Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images Playing the Cowboys these days is all about embarrassing them so the whole world can see it. Something I have come to realize is that if you are a Dallas Cowboys fan around the age of 40 (a little room for flexibility at the top) or younger, you have only gotten the bad in this. Your friends, family, co-workers, etc. all tease you and mock you when your team loses and for the majority of your life, for all of your adult life, that has been the case. You get the treatment that fans of the Los Angeles Lakers or New York Yankees get in terms of meme-ability but without any sort of hardware to make crawling through the mud worth it. Consider that each of those teams are dealing with droughts of their own, the youngest of which was born when Dallas’ was already 14 years old. It is for this reason that when CeeDee Lamb said following Monday night’s loss that teams are looking to “embarrass” the Cowboys that I found it interesting. I’m not here to act like playing the Cowboys “is so and so’s Super Bowl”, but I do put some stock into the idea that opposing teams smell blood in the water so to speak and know that a domination against America’s Team lives a little bit louder than most. Consider all the fanfare that the New Orleans Saints picked up earlier this season as a recent example. These are just my two cents though so I was curious how someone who has actually been in those shoes/cleats feels about the whole thing. Thankfully I had an opportunity to talk to former New York Giants wide receiver Victor Cruz earlier this week and asked him about the idea among other things. You can watch our conversation here: Cruz’s Giants team won the Super Bowl 13 years ago when Dallas’ drought was already 16 years old (I’d imagine Jerry Jones bought them a brand new Mercedes for the occasion). They famously defeated the Cowboys in an NFC East title game in Week 17 at MetLife Stadium, the first of three in a row that Dallas would lose to each of their division rivals. I lived those three years like every one of you and still cannot believe that they actually happened in that exact way. The Murphy’s Law of who the Cowboys are speaks for itself in that what can go wrong will and while Cruz didn’t exactly agree with that particular sentiment, he did note that playing the Cowboys comes with a little bit of extra motivation. He added that playing for the Giants brings with it a big stage in and of itself, an objectively true statement, and said the right things about how you want to embarrass anybody you play because it’s the NFL. Whatever the case you can add Cruz to people who at least partially share the sentiment that CeeDee Lamb offered on Monday night. The whole thing is depressing and it is hard to know when it will end. Cruz and I discussed a variety of things, including his recent partnership with Captain Morgan and a particularly sweet new crewneck. Starting November 22, limited quantities of the Captain Morgan Crewneck will drop on KidSuper.com. Miss the drop? You’re in luck – Captain Morgan is unlocking access for fans 21+ to score the coolest merch of the season. Head over to FollowTheCaptain.com, and while you’re there, dive into a world of hidden clues and surprises, because you never know what Captain Morgan has in store as we gear up for Super Bowl LIX. Our thanks to Victor Cruz and Captain Morgan for the time.

Photo by Michael Owens/Getty Images Our latest mailbag features plenty of questions about the Dallas Cowboys Every week, we take questions on X (Twitter) and Facebook about Dallas Cowboys players and other issues surrounding the team. So let’s get right into it. “I would like a complete analysis of Ryan Flournoy’s performance”. (@EquipTheNations on Twitter) Mike: Starting for the first time last week meant the world to Flournoy and he was very vocal about the fact. The sad part is he only managed two receptions for 19 yards, and that was on a day Cooper Rush threw the ball 55 times. Flournoy is a physical player with tremendous explosiveness that best fits as a downfield player. The issue here is that just doesn’t fit what the team is asking Cooper Rush to do. You can see the potential as a playmaker who can rack up YAC yards when given the chance, it just may be the case we have to wait till next season to truly see that on the field. Dana: Unfortunately, the sample size for Flournoy is pretty small when it comes to the NFL. Throughout the six games that he has been active, he has only seen four receptions on six attempts. Last week he saw the most snaps in a game by far with 54 snaps but he only came away with two catches for 19 yards. Right now, he looks like a rookie WR that is trying to get more playing time. He has done some good things like his 15-yarder last Monday, but the big blemish is the fumble against the Lions. He is a rookie and he is learning. Hopefully, we will see more of what he is capable of during the remainder of this season. “For a team that doesn’t get involved with free agency and therefore needs to hit on a higher % of draft picks, should McClay get fired?” (@Androvian70 on Twitter) Mike: Personally I think McClay does a very good job. I’ve spoken with him a number of times and he’s a very smart and articulate football guy. It’s true there have been some misses in the draft in recent times but that isn’t solely down to McClay. The best way to describe what McClay does is he’s the intermediary guy between the coaches, the front office and the scouting department. They all tell him what they want and McClay goes to work finding those best fits. No matter what he says or what he suggests, there’s only one man that makes the final decision when it’s the Cowboys turn to make that draft pick, and that’s the guy the question should be pointed at. Dana: The Cowboys are pretty well known to be good a drafting players and when you look at the stars on this team, that is mostly true. However, when drafting players to support those stars, there definitely needs to be improvement. The Cowboys are actually towards the bottom of the list when looking at the percent of draft picks that never play in the NFL. Each team’s percentage of draft picks that NEVER play in the NFL since 2015: ( Ig/pickinem) pic.twitter.com/Lthu0kEu0q — Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) November 16, 2024 When the team’s strategy is to rely on drafted players as opposed to free-agency, that percentage needs to be a lot smaller. Now, when evaluating the person responsible, it gets a little more muddy than just placing the blame on Will McClay. There are a lot of people inside of the Dallas Cowboys’ war room that influence which players get drafted. Coaches have their favorites and the owner/GM has his. The decision may not always fall on the shoulders of one person. Like Mike mentioned above, there are others that should be questioned as well. “In their history, have the Cowboys ever had a winless home record in any season? Better yet, what season yielded the worst home record?” (@MrEd315 on Twitter) Mike: The last time this Cowboys team went an entire season without winning at home was 1989, their only win that season came on the road. But since the team has played in AT&T stadium, this has never occurred. Over the years the team was slowly building a reputation at home and went two seasons recently with only one loss. This year one stat that is particularly depressing is that the Cowboys have led at home this season for a total of two minutes and 15 seconds, we are now heading into Thanksgiving. This is a seriously depressing home team record at the moment. Dana: Just to add some color here, there are many factors that go into why a team loses any one game. When looking at causation vs correlation, it is unlikely that simply playing at home is the main reason for any of these losses this year. But whether it is the strength of opponents for home games, traveling fans of opposing teams coming to experience AT&T Stadium, the sun peeking through the windows at the perfect angle, or simply the fact that this 2024 Cowboys team is not very good, the idea of having a home field advantage is completely lost in Dallas.

Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images When Dan Quinn left the Cowboys this past offseason to take the head coaching job for the rival Commanders, he knew this would probably be his last chance at having the top job. With Washington picking second overall in the draft, the chance to land one of the top three quarterbacks was right there, but Quinn needed to have the right scheme in place. The last time Quinn was hired to be a head coach, he knocked it out of the park. Going to Atlanta and inheriting veteran Matt Ryan, Quinn already had plenty of offensive firepower. He hired Kyle Shanahan, who resigned from his position as the Browns offensive coordinator to join Quinn. At the time, Shanahan was more known as simply the son of legendary coach Mike Shanahan, but hadn’t really made a name for himself yet. That changed rapidly in Atlanta. In Washington, Quinn needed to have similar success, so he went with a stacked cast of offensive coaches. First, he tapped Kliff Kingsbury to be his offensive coordinator; Kingsbury had an unsuccessful tenure as the Cardinals head coach before spending 2023 as the quarterbacks coach for Caleb Williams at USC. Quinn added Brian Johnson as the assistant head coach and pass game coordinator; Johnson had just been fired after one season as the Eagles offensive coordinator, but had a very successful track record in college. And, for good measure, Quinn brought in Anthony Lynn, a former Chargers head coach who came from Shanahan’s 49ers, to be the run game coordinator and running backs coach. This trio was entrusted with crafting an offense around the newest franchise quarterback, which was soon revealed to be reigning Heisman winner Jayden Daniels. A dual-threat quarterback from California, Daniels initially committed to play for Arizona State under Herm Edwards. He earned rave reviews early on with the Sun Devils, but transferred to LSU when a massive recruiting scandal broke in Tempe. With the Tigers, Daniels was the first face of new head coach Brian Kelly, a notoriously demanding coach with a penchant for getting the best out of his quarterbacks. In two years in Baton Rouge, Daniels went from an exciting player to an all-out star. He became one of the most lethal deep passers in the nation while still retaining the game-breaking running ability that earned him several comparisons to Lamar Jackson. When Daniels came to Washington, his style seemed to perfectly fit with the triumvirate of offensive coaches he’d now be working with. Kingsbury hails from the Air Raid offense of Mike Leach, while Johnson cut his teeth in the Dan Mullen spread option that’s spawned numerous dual-threat legends; Johnson was also responsible for installing the bulk of the Eagles’ option run game with Jalen Hurts. Meanwhile, Lynn brought an exposure to a wide variety of run schemes in the NFL, including the highly successful one that Shanahan has made so popular in San Francisco. The idea was to meld the traditional NFL schemes with the college schemes that had made Daniels so successful. And so far, through 11 weeks, it’s been a big success. Daniels is completing 68.7% of his passes and ranks third in the league in EPA/dropback. He has 2,338 passing yards on top of 482 rushing yards and has notched 14 total touchdowns to just three turnovers. He leads the league in scramble yards and ranks eighth in yards per attempt while also having the third-lowest turnover worthy play rate among starting quarterbacks. To put it simply, he’s making big plays with both his arm and legs without putting the ball in jeopardy. The scheme is partly to thank for that. The Commanders are one of the more run-heavy offenses in the league right now, with only four teams calling a lower rate of pass plays. Two of those teams are Jackson’s Ravens and Hurts’ Eagles, unsurprisingly. The running back duo of Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson has proven effective, and Daniels’ rushing threat has made it difficult for defenses to key in on one player. As a result, Washington is currently second in the league in EPA/rush, behind only the Eagles. When the Commanders do throw the ball, though, they’re getting big plays: Washington is tied for fifth in pass yards per play on the year. Kingsbury has done his best to make things easier on Daniels too, as the Commanders rank third in play-action and second in screen usage. A year ago, Washington’s offensive line gave up the most sacks of any team. The high rate of play-action and screens this year has helped Daniels with pressure, as the rookie is currently in the middle of the pack in sacks. One of the bigger criticisms of Kingsbury’s offenses in Arizona was his lack of passing between the numbers. That’s a reflection of the differences between college and the pro’s, as the dimensions of a college football field make it more advantageous to throw outside the hashmarks. In the NFL, there is more value to be had throwing inside, and Kingsbury never really adapted to that in Arizona. He’s changed now, as Daniels is throwing 52% of his passes between the numbers; he’s also ninth in EPA/dropback on said targets, another example of Kingsbury playing to his quarterback’s strengths. The only thing that has slowed down this Commanders offense has been injuries. Daniels injured his ribs in a Week 7 win over the Panthers, though he’s continued to play through it. Initially, he looked as if nothing had changed, but Daniels has put up his two worst games of the year (and the only two games in which he’s posted a negative EPA/dropback) in the last two weeks, both of which have been losses. As the Commanders prepare to face off against the Cowboys, that could be trouble for Washington. Micah Parsons has been back for a few weeks and going full steam ahead, and both Marshawn Kneeland and DaRon Bland could be returning from injury for this

Mandi Wright / USA TODAY NETWORK Where do you want to see the Cowboys go in the first round? By now you have heard all the different ways the Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 season has gone wrong. From the injuries, to the poor coaching, to the abysmal offseason, to so many other things – we’ve discussed them all. At the same time, we must endure the losing week after week. But with all that losing comes one good thing. Draft position! That is what our survey focused on this week. First, let’s get the preliminaries our of the way. Fan confidence Cowboys fan confidence in the direction of the franchise took a slight rise this week, all the way up to 6%. That’s sad when 6% is considered a move up. Commanders spread Next, we’ll check in with NFL fans and see what they thing about the Cowboys covering the 10-point spread set earlier in the week by Fan Duel. (The line has crept up to 10.5-points today.) Only 16% of NFL fans think Dallas will cover the spread. 2025 draft pick And finally, the draft. We gave Cowboys fans six position options for the first-round pick in 2025. As of now that pick is in the top 10. In a really close call, offensive line just edged out defensive line for the pick. Cowboys fans are knowledgeable and understand the team is getting beat in the trenches. The only other serious contender was running back.

Photo by Matthew Pearce/Icon Sportswire via Getty Images Who has impressed you from the Commanders’ rookie class? Previously we broke down both team’s offense and defense for the upcoming game between the Dallas Cowboys and Washington Commanders. Now we dive back into the position battleground, this time looking at how some of each team’s rookie class stack up against each other. (Grades for each player are the overall offensive or defensive grade handed out by PFF.com) Dallas Cowboys Tyler Guyton First RoundTyler Guyton will start at left tackle where he has his work cut out keeping this effective Washington pass rush at bay. Trying to slow Dante Fowler Jr. down and the rest of the Commanders pass rush is key this week to help Cooper Rush find any sort of rhythm.Grade: 55.2 Marshawn Kneeland Second RoundOn injured reserve (has been designated to return to practice this week)Grade: 54.7 Cooper Beebe Third RoundBeebe gets the better deal here this week as the Commanders pressure comes nearly exclusively from around the edge. Where he will need to take a pivotal role is in the run game. If Beebe can get some push and break into the second level then that exposes this Commanders defense which has struggled to defend the run, particularly down the middle. Grade: 62.0 Marist Liufau Third RoundLiufau took a healthy amount of snaps last week, the trouble is he only came away with three tackles for all his efforts. It’s unfair to completely write Liufau off or call him a bust as he has to contend with a defensive line that is offering him very little assistance. But you can see his lack of instincts in the run game which can leave him with a lot of work to do to get back in position.Grade: 42.2 Caelen Carson Fifth RoundCarson was left out the lineup last week on defense. He’s had some monumental struggles the past two weeks, allowing 13 receptions off 15 targets for over 200 receiving yards. With Bland coming back, Carson will remain on special team duties.Grade: 39.7 Ryan Flournoy Sixth RoundFlournoy got to start last week and played on 54 snaps on offense. He was targeted four times and had 19 yards off two catches, one going for a first down. The number of targets for the teams WR3 on a day where Rush threw over 60 times is concerning for Flournoy, but on the flip side of that statement is that everything looks concerning on this Cowboys offense. Grade: 60.4 Brevyn Spann-Ford UDFAWith Jake Ferguson missing for half the game (and this week’s game), Spann-Ford took on the extra workload and played on 42 snaps, which was a career high for him. He had 42 yards off four receptions but what was quite interesting was his pass blocking. He had a number of very good blocks, something no doubt this coaching staff would have noticed.Grade: 56.8 Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images Washington Commanders Jayden Daniels First RoundDaniels has performed the best among all this year’s rookie quarterbacks and his dual-threat abilities have served him well this season. He has slowed down recently, whether that’s hitting the rookie wall, injury, or defenses figuring out his game style. But Daniels has set a solid foundation and has played with good decision-making, accuracy and has the right amount of swagger to be a solid player at the position for years to come. Consistency is now key for him.Grade: 85.8 Jer’Zhan Newton Second Round“Jonny” Newton was a player that some people hoped would have been called up by Dallas, but that moment never come. So far this season Newton has struggled to find that highly aggressive and athletic form he flashed at Illinois. He has only one sack to his name and a dozen pressures, with 26 tackles in ten games this year. Grade: 44.0 Mike Sainristil Second RoundThe Michigan cornerback has been starting for the Commanders secondary all over the place this year. Being moved around so much has probably been a factor in his inconsistent play this year. He’s allowed a 65% completion rate, three touchdowns and has a passer rating allowed of 96.9. The secondary for Washington follows this theme as well by best being called inconsistent.Grade: 68.0 Ben Sinnott Second RoundSinnott serves as Washington’s TE3 and has made three receptions this year, one for a touchdown. He’s mostly utilized as an extra run blocker on plays and the Commanders offensive line needs the extra help in run blocking as they aren’t the best.Grade: 55.1 Brandon Coleman Third Round Coleman has been playing as the team’s starting left tackle since Week 5. He’s done a pretty good so far and allowed one sack and 18 pressures off 211 passing sets. Although as previously mentioned the Commanders run blocking has been substandard this year, Coleman has been one of the better players on the offensive line in that department. Grade: 60.7 Luke McCaffrey Third RoundThe younger brother of Christian McCaffrey has played a fairly significant role on this Washington offense. Terry McLaurin will get the majority of targets, and rightly so, so scooping up any extra targets from him is a tough job. McCaffrey has made 13 receptions for 134 yards and has yet to score.Grade: 54.3 Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images

Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys is here. Cowboys’ $240M star Dak Prescott admits to crying over horrendous season as team faces constant mockery – Jackson Thompson, Fox News Dak Prescott couldn’t hold back his emotions after recent loss for the Cowboys. Dallas Cowboys franchise quarterback Dak Prescott admitted just how bad his team’s failed season has made him feel about himself. Prescott told The Dallas Morning News this week he couldn’t hold back the emotion or the tears when he sat down and realized just how bad his team really is. “The other day, after the game, I guess, it all just hit me,” Prescott said of the experience shortly after his team was blown out by the Houston Texans Monday night. “Boom, right. A couple of tears came down. “This is going to hurt. It’s going to suck at times. You just have to understand this is one of the moments that it does. I don’t want anything right now other than to let it suck. It’s understanding and being able to voice that, ‘Yeah, I’m blessed to be where I’m at.’” Stephen Jones says Dallas Cowboys don’t regret trading for quarterback Trey Lance – SportsDay Staff, Dallas Morning News Despite barely seeing the field, Stephen Jones believes getting Trey Lance was a good thing. According to Stephen Jones, the Dallas Cowboys would trade for Trey Lance again if they had a chance. The Cowboys executive vice president spoke highly of the team’s current backup quarterback during his latest appearance on 105.3 The Fan (KRLD-FM). Lance is currently expected to sit behind starter Cooper Rush, who has been described as giving Dallas the “best chance to win.” “[Lance] is a top-tier pick, a guy we had at the top. As you know, Dak [Prescott] was coming up for a contract and we wanted to take a look at a good, young talent and didn’t feel like we could get anything from a quality standpoint like we could get with Trey,” Jones said. “As it turns out, we ended up signing Dak long-term. So obviously that puts a little less need in terms of having to rush to do something with Trey. Matter of fact, it makes it hard because Trey, I’m sure, is wanting to see what’s out there now that we have committed to Dak long-term. But I don’t regret that at all.” Dallas originally acquired Lance ahead of the 2023 season, sending a 2024 fourth-round pick to San Francisco for the young quarterback’s services. Lance has yet to receive an extended look with the Cowboys, appearing in only one regular-season game since joining the roster. Lance briefly stepped in for Rush during the team’s 34-6 Week 10 loss to Philadelphia, going 4-for-6 through the air for 21 yards and an interception. He also ran for 17 yards on three carries. Cowboys injury report: Ferguson ruled out, Martin listed as doubtful, Bland will play vs. Commanders – LP Cruz, Blogging The Boys Dallas gets an All-Pro back, but two other significant starters will be out against Washington. After the Cleveland Browns won in a snowy outing during Thursday Night Football against the Pittsburgh Steelers, the Dallas Cowboys have only four teams ahead them with fewer wins and currently hold the ninth pick in this year’s draft. There’s no reason to believe the Cowboys are intentionally tanking, more like they don’t have the bodies to compete and the results of what they lack is showing in the loss column. Ahead of their game against their former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn and his upstart Washington Commanders, Dallas will be without some key players this Sunday. Here’s the final injury report of the week. #Cowboys final injury report vs. Commanders (Week 12): DaRon Bland has no designation and, as such, is expected to make his 2024 debut. Zack Martin doubtful, likely unable to play. Full report: pic.twitter.com/srWPmR9XPf — Patrik [No C] Walker (@VoiceOfTheStar) November 22, 2024 NFL Rumors: Daniel Jones Won’t Be Pursued by Cowboys amid Dak Prescott’s injury – Jack Murray, Bleacher Report The Cowboys don’t have any interest in pursuing the Giants’ failed QB. The Dallas Cowboys do not appear to be in pursuit of quarterback Daniel Jones. The Giants released the 27-year-old on Friday after six seasons with the franchise. He is set to clear waivers on Monday and could be an intriguing option for a quarterback-needy team. With starting quarterback Dak Prescott out for the season with a hamstring injury, the Cowboys could be a team that fits that description. However, NFL insider Josina Anderson reported that the team is “not currently pursuing” Jones. For those oasking, I’m told the #Cowboys are not currently pursuing QB Daniel Jones, per source. — JosinaAnderson (@JosinaAnderson) November 22, 2024 The Cowboys depth chart currently consists of Cooper Rush and Trey Lance with Prescott unavailable. Here We Goooo: Run game needs to travel – Tommy Yarrish, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys could establish the ground game against the Commanders’ 30th ranked run defense. Yes, I know the Cowboys have the second lowest rushing yards per game in the NFL this season. So how could this possibly be a game where they could start to open things up? Keep in mind that Dallas has played six of the top nine rushing defenses in the NFL this season. On Sunday, they’ll face a Commanders defense that has given up the most rushing yards of any team in the NFL (1,655) , and is allowing the third-most rushing yards per game (149.9). Rico Dowdle was held in check last week by the Texans (who have the 9th lowest rushing yards allowed per game in the league), so this is the week to get things going. If we’re looking at what kinds of runs could open things up for Dowdle and the Cowboys, look for it to be on outside carries. Washington has give up 898 yards and nine touchdowns on outside runs this season, allowing 5.8 yards per