury sustained in Week 2 of the 2023 season that sidelined him for the rest of the year and required two surgeries. He underwent the first procedure to repair the medial capsule, meniscus and MCL in late September. The second surgery occurred in November, repairing damage to the ACL. Chubb, a four-time Pro Bowl selection, had rushed for more than 1,000 yards in four straight seasons before 2023, including a career-high 1,525 in 2022. This is his second significant left knee injury; he tore the MCL, PCL and LCL at the University of Georgia in 2015. Not having to deal with Chubb will be a bonus for Dallas. Instead, they will have to focus on the Beef Up The D Line It took until nearly the end of August, but after the Cowboys lost Sam Williams, they finally added some big bodies for Mike Zimmer and that defensive line. We know how bad this team has been at stopping the run over the last two or three seasons with Dan Quinn. Now Zimmer comes in, and I will tell you what, I trust him a lot more than I trusted Quinn. Dan was always trying to be buddy-buddy with his players, and yes, that worked for the big splash plays. The defense was good under Quinn, but not good enough. They could and should have been so much better. Over the last few weeks, the Cowboys have added some big bodies to help stop the run. Dallas traded a 2026 sixth-round pick to the New York Giants in exchange for veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and a 2026 seventh-round pick on August 15th. Jordan Phillips with a good play on the quarterback. pic.twitter.com/9sFiz4z9nU — Calvin Watkins (@calvinwatkins) August 20, 2024 Last Wednesday, Jerry made another move that at least should help for the time being. I am not sure how much he has left in the tank, but he has one job. Plug the holes and help stop the dang run. Linval Joseph signed a one-year deal for $2.5 million guaranteed. He can earn up to $4 million after incentives. Joseph spent six seasons in Minnesota under new Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike ZImmer, who was his Vikings head coach at the time. Linval Joseph’s advice to defensive tackles in Mike Zimmer’s system: “Learn it quickly. Zim don’t like mistakes.” pic.twitter.com/spZ79yES4X — Mike Leslie (@MikeLeslieWFAA) August 28, 2024 The Cowboys have a tough test to start the year, but it helps that they don’t have to deal with Chubb. If they can start the season by winning two of their first three games, that would be huge. Split with the Browns and Ravens and take care of the Siants, it will set them up nicely for the rest ahead. Now that Lamb is in the building I am kinda looking forward to this season.

For the second-straight year the Dallas Cowboys ended the preseason with a 1-2 record. The last time they posted a winning record in preseason play was a 2-1 mark in 2022. It also marked the fifth-straight year that quarterback Dak Prescott failed to take a single preseason snap. Despite not playing their star player much, if at all, in the preseason, Dallas has gone on to make the playoffs in the last three years. Other NFL teams have had their top players log some time on the field in live action in August. Jacksonville even had its starting quarterback, Trevor Lawrence, lead multiple drives in the finale. Diving into the numbers, is it possible to see how the Cowboys’ preseason approach impacts its regular season outcomes? Recent Results The Cowboys are 10-18 in the preseason since 2016 – the beginning of the Dak Prescott Era if you will. They have made the playoffs in five of those previous eight years. By comparison, from 2007-2015 – the nine seasons that Tony Romo was the QB1 in Dallas – the Cowboys made the playoffs in four of those years. Dallas was 17-19 in the preseason during Romo’s run. They sometimes played five preseason games back then, while three is the new norm now. Over the past 17 seasons – with two franchise quarterbacks – the Cowboys are a combined 27-27 in preseason play with nine playoff appearances. With no appearances at all in the NFC Championship Game. Which also means no Super Bowl appearances either over that time. Which begs the question: Is a strong preseason showing a must to make a deep playoff run? Mixed Results In the 1970s, the Cowboys used strong preseason showings to launch title runs. Dallas went 6-0 in their first Super Bowl winning season in 1971. They went 3-3 six years later to kick off the 1977 championship-winning season. But two decades later – a mere 14 seasons between Super Bowl appearances – the 1990s dynasty run didn’t need a winning preseason at all, it would seem. In 1992, the Cowboys started out with a 2-3 preseason record. They ended the year by destroying the Bills in Super Bowl XXVII in Pasadena. In 1993, the preseason was marked by Emmitt Smith’s holdout and ended with a 1-4 record that became an 0-2 regular season start. Smith returned for the third game against the Cardinals in Phoenix. The 1993 season ended with a second straight Super Bowl win over the Bills, this time in Atlanta. The 1995 season began with a 2-3 record but ended with the Cowboys hoisting their fifth Lombardi trophy. It would seem the teams of the 1990s were talented enough to show up when the games actually matter. But is that the same for the Cowboys of the 21st Century? Not at all. Laying Down A Strong Foundation Looking at the record over the past eight seasons under Prescott, Dallas is clearly not firing off the blocks when the calendar flips to September. In the Prescott Era, the Cowboys are 3-5 in season openers. The Cowboys were 6-3 in season openers under Romo. Since Prescott began sitting out the preseason, the Cowboys are just 1-3 in season openers. Last year, when they routed the Giants 40-0 to begin the year, was the first year they won a season-opener this decade. It was also the first time they opened the season with a win and went on to make the playoffs since 2017. Frankly, that should come with an asterisk, since the Giants were that abysmal in 2023. During Prescott’s run the Cowboys’ best start has been 3-0 – and that came back in 2019. The last year Prescott played in the preseason. The Cowboys brain trust – bankrupt as it may be – insists that sitting Prescott out reduces the wear and tear on his body. But given the track record of the last eight years, is this approach hindering the team during the regular season? Possibly. If the Cowboys again fail to advance beyond the divisional round in January, it could be time for a new approach to the preseason. The key to building a strong house is laying down a solid foundation. In the NFL, that begins in the preseason. Maybe the Cowboys need to take another look at those blueprints?

The Dallas Cowboys’ ability to stop the run the last few years has been a huge problem. This will be the first season that a new face will call the plays with hopes he can figure out a way to change the narrative. Someone I trust a bit more than former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. Mike Zimmer has proved over the years to be able to fix most problems on that side of the ball, and to my surprise, the Cowboys have actually been doing something to try and make sure they don’t get embarrassed by teams that run the football in 2024. Give Credit Finally Although the moves have been for guys that have been in this league for a decent amount of time, Jerry Jones did make a handful of moves near the end of August that should help the defensive line. He is beefing it up. Dallas traded a 2026 sixth-round pick to the New York Giants in exchange for veteran defensive tackle Jordan Phillips and a 2026 seventh-round pick on August 15th. In a odd turn of events, the Cowboys released Carl Lawson on Tuesday. They signed him late in training camp, but after all the cuts were made yesterday, they decided he still wasn’t good enough. I found that really odd. Last Wednesday, Jerry made another move that at least should help for the time being. I am not sure how much he has left in the tank, but he has one job. Plug the holes and help stop the dang run. Linval Joseph signed a one-year deal for $2.5 million guaranteed. He can earn up to $4 million after incentives. Joseph spent six seasons in Minnesota under new Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike ZImmer, who was his Vikings head coach at the time. He is clearly way passed his prime, but he provides crucial depth up front for a Cowboys squad that was an below average run defense in 2023 (112.4 rushing yards allowed per game, 16th in the NFL). Tough Test Early The Cowboys are going to be put to the test early this season with six of their first ten games against teams that made the playoffs a year ago. The defensive line and the back end will be put to the test with DaRon Bland going down. They start things off with the Browns who have Nick Chubb running the ball, and added Jerry Jeudy with Amari Cooper. They then take on the Saints, who do have Alvin Kamara. He can torch you if you are careful. Then the following week, they have to deal with Lamar Jackson and Derrick Henry. On paper, that is a load to deal with. This front is going to be tested from the get go. The offense will need to help them out big time against the Ravens. The good news is the Dallas Cowboys signed CeeDee Lamb this week, that takes the pressure off the offensive side of the ball, at least for now. He agreed to a four-year, $136 million extension. Lamb now has the second-highest average annual salary at $34 million per year, coming in just behind Minnesota’s Justin Jefferson (four years, $35 million per year). Jerry Jones finally did all his business at the end of the summer. Not surprising. He made sure he could stay in the media for as long as possible. Once the preseason was over, he got the Lamb deal done. It is going to be a fun week ahead now that Lamb has been paid, and we can see the core group back together suit up for week one. The Cowboys have a chance to quiet a lot of folks early this season.