Dale Zanine-Imagn Images Taking one last look at the Falcons side of things. Falcons Have Several Starters on Injury Report Before Facing Cowboys – Daniel Flick, Sports Illustrated Injuries are also an issue for Atlanta this week. The Atlanta Falcons’ first injury report before their Week 9 matchup with the Dallas Cowboys consists of several key players. Three players did not participate in Atlanta’s practice Wednesday, headlined by All-Pro right guard Chris Lindstrom. The Falcons were also without a pair of rookies in second-round defensive tackle Ruke Orhorhoro and fifth-round linebacker JD Bertrand. Lindstrom suffered a knee injury in the third quarter of Sunday’s 31-26 win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, but Falcons coach Raheem Morris said postgame he was cleared to return. Lindstrom said in the locker room afterwards he expected to be fine for the Cowboys. Bertrand (concussion) and Orhorhoro (ankle) also sustained injuries against Tampa Bay. Orhorhoro exited the game in the third quarter and did not return, and his status for Sunday appears bleak, according to Morris. “We’ll have to see a little bit more, see what’s going on in the day,” Morris said Wednesday. “Not looking great.” Atlanta had seven players limited. Some, like safety Justin Simmons (hamstring) and linebacker Troy Andersen (knee) were expected, as they’ve been battling pre-existing injuries for multiple weeks and did not play against Tampa Bay. Others, however, are a touch more interesting to monitor. Linebacker Kaden Elliss injured his knee vs. the Buccaneers, and while he returned the following drive, he was limited Wednesday. Nickel cornerback Antonio Hamilton Sr. has endured a back injury for several weeks — he was active against Tampa Bay and “made it through the game fairly well,” Morris said. The Mailbox: Keeping the faith in Younghoe Koo and finding pass rush help – Will McFadden, AtlantaFalcons.com Atlanta has something Dallas doesn’t have… questions about their kicker. Will S. from Summerville, Ga. Should we be worried about Koo? Will: It’s a fair question to ask after the normally reliable kicker has missed four kicks in the Falcons’ last four games. Having talked to Younghoe Koo several times over the years, I can assure you he is one of the coolest customers I’ve ever met. He is never too high and never too low, and that’s exactly the type of even-keeled nature I’d want in a kicker. Matt Bryant was that way, too. It’s worth pointing out that all four of those misses were from beyond 40 yards, including two from at least 50 yards away. Those are obviously going to be a bit more difficult. It’s also worth noting, though, that this year Koo set a new career-high with his 58-yard, game-winning kick against the Saints. His previous best was 54 yards, a distance he’s connected from twice this year already. Koo has also done a great job articulating different elements of his kicking process and he is a bonafide expert at breaking down the mechanics. That all leads me to believe he knows the corrections to make. Again, I get the question, but at this point I still have plenty of faith. 3 Roster needs the Atlanta Falcons should address ahead of NFL trade deadline – Nick Halden, BloggingDirty.com Taking a look at positions the Falcons could pursue at the trade deadline. 1. Edge rusher The Atlanta Falcons have known they needed an elite edge rusher for the last two years. If the team believed they were true contenders, you needed to add at least one consistent edge rushing option. Instead, the team used their first round picks on two positions already filled and focused their free agent signings on continuing to build the offense. 2. Linebacker The argument against making a move here is the hope a healthy Troy Andersen returns and fixes your problems. However, that is the same logic offered to Nate Landman returning to Atlanta’s lineup. Since his return, it has been clear that something isn’t right with the Atlanta starter. He appears to be a step slow and isn’t finishing plays as well as he was prior to the injury. 3. Receiver depth Atlanta’s starting trio has been great with Drake London, Darnell Mooney, and Ray-Ray McCloud all playing far above expectations. Still, the Falcons should be considering adding depth to a unit that would struggle to deal with an injury. KhaDarel Hodge and rookie Casey Washington are the team’s current depth pieces. Washington is yet to take the field consistently and Hodge is a career special teams player. Though to be fair to Hodge, when the receiver was put in one of the season’s biggest moments, he delivered with a touchdown catch and run to beat Tampa in their first matchup. Still, the Falcons have reason to feel they need to improve the position and add a veteran that could step in and contribute rotating with McCloud. You don’t want to take his speed off the field consistently but having a capable veteran able to step into that role would be a wise move. It protects the Falcons from injuries to the position as well giving much-needed depth. It isn’t going to be high on Atlanta’s priority list but considering the low price of receiver trades around the league it is at least worth serious consideration.
Thursday Night Football odds, pick and live discussion: Texans at Jets
Vincent Carchietta-Imagn Images Who wins tonight… Houston or New York? The Houston Texans play the New York Jets on Thursday Night Football. FanDuel has the Jets as 2.5-point favorites over the Texans. Final score prediction: Jets 20 – Texans 17. Check out FanDuel for all of your NFL betting needs. This is an open thread for game chat.
Falcons offer Cowboys interesting example in soft rebuild that seems to be working
Falcons offer Cowboys interesting example in soft rebuild that seems to be working reidhanson As the Cowboys get ready to face their Week 9 opponent, Atlanta, they should take a moment to appreciate the steps the Falcons have taken to get to the situation they are currently in. The Falcons, 5-3, are in first place in the NFC South this season. After a 7-10 campaign in 2023 where they finished third and clearly missed the playoffs, it represents a marked improvement for the franchise. The Cowboys are on the opposite trajectory. After finishing 12-5, winning the NFC East and gaining the second seed in the NFC, Dallas has crashed back to earth in 2024. The once-dominant franchise is now struggling in all phases of the game, they stand at 3-5 and are already statistical longshots for the postseason. If things progress as they seem to be moving, the Cowboys may be in line for a rebuild in 2025. A top 10 draft pick, salary cap space and openings across the coaching staff offer a prime opportunity for rebuild. While some may want to focus on a quick reload and commitment for the here and now, others may opt for a more thorough approach, focusing more on the long-term than an immediate bounce back in 2025. If anyone asks the Falcons for advice they might say, “why not both?” Atlanta attacked the offseason with both the present and the future in mind. In one of the most head scratching moves of the offseason the Falcons signed free agent quarterback Kirk Cousins to a four-year, $180 million contract and then six weeks later drafted quarterback Michael Penix with their first-round pick. Using the bulk of their free agent money and their most valuable draft pick on the same position highlighted their commitment to two seemingly contrary goals. The redundancy of the QB position is unlike any other on the football field. It’s impossible for both Cousins and Penix to succeed side by side, making it one act of playing for the present and a completely separate act of preparing for the future. It was criticized heavily at the time but almost midway into the 2024 season it doesn’t look quite so crazy. For the sake of clarity this is not implying the Cowboys need to draft a QB next April. Dak Prescott may be uncharacteristically struggling but he’s still more than capable of leading an elite offense for years to come. This is simply to point out the idea of a “soft” rebuild isn’t crazy. The Cowboys can add veteran players who can help win now but might not help much in the future, and at the same time invest in young players who help more in the future, even if they don’t help much now. A perfect example of the Cowboys doing this is Dallas signing Eric Kendricks and drafting Tyler Guyton. Both players might be on the field right now but only one is really helping Dallas win right now. With all due respect to Guyton, he’s a project player who’s a bit more liability than asset this season. The Cowboys are enduring growing pains now for the hope he’ll pay off in the future. Kendricks, on the other hand, is a help-now guy who, at 32, doesn’t project to be a contributor in the future. No one knows how it will all play out for the Falcons over the next 4-5 years, but they are an early case study in having their cake and eating it too. It’s something Jerry Jones and the Cowboys might be interested in this upcoming offseason. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.
Cowboys player projections for Falcons game call for slight uptick in offensive production
Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images The Cowboys offense may show a bit more life on Sunday in Atlanta. It has been tough sledding for the Dallas Cowboys as of late. On offense, they can’t find any consistency and are turning the ball over. From a defensive perspective they are getting beat all over the place and can’t stop the run. There is an argument to be made that the most potent part of their game right now is Brandon Aubrey and the special teams operation, but obviously if that is what you are relying on the most for points then you are not going to win a ton of games. At the moment, the Cowboys have lost more than they have won and are obviously hoping to change that with a Sunday afternoon trip to see the Atlanta Falcons. Dallas is coming off of a game where the offense came alive late in the game (whether you believe this was garbage time or not is up to you) against the San Francisco 49ers and NFL Pro projections expect that trend to continue this week. Somewhat. Projections for the San Francisco 49ers game were somewhat accurate Before we get fully to the Falcons game it is important to re-examine the projections from last week so that we know how accurate they were or weren’t. How much value can we place in something that we don’t know the legitimacy of? In case you were unaware this is an exercise that we have been performing every week of the season here on the blog; however, right now we are obviously talking about San Francisco specifically. It turns out NFL Pro was close in a few areas within their projections. Projected Dak Prescott at San Francisco: 234.5 yards, 1.6 TDs, 0.8 INTs, 13 rush yards, 0.1 rush TDsActual: 243 yards, 2 TDs, 2 INTs, -1 rush yards Projected Rico Dowdle at San Francisco: 46.5 yards, 0.3 TDs, 2.1 rec, 15.1 rec yards, 0.1 rec TDsActual: Did not play due to illness Projected CeeDee Lamb at San Francisco: 6 rec, 76 yards, 0.4 TDsActual: 13 rec, 146 yards, 1 TDs Projected Jalen Tolbert at San Francisco: 3.2 rec, 38.5 yards, 0.3 TDsActual: 3 rec, 44 yards Projected Jake Ferguson at San Francisco: 4.2 rec, 44.1 yards, 0.3 TDsActual: 6 rec, 23 yards The yardage for both Dak Prescott and Jalen Tolbert was in the proper vicinity, although the former’s did not exactly come the way many would have expected it all to. Obviously Rico Dowdle’s reported illness impacted his ability to live up to or surpass his own projection, but it is worth noting that the Cowboys as a whole barely passed his individual projection as they finished with 56 rushing yards as a group. The good news, if there is any, is that the projections have grown for this week. Projections are calling for a bit more offense from the Cowboys in Atlanta As noted, the Cowboys are expected to achieve a bit more offensive success on Sunday against the Falcons than they were against the 49ers. The NFL Pro model does not, this is an assumption but it feels like a safe one, factor in things like a team’s history against another and obviously last week we were all hesitant about Dallas going up against San Francisco specifically given their recent battles. That is a long way of saying that the Falcons are not the 49ers which is why, seemingly, the Cowboys are projected to put up a bit more on offense. Prescott is projected to hit 250 yards passing, which is an uptick and while that is nice, calling for any rushing production from him seems rather foolish, especially considering Jerry Jones all but said that the team doesn’t want him running with the ball. Every pass catcher here has a larger projection than they did last week although Rico Dowdle’s is lower. Again, we are in a bit of a unique time there. If you flip to the second photo you will see that Kirk Cousins is also projected to hit 250 yards passing and that Bijan Robinson is projected to reach 74 yards rushing. It is worth noting that NFL Pro also states regarding this game that Robinson has a 57.6% success rate on runs that come under center so far this season. That is the highest among all running backs who have logged at least 30 carries. Unfortunately, the Cowboys defense has given up the most touchdowns (11) and has allowed the second-best success rate (49.3%) on these exact type of runs. This does steer us into the advantages portion of our discussion here and while the Cowboys have a chance when they have the ball, Cousins may not struggle to hit 250. Dallas figures to be able to handle pressure and against the blitz, but we have known for a long time now that Dak Prescott excels there. The trouble is that defenses know this and therefore don’t fall into the same trap that they used to. While the Cowboys can conceivably hold their own through the air that is certainly not the case on the ground. As far as advantages in the ground game go, there is basically nothing but red. The Cowboys are underdogs in this game and will have to find a way to do a lot of things that they haven’t been able to do this season if they want to pick up a win and get back to .500 before hosting the Philadelphia Eagles and Houston Texans in back-to-back weeks. After that they travel to face the Washington Commanders who are quite hot these days. This game sort of feels like must win. No pressure.
Cowboys at Falcons: Dallas returns to “burn site” for third time since 2017, still looking to learn lesson in time to save 2024 season
Photo by Tom Pennington/Getty Images One of the most consistent messages the 2024 Dallas Cowboys have tried to sell their fans on amidst a losing season that has them at 3-4 and third in the NFC East is how the amount of young players getting playing time now will pay off later on. In the spirit of Thursday being Halloween, here is a scary thought – it is now officially later for this team. The Cowboys have dropped two games in a row for the second time already this season, losing last Sunday night off the bye 30-24 at the 49ers. If there was an opportunity for their theory to prove true about spinning inexperience as a positive, this was the game to turn fortunes against an opponent that’s had their number for seemingly forever now. Put all of that aside with players that haven’t been a part of playoff losses to the 49ers in two of the last three seasons, lean on the veterans who were to add timely plays, and get to 4-3 with a statement road win. The Cowboys managed to do none of these things and squandered a 10-6 halftime lead by allowing 21 straight points at the start of the second half. This latest loss makes it easier than ever to say this quiet part out loud. The Cowboys are rebuilding. Since the beginning, this was always the true meaning of Jerry Jones’ now infamous “all-in” comment. In the most Jerry way possible, he took a term that the football world almost unanimously associates with doing everything possible to win football games, and rebranded it to basically mean the Cowboys are in on evaluating what they have in the depth of this roster before moving forward. A bold strategy to say the least with a head coach that’s won 12 games in the three previous seasons, but is now on the final year of his contract along with several assistants. It comes as a shock to so few this season that the Cowboys are struggling in almost all of the ways they are. Mike McCarthy’s team has reached full-on midseason turmoil with an 0-3 home record and 61-19 point differential against them in the third quarter of their seven games. They have not beaten a team that currently holds a winning record outside of the Steelers, who were quarterbacked by Justin Fields at the time and not Russell Wilson who is now responsible for two of their six wins. We bring all of this up just three days before the Cowboys’ next game in Atlanta, particularly the absurd retrospect on Jones’ offseason “all in” comment, because it was a loss at the very stadium Dallas will play in on Sunday back in 2017 that also produced a Jerry quote that’s hard to forget. “We don’t want to have another Atlanta happen to us. The Burning of Atlanta” – Jerry Jones Jones was referring to a 27-7 loss the Cowboys took at the Falcons in Week 10 of the 2017 season. The loss snapped a three-game winning streak and became the start of a three-game losing streak instead, scoring less than 10 points in the next two weeks as well against the Eagles and Chargers. The reigning NFC East champions from 2016 missed out on the playoffs entirely with a record of 9-7. The Falcons loss that started the slide became known as the burning of Atlanta because starting QB Dak Prescott was sacked a career-high eight times. The Cowboys were banged up along the offensive line, most notably starting the woesome Chaz Green at left tackle, and the Falcons took full advantage of a Cowboys offense that let the pass rush tee off without ever adjusting. Adrian Clayborn did most of the damage himself for the Falcons with six of their eight sacks. Clayborn finished the season with a career high 9.5 sacks, basically making his entire season and setting the Falcons’ single-game sack record in the process in just 40 snaps against the Cowboys. Photo by Scott Cunningham/Getty Images Allowing a game like this to happen and rattle Prescott’s confidence was supposed to be motivation for the Cowboys to build a roster that could withstand injuries with better depth in the offseason, at least still according to Jerry: “You do lose people… you’re supposed to make adjustments, we didn’t adjust,” Jones said of last season. “That really, really was a a focal point of our offseason. Here in 2024, the Cowboys have negatively impacted Prescott’s confidence in a whole new way as they routinely ask him to play hero ball in a handicapped offense. They are still struggling with injuries, do not overcome any of them thanks to scheme or offensive creativity, and can’t even adjust well enough within the confines of a game to keep the offense on the field for more than three or four plays for long stretches at a time. This is how the Lions were able to hand the Cowboys the worst ever loss of the Jerry Jones ownership era in week six, and 49ers followed a similar script on Sunday to turn a four-point Dallas lead at halftime into a 17-point lead of their own by the fourth quarter. When referencing how the Cowboys have not learned their lesson of how to field a more competitive team, starting with offseason approach, it goes much farther than just the Mike McCarthy era and has a bookmark here prior to this next chapter of Cowboys vs. Falcons. McCarthy as the Cowboys’ HC is 2-0 against the Falcons, with wins in each of his first two seasons. Photo by Harry How/Getty Images The first was a week two win from AT&T Stadium that marked his first win as the Dallas head coach in 2020, and it didn’t come without a wild ending and memorable play. Trailing 20-0 after the first quarter and 29-10 at halftime, the Cowboys put up 14 points and shutout the Falcons in the third quarter to
Cowboys Halloween Headlines: Diggs offers nutty peace offering, key player returning
Cowboys CB shuffle: DaRon Bland activated, Trevon Diggs sits out practice, backup goes to IR :: Cowboys Wire Link: It’s alive, it’s alive! Dallas activated All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland, and sent another to injured reserve with a back injury suffered against the 49ers. Bland broke his foot towards the end of training camp and has not played a down in the 2024 regular season. Good, Bad, Ugly: Wasted possessions, controversial penalty, ST miscues latest face palm Cowboys moments :: Cowboys Wire Link: The Cowboys loss against San Francisco shows a mixture of scary concerns for a team coming off their bye week. A controversial penalty, wasted possessions, and special teams miscue headline the good, bad, and ugly but in which order? Cowboys Today: A 100-yard anniversary highlights this team’s running struggles :: The Athletic Link: On October 30th 2022, former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard rushed for over 100 yards in a Cowboys victory over Chicago. In a spooky coincidence, Dallas hasn’t had a 100 yard rusher in a win since and have only produced two other 100 yard rushing games overall, both by Pollard who signed with Tennessee this past offseason. Trevon Diggs apologizes with Nuts :: Nick Harris This coaching change wasn’t supposed to be Cowboys instant fix, but it’s worse than expected :: Cowboys Wire Link: The arrival of this coach should have been a tune up for a defense that was exceptional at rushing the passer and forced turnovers at a high rate yet the results have been far less than positive for this supposed instant fix. Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey and jury find man guilty of assault, sentence him to 65 years :: Fort Worth Star Telegram Link: Cowboys kicker Brandon Aubrey bounced back and forth between practice and jury duty and the latter has come to a close. The All-Pro kicker and his peers found the man guilty and sentenced him to 65 years for his role in the domestic violence strangulation case. Lewis, Diggs preview ‘positionless’ Falcons’ offense ahead of vital Cowboys clash :: The Mothership Link: Cowboys cornerbacks Jourdan Lewis and Trevon Diggs are not taking Atlanta lightly as their offense appears position less and many of their players are versatile enough to be interchangeable throughout their system. Cowboys’ offensive struggles can all be traced back to one moment of the 2023 season :: Dallas Morning News Link: The Trey Lance trade continues to fester and rot as it has been pinpointed as the moment the Cowboys offensive struggles began. A young rookie fourth-round running back may have prevented the team from convincing themselves a platoon of retread running backs would be sufficient enough to compete. Time for Cowboys to face reality, accept this truth about playoff odds :: Cowboys Wire Link: Selling hope has become a mainstay for this Cowboys team but the odds they currently face comes with a reality check. After going 12-5 the last three seasons, meeting those expectations feel unlikely a fourth straight is not he horizon. Leighton Vander Esch watching practice with Will McClay :: Joseph Hoyt 2024 NFL Week 9 QB Power Rankings: Multiple Star Passers Drop :: The 33rd team Link: The 33rd team’s weekly rankings have Dak Prescott near the bottom third of quarterbacks in the entire league. At number 22, Prescott has struggled to stay perfect to make up for the glaring issues that have plagued Dallas offensively this season. 2025 NFL Mock Draft: Why Shedeur Sanders could thrive in New York, plus the Titans move on from Will Levis :: CBS Sports Link: With the 13th pick in the 2025 NFL draft, the Dallas Cowboys select, Ashton Jeanty, running back out of Boise State. Well, that’s what the latest mock draft from CBS sports thinks and believe it would be “surprising” for Dallas not to take select the Heisman Trophy candidate next spring. Trevon Diggs says quiet part out loud about Cowboys coaching after 49ers loss :: The Landry Hat Link: Dallas has been outscored 69-12 in the third quarter this season which points the blame about the lack of halftime adjustments squarely at this coaching staff. Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs pointed out this fact as guest on Micah Parsons podcast. DaRon Bland injury update: Now or never for Cowboys All-Pro corner :: SI Link: Cowboys All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland nearly suited up against the Lions until a setback postponed his return. Absent against the 49ers, Bland’s 21-day practice window has been opened and his return to the field could be imminent.
Cowboys vs 49ers: Linebacker DeMarvion Overshown a defensive bright spot in loss
Photo by Lachlan Cunningham/Getty Images DeMarvion Overshown had an incredible game last week. If you look strictly at the stats, the Dallas Cowboys didn’t do many good things on Sunday night. In their 30-24 loss to the San Francisco 49ers, Dallas turned the ball over on offense multiple times for the third consecutive game. Things weren’t just bad for the offense, the Cowboys’ defense also had a long night, surrendering over 450 total yards of offense in a game for the third time this year. There was certainly plenty of bad on both sides of the ball, but there were a couple of good things to come out of Sunday’s contest. One of those was the play of second-year linebacker DeMarvion Overshown. Overshown, who missed his entire rookie season with a torn ACL, played arguably his best game of the year while facing a tough 49ers offense. The rookie linebacker totaled four tackles, three defensive stops, two QB pressures, and a sack. DTs get reached bad, but DeMarvion Overshown pursuit dissuades the RB from taking the early cutback lane. Diggs does a good job hammering Juszczyk to turn the ball back inside to Overshown who was able to slip past Kittle and make the stop. #Cowboys pic.twitter.com/6opbpUwl3q — John Owning (@JohnOwning) October 28, 2024 The former third-round pick had the second-best tackling grade (80.7) of his career, via Pro Football Focus, and missed no tackles and allowed no completions in coverage in a game for the first time this year. Overshown also recorded a critical sack on third down late in the fourth quarter to give the Cowboys the ball back down by six points. The sack ended up being the fastest in Week Eight, and the fourth-fastest of the entire season. Dallas Cowboys LB DeMarvion Overshown’s sack against the San Francisco was the fastest one recorded in Week 8 and the fourth-fastest sack of the entire season to date, according to @ZebraSports. ( : NFL Pro) pic.twitter.com/QGf3z2Fo3j — RJ Ochoa (@rjochoa) October 29, 2024 The 24-year-old showed off extremely impressive explosiveness and may force the Cowboys to give him more opportunities to rush the passer moving forward. Demarvion Overshown is a heat-seeking missile pic.twitter.com/9fKkubM0vF — All-22 (@All22_PFF) October 28, 2024 There aren’t plenty of positives or bright spots surrounding the Cowboys right now, but the performance of DeMarvion Overshown this season has certainly been one. The linebacker has flashed immense potential and has a chance to become something special if he continues to improve every week.
Cowboys news: Dallas hopes returning players will solve their problems
Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports The latest news surrounding the Dallas Cowboys. Cowboys refuse to help Dak Prescott as Ravens make no-brainer trade for cheap WR – Jerry Trotta, TheLandryHat.com Multiple contenders around the league are making moves… Dallas remains stagnant. While there is no defending Prescott’s play, it is obvious he needs more help. It’s hopeless to expect the running game to improve at this juncture, but what is stopping the Cowboys from trading for a wide receiver? Whatever it is, Jerry Jones and Co. were caught snoozing again on Tuesday as the Ravens acquired Diontae Johnson and a 2025 sixth-round pick from the Panthers in exchange for a 2025 fifth-round pick. Diontae Johnson trade proves Cowboys don’t want to help Dak Prescott Johnson is a perfect fit in Baltimore, just like he would have been on the Cowboys. The Ravens needed a more consistent WR2 for Lamar Jackson, who might mess around and win his second straight MVP and third overall. 2023 first-round pick Zay Flowers has 41 catches for 527 yards on the season. No other Ravens pass-catcher has more than 24 catches or 422 receiving yards. Flowers has also accounted for eight more first downs than any Baltimore pass-catcher. The Ravens came up short against the Chiefs in the AFC Championship Game last season and they went out and signed Derrick Henry to give Jackson the luxury of an elite rushing attack. The Cowboys lost in the Wild Card Round and Jerry Jones said Henry was too expensive to sign even though Henry lives in Dallas in the offseason and was open to playing for the Cowboys. This isn’t about Henry, but Jackson won the MVP last season. Prescott finished runner-up behind Jackson. The Ravens are clearly going for it while Dallas is operating like a team in the midst of a rebuild. Prescott needs to clean up his game, but no front office in the NFL does less to help its quarterback than the Cowboys. The Diontae Johnson trade won’t be the last piece of evidence before the Nov. 5 deadline is over. Cowboys front office counting on returning injured players to turn season around – Dana Bartholomew, BloggingTheBoys.com The franchise of “We Like Our Guys” is hoping some of those guys return soon. It is no secret that this season has been disappointing through the first seven games, and the sand in the hourglass is running low for this team to turn things around. With 10 games left, currently third in the NFC East, there should be a sense of urgency to do just that. In order for this Cowboys team to have a chance in doing so, self-reflection needs to take place at every level of this organization. However, the front office for the Cowboys is determined to continue selling hope to the fans. On Monday, Stephen Jones spoke with 105.3 The Fan to reiterate his confidence in the roster as it sits currently, citing the injuries on defense as the main contributor for this early adversity. Jerry Jones joined 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday with the same sales pitch: hope that the players coming back from injury will somehow solve all of the issues and turn the season around. “That’s what we’ve got. That’s the reality”. While these returning players will no doubt be an improvement, it is a bit negligent to say that it will be enough to get the season back on track. A lot of the struggles that are present today are the same struggles that the team faced last year and early this season when healthy. Mind you, the 49ers were also riddled with injuries this past weekend and were able to overcome it. As it looks right now, the Cowboys are sticking with the personnel and staff that they have, holding steadfast in their plan of relying heavily on young players and the guys already in-house. The trade deadline is approaching next week and there is no sign of movement on that front for the Cowboys. The window for making the playoffs in 2024 is closing quick and there is very little room for error. Will hope be enough for the Cowboys to create that storybook ending? Right now, it’s getting difficult for even the most hopeful optimists to buy in. Mailbag: Is safety a problem for Cowboys? – Tommy Yarrish, Mickey Spagnola, DallasCowboys.com What was once a three-headed monster has certainly been tamed in 2024. Safety was expected to be a position of strength for the Cowboys this season, but it seems like this group is struggling. Is it really a problem? Is age catching up with them? Or are they just victims of a poor defensive line? – Reggie Peterson/Memphis, TN Mickey: Mickey: Well, look at it this way. As for age, not really since Malik Hooker is just 28 and Donovan Wilson 29. Here is what I think happened in the San Francisco game. The Cowboys were putting a high priority trying to stop the run, with linebackers filling the gaps on the line of scrimmage, at times have six to seven guys on the front. That put safety Donovan Wilson in a lot of single coverage it seems on the tight end, George Kittle, who is a handful to start with, and pass coverage is not a strength of Wilson’s. Tough matchup for a safety more of a run stopper. Plus, not sure we saw much pressure on Brock Purdy. Seemed to have the time of day in the pocket, which allows those crossing routes when in man, and if in zone, the communication must be spot on. Just need to get their top defensive guys out with injuries back on the field. Tommy: It’s a mix of everything, but I think the largest factor in the safeties’ struggles is the fact that the defensive line has really struggled to generate pressure and quarterbacks have a lot of time to throw the football. On Sunday night, Brock Purdy was pressured on 33.3% of
Cowboys 53-man roster for Falcons in Week 9: IR is still crowded, who can be elevated?
No. 1 WR Jalen Tolbert Jul 27, 2022; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys receiver Jalen Tolbert (18) during training camp at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports No. 2 CB Jourdan Lewis Sep 25, 2017; Glendale, AZ, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Jourdan Lewis (27) against the Arizona Cardinals at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports No. 4 QB Dak Prescott Dec 10, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott (4) smiles on the field after the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports No. 5 Punter Bryan Anger Dallas Cowboys punter Bryan Anger (5) prepares for the game against the Giants, at MetLife Stadium. Sunday, September 10, 2023 No. 6 Safety Donovan Wilson Wednesday: — | Thursday: — | Friday: — No. 7 CB Trevon Diggs Apr 26, 2024; Dallas, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs talks to a member of the Mavericks staff during the second quarter of the game between the Dallas Mavericks and the LA Clippers during game three of the first round for the 2024 NBA playoffs at the American Airlines Center. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports No. 9 WR Kavontae Turpin LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – FEBRUARY 04: NFL player KaVontae Turpin of the Dallas Cowboys attends the NFL Pro Bowl Weekend Celebrity All-Star Game 2023 benefiting the charity D Up On Cancer at the Cox Pavilion on February 04, 2023 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ethan Miller/Getty Images) No. 10 QB Cooper Rush Wednesday: — | Thursday: — | Friday: DNP No. 11 DE Micah Parsons Jun 5, 2024; Frisco, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parson (11) warms up during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Chris Jones-USA TODAY Sports No. 13 LB DeMarvion Overshown Jul 29, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (35) during training camp at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports No. 14 Safety Markquese Bell Wednesday: Limited | No. 15 RB Ezekiel Elliott Jun 4, 2024; Frisco, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Ezekiel Elliott (15) on the field during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports No. 17 Kicker Brandon Aubrey Sep 17, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys place kicker Brandon Aubrey (17) watches his field goal in the fourth quarter against the New York Jets at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports No. 18 LB Damone Clark : Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports No. 19 QB Trey Lance EAST RUTHERFORD, NEW JERSEY – SEPTEMBER 10: Trey Lance #15 of the Dallas Cowboys warms up prior to a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium on September 10, 2023 in East Rutherford, New Jersey. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) No. 21 CB Caelen Carson No. 23 RB Rico Dowdle ARLINGTON, TEXAS – NOVEMBER 12: Rico Dowdle #23 of the Dallas Cowboys walks off the field after the game against the New York Giants at AT&T Stadium on November 12, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Sam Hodde/Getty Images) No. 24 Safety Israel Mukuamu Aug 12, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys safety Israel Mukuamu (24) walks off the field after the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports No. 25 CB Andrew Booth Dec 24, 2023; Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA; Minnesota Vikings cornerback Andrew Booth Jr. (23) looks on during the game against the Detroit Lions at U.S. Bank Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jeffrey Becker-USA TODAY Sports No. 26 CB DaRon Bland Nov 23, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) eats a turkey leg after the Cowboys victory over the Washington Commanders at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Bland was returned to the 53-man roster in Week 9. No. 28 Safety Malik Hooker Jul 29, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys safety Malik Hooker (28) during training camp at the River Ridge Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports No. 29 CB C.J. Goodwin Jan 16, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive back C.J. Goodwin (29) catches a pass for a first down on a fake punt in the fourth quarter against the San Francisco 49ers in a NFC Wild Card playoff football game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports No. 30 Safety Juanyeh Thomas Nov 19, 2023; Charlotte, North Carolina, USA; Dallas Cowboys safety Juanyeh Thomas (30) during pregame warm ups against the Carolina Panthers at Bank of America Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jim Dedmon-USA TODAY Sports No. 35 LB Marist Liufau No. 40 FB Hunter Luepke Jul 27, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys running back Hunter Luepke (43) during training camp at Marriott Residence Inn-River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports No. 41 LB Nick Vigil Sep 12, 2021; Cincinnati, Ohio, USA; Minnesota Vikings linebacker Nick Vigil (59) reacts after sacking Cincinnati Bengals quarterback Joe Burrow (np) in the first half at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Katie Stratman-USA TODAY Sports No. 42 RB Deuce Vaughn ARLINGTON, TEXAS – AUGUST 12: Deuce Vaughn #42 of the Dallas Cowboys walks off the field after the loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars in a preseason game at AT&T Stadium on August 12, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) No. 44 Long Snapper Trent Sieg ARLINGTON, TEXAS – OCTOBER 01: Trent Sieg #44 of the Dallas Cowboys celebrates with Chauncey Golston #99 of the Dallas Cowboys after Golston’s two point conversion during the second quarter against the New England Patriots at AT&T Stadium on October 01, 2023 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) No. 50 Linebacker Erick Kendricks Jun 5, 2024; Frisco, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Marist Liufau (35) and linebacker Eric Kendricks (50) go through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas.
3 burning questions from Cowboys’ loss to 49ers
Photo by Cooper Neill/Getty Images What are the biggest 3 things you are worried about with the Cowboys right now? After falling to 3-4 on the season and getting mostly embarrassed in their defeats, there are tons of questions about the Dallas Cowboys right now. You could raise issues with every facet of the organization, but here are some that really stood out in Dallas’ latest loss to the 49ers. What can be done about Terence Steele? The veteran right tackle has been really bad this year and it showed again against San Francisco. Stopping Nick Bosa is a tough ask for any NFL tackle, but Steele looked completely inept and that’s been consistent with even lesser competition. He’s just not the same guy since the 2022 knee injury, and even before that Steele was hardly a standout in pass protection. Unfortunately, there’s not much to do about mid-season. Dallas could try flipping Tyler Guyton to the right side, which he played in college, and going back Tyler Smith as the left tackle. They could give Asim Richards or Matt Waletzko chances at RT just to see if there’s any uptick. But the fact they haven’t tried the backups yet may tell you something about their perceived potential. If this is a lost season, which is feeling more and more like reality, then it would make sense to just leave Guyton at left tackle so he can get valuable experience for the future. Dallas will be able to cut Steele in the offseason for about $4.6 million in cap relief, or $14 million as a June 1st release, and that seems highly likely at this point. Between now and then, they’ll either need to start giving their backups some looks or keep devoting backs and tight ends to helping Steele keep pass rushers at bay. What happened to Jake Ferguson’s expected breakout? 2024 was supposed to be the year that Ferguson emerged as one of the league’s elite TEs but it’s been quiet so far. Seeing the 49ers’ George Kittle dominate on Sunday night gave a stark contrast to the paltry 23 yards on six catches that Ferguson contributed. While he has been dealing with a knee injury since Week 1, it just doesn’t like Ferguson is as big a part of the offense as we expected. The answer is partly due to what we just discussed with Terence Steele. Because of pass protection issues, Ferguson is having to do more work at the line of scrimmage and not getting out into as many routes. Even getting the meager yardage he did against San Francisco came with some tough running after the catch. The other issue is the guy running the offense. Mike McCarthy’s teams have chronically underutilized TE talent going back to Green Bay. Ferguson is clearly the most talented TE Dallas has had since prime Jason Witten, but he’s not getting the looks on offense that even Dalton Schultz did. We may have to wait for a new offensive coordinator in 2025 before seeing Ferguson realize his full potential. Why haven’t they benched Malik Hooker and Donovan Wilson at safety? Your guess is as good as mine. Currently grading out as two of the NFL’s worst starting safeties, two of the few healthy veterans on the defense aren’t helping. Something just isn’t clicking with what Mike Zimmer’s asking of them compared to the last regime. Unlike the problem at right tackle, Dallas does have backup safeties who could help matters. We’ve seen the playmaking potential of both Juanyeh Thomas and Markquese Bell and yet they’re only getting in on about 6% of the defensive snaps. That’s not even a rotation; just stuck on the bench behind guys who aren’t performing. With both Hooker and Wilson ripe for being cap casualties this offseason, it’s time to get these younger players more work. You may need at least one or both to be a starter in 2025, so let’s find out if that’s a good option now. Could they really be any worse than the current ones?
