It’s just not going to be the Cowboys year in any way shape or form. Already teetering on the brink of disaster, the club received a couple doses of additional bad news on Saturday. After declaring the first questionable and the second doubtful, the team ruled out both RG Zack Martin and CB Trevon Diggs from Sunday’s Week 12 matchup with the Washington Commanders. Martin’s absence was expected, but losing Diggs means that once again, Cowboys fans came tantalizing close to finally seein the boundary cornerback duo of All-Pros with DaRon Bland finally set to make his season debut. Bland’s debut also comes along with the return of two others who were activated from IR on Saturday. OL Chuma Edoga (toe) is expected to make his season debut, and rookie edge Marshawn Kneeland (knee) will play for the first time since Week 5. The Cowboys sent safety Markquese Bell (shoulder) to IR to help create space on the roster, and then waived DE KJ Henry. Dallas also elevated two players from the practice squad, TE Princeton Fant and CB Kemon Hall. Got all that? Here’s a look at the complete roster ahead of Sunday’s action. Quarterbacks (2) Nov 10, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush (10) throws a pass against the Philadelphia Eagles in the third quarter at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-Imagn Images Cooper Rush Trey Lance Running Backs (4) 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) Rico Dowdle Ezekiel Elliott Hunter Luepke Deuce Vaughn Tight Ends (4) Dec 24, 2023; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Dallas Cowboys tight end Jake Ferguson (87) runs with the football against the Miami Dolphins during the first quarter at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports Jake Ferguson (out) Luke Schoonmaker Brevyn Spann-Ford Princeton Fant (elevation) Wide Receivers (6) Oct 6, 2024; Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA; Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb (88) walks the field before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers at Acrisure Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Charles LeClaire-Imagn Images CeeDee Lamb Jalen Tolbert Kavontae Turpin Jalen Brooks Ryan Flournoy Jonathan Mingo Offensive Tackles (5) OXNARD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 30: Offensive tackle Tyler Guyton #60 of the Dallas Cowboys stretches during training camp on July 30, 2024 in Oxnard, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Tyler Guyton Terence Steele Chuma Edoga Asim Richards Matt Waletzko Offensive Guards (3) Jun 4, 2024; Frisco, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys guard Zack Martin (70) runs through a drill during practice at the Ford Center at the Star Training Facility in Frisco, Texas. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports Zack Martin (out) Tyler Smith TJ Bass Centers (2) OXNARD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 8: Defensive tackle Kobie Turner #91 of the Los Angeles Rams locks up with center Brock Hoffman #67 of the Dallas Cowboys during a skirmish between the two teams during joint practice at training camp on August 8, 2024 in Oxnard, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Cooper Beebe Brock Hoffman Defensive Ends (5) LAS VEGAS, NEVADA – AUGUST 17: Micah Parsons #11 of the Dallas Cowboys looks on prior to a preseason game against the Las Vegas Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 17, 2024 in Las Vegas, Nevada. (Photo by Ian Maule/Getty Images) Micah Parsons Marshawn Kneeland Chauncey Golston Tyrus Wheat Carl Lawson Defensive Tackles (4) OXNARD, CALIFORNIA – JULY 30: Linebacker Micah Parsons #11 and defensive tackle Mazi Smith #58 of the Dallas Cowboys throw punches aa they jokingly spar prior to a training session on July 30, 2024 in Oxnard, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Osa Odighizuwa Mazi Smith Linval Joseph Carlos Watkins Linebackers (6) Jul 27, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (35) wears a Guardian helmet cap during training camp at Marriott Residence Inn-River Ridge Playing Fields. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Eric Kendricks DeMarvion Overshown Damone Clark Marist Liufau Buddy Johnson Nick Vigil Cornerbacks (7) Oct 2, 2022; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) and cornerback Trevon Diggs (7) celebrate after Diggs intercepts a pass against the Washington Commanders during the game at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Jerome Miron-USA TODAY Sports Trevon Diggs (out) DaRon Bland Jourdan Lewis Caelen Carson Israel Mukuamu Josh Butler Kemon Hall (Elevation) Safeties (3) OXNARD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 8: Running back Kyren Williams #23 of the Los Angeles Rams rushes against safety Malik Hooker #28 and Donovan Wilson #6 of the Dallas Cowboys during joint practice at training camp on August 8, 2024 in Oxnard, California. (Photo by Kevork Djansezian/Getty Images) Malik Hooker Donovan Wilson Juanyeh Thomas Special Teams (4) INGLEWOOD, CALIFORNIA – AUGUST 11: Brandon Aubrey #17 of the Dallas Cowboys watches his field goal with Bryan Anger #5, to take a 12-6 lead over the Los Angeles Rams, in a 13-12 Rams win during a preseason game at SoFi Stadium on August 11, 2024 in Inglewood, California. (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) Brandon Aubrey Bryan Anger Trent Sieg CJ Goodwin

Running out of gas among 3 things Cowboys will love about Commanders Ben Grimaldi There’s no love lost between the Dallas Cowboys and the Washington Commanders, but the Week 12 matchup doesn’t have the same feel when there isn’t much riding on the game for both teams. It hasn’t been that way in quite some time, as the Cowboys have been getting the best of their opponents recently. That won’t be the case in this contest, as the Commanders are ahead in the NFC East standings at 7-4 and are inside the current playoff race. The Cowboys, on the other hand, are in a different race, for a top 5 draft pick. That’s something the fans want, but Jerry Jones shies away from. The organic tank is on for the Cowboys, yet these are professional athletes who won’t back down from trying to win. Sadly for Team Tank, Mike McCarthy’s team does have a path to winning the Week 12 meeting, as there are things to love about playing the Commanders. Can’t stop the run Tim Heitman-Imagn Images Here’s a rare place where the Cowboys and Commanders are actually competing in 2024; the race to see whose defense is worse against the run. Mike Zimmer’s defense currently holds the title, allowing 151 yards per game on the ground, while the Commanders give up 150.5 yards. That half-yard is all separates the Cowboys in 31st place in the league, just one spot ahead of their rivals in 30th. The Commanders have given up 13 rushing scores this season, good for eighth-worst in the league, and they allow five yards a carry, third worst in the NFL. If the Cowboys ever wanted to establish the run, this would be the game to do it. The offense hasn’t had much opportunity this season to run the ball efficiently, but the Commanders will give it up on the ground and it could be a big part of the Cowboys pulling off the upset in Week 12. It’s a defense that’s struggled against the run, but the Commanders have been getting out to leads in the first half, making their weakness less of a factor. If that sounds familiar, it was the same script when Dan Quinn was the defensive coordinator in Dallas. If quarterback Jayden Daniels and Quinn hadn’t won seven games, much more would be made of the team’s inability to stop the run. Perhaps McCarthy can make his old DC pay by beating him how Quinn used to get beat when he was with the Cowboys, by keeping the game close and attacking the Commanders with the run game. Bad second half team Mark J. Rebilas-Imagn Images The Commanders have been one of the best first half teams in the NFL through 11 games, but they have been fading in the last 30 minutes, especially on defense. In the first half, Joe Whitt’s defense has been allowing only 8.4 points a game, which is fourth best in the league. However, that number jumps to 13.7 in the second half, 25th worst in the game. In the fourth quarter, it’s gotten even worse recently, where the Commanders are giving up 13 ppg in the last three games, which ranks 31st in the league over that span. Offensively the Commanders have been steadier in their half splits, but they still have a drop-off in their scoring. In the first half of games, Kliff Kingsbury’s group is scoring 15.4 ppg, which is second-best in the NFL. During the final 30 minutes, Washington averages 12.6 points, which is tied for eighth. In their last three games, however, the Commanders are scoring just nine points a game in the second half, so their offense is slowing down. The Commanders look like a team that gets out to good starts and falters in the second half. If the Cowboys can stay close, they might have a chance at beating their rivals on the road. Bad red zone defense Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports The Commanders’ defense has been good enough to help the team get to 7-4, but they have one of the worst red-zone defenses in the league. Washington allows touchdowns on close to 67% on their opponents’ trips inside the red zone, which ranks 27th in the NFL. Dallas’ problem has been their efficiency when getting the ball inside the 20-yard line. Their offense is next to last in scoring touchdowns when they get into the red zone, but the Commanders could be the elixir for the Cowboys’ red zone woes. Playing against a defense that gives up touchdowns instead of field goals is a welcomed sight for the Cowboys. If they want to beat their rivals in Week 12, the Cowboys need to take advantage of any red zone trip. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Two America’s Teams: Daniel Jones is best, worst idea for Cowboys, Jerry Jones at same time K.D. Drummond Which reality do the Dallas Cowboys exist in? Are they the do-anything-for-attention glory hounds in the image of Jerry Jones many think? Or are they the intentionally-bad, rebuilding club they’ve presented themselves as in 2024? The answer may lie in whether or not they’ll put a waiver bid in for suddenly free quarterback Daniel Jones. On Monday, at 4pm eastern time, the NFL will announce the team that Jones has been claimed by. Released by the New York Giants on Friday, teams have been given the weekend to claim his contract. That’s not going to happen. The scout-team safety, QB-4, former starter for Brian Daboll, was released as requested after the team decided not to gamble with his $23 million injury guarantee for 2025. Any club that claims his contract would inherit that risk, so he’s going to be a street free agent once that window closes. The Dallas Cowboys are one of several teams one could argue should attempt to sign Jones to a deal. Clearly, the Cowboys are without Dak Prescott for the remainder of the season. Signing Daniel Jones is something Jerry and Stephen Jones must discuss to a certain degree, but how serious that conversation should be is a matter of perspective. Jones isn’t good. He is better than Cooper Rush, though, and as the rest of Dallas’ roster tries their best to be healthy, he would be an upgrade to the most important position in the sport. Dallas’ chances of making the playoffs are so remote it would be one of the NFL’s most told stories if they were to figure things out and run the table to a 10-7 record. That’s near impossible with Rush, was darn-near impossible if Prescott miraculously healed, and somewhere in between the two with Daniel Jones and whatever learning curve would come with a signing. But, signing Daniel Jones would certainly keep the ownership Joneses in the spotlight, and many people believe that’s their top priority. With Thanksgiving’s late-afternoon window presenting the Cowboys and the Giants, the conversation would be insanely interesting for a matchup between two teams with a combined five wins through 11 weeks of the season. There’s zero reason for anyone to pay attention to Rush vs Tommy DeVito outside of hardcore fandom and “oh the TV is on in the background” with Nana Helen’s macaroni and cheese gets devoured. From that perspective, signing Jones is quote-unquote worth something to Dallas. However, an upgrade to QB Jones would likely mean at least one or two wins the team may not otherwise get, and that’s counter to the idea of the rebuild. The truth is, Dallas losing as many games as possible will help accelerate their rehabilitation. Higher draft picks, especially in a light draft like 2025 is projecting to be, means more tickets to the April lottery. More options means more chances to find the diamonds in the rough. From that perspective, the financial boost from the free advertising of the brand Daniel Jones represents is in opposition to the “mission” of improving the team long term. Separating for a minute the idea for QB Jones to go be a backup for a contender, it makes sense why he would want to start in Dallas. What does owner Jones want most? Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Why anyone predicting Cowboys-Bengals to be flexed from MNF is probably wrong K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys are “ungood”. The Cincinnati Bengals are more competitive, but still “ungood”. It makes zero sense to keep what was anticipated to be a high-profile matchup between playoff contenders, back when the schedule was being defined in the spring, as the Monday Night Football matchup for Week 14. The NFL has until next Tuesday, November 26, to move this game, but they won’t. Joe Burrow playing at an MVP level is not enough reason to keep this game in its slot. The fact that more than half the football universe despises the Cowboys and loves to see them flail embarrassingly isn’t enough reason either. The teams are a combined 6-15 entering this weekend and in any other scenario, their miserable play would send them up to the late-afternoon Sunday slot at worst, potentially deserving of a noon kickoff. No, the only thing saving this game is Bart. Bart Simpson, that is. On Monday, ESPN and Disney released the latest promo for their annual Funday broadcast, a simulcast where the game will be shown in Simpsons-themed animation to try and bring the NFL to a younger audience. And while the promo has swapped out Prescott for Cooper Rush, it realistically seems the lift would be much too heavy for an upheaval of their months of preparations for this particular matchup. NFL flex rules allow Sunday Night Football and Monday Night Football (starting in Week 12) to swap out a bad matchup for a better one. FOX and CBS Sports are allowed to protect one game each week, but NBC and ESPN have the right to snatch any other game. Perhaps the worst thing about it is, if the alt-cast really is preventing the league from flexing the game out, it’s not even a viable data point for where the bar is to flex out a Cowboys game. It’s a case where both teams could have poor records and be out of playoff contention, which has rarely been the case for past bad Cowboys games, but unlike with the one Cowboys game that did get flexed out, there shouldn’t be a risk that both teams will be eliminated from the playoffs entirely by the time the game kicks off, so there’s no way of knowing whether that situation would be enough for a flex in the future. We may never know if the only reason Bengals-Cowboys shows up on ESPN’s air in two and a half weeks is for the sake of an alt-cast that should get a fraction of the game’s audience. – Morgan Wick Week 14 was weird to begin with, the NFL scheduling a whopping six teams with byes, making the pool of potential matchups difficult to begin with. Baltimore, Washington, Houston and Denver are all currently above .500 but taking that week off. Green Bay and Detroit is on Thursday Night Football and the Chiefs-Chargers tilt is on SNF already. Falcons-Vikings, 49ers-Bears, and Bills-Rams are the only other intriguing matchups in Week 14 and at least two of those would be protected. So aside from all of the man hours that would be thrown in the toilet on the pre-production side, none of those games would likely bring in enough of an audience to justify the change. So Bengals-Cowboys is likely to remain on Monday Night Football in Week 14. Fans should check back in two weeks from now to see about the Cowboys-Buccaneers Week 16 tilt currently scheduled for SNF, though.

Cowboys must fix this roster problem to bounce back from horrible 2024 reidhanson The NFL is a young man’s game. Father Time is undefeated in professional sports and that’s especially true in the NFL when peak performance levels hover around the mid-20s for most players. Oftentimes the younger the roster, the more positioned for success a team is for the future. In the midst of an extremely disappointing season, team age could be something for the Cowboys to be optimistic about. Such was the case four years ago. Coming off the 2020 season when Dallas won just six games, they clocked in as the fifth youngest team in the league based on snap-weighted age. They turned that youthful roster into three consecutive 12-win seasons. For as disappointing as the 2020 campaign was, their team age filled them with hope for the future. 2024 doesn’t appear as hopeful. Based on FTN Data by way of Doug Analytics, the 2024 Cowboys rank 22nd in snap-weighted team age. Snap-weighted team age differs from usual averages because rather than averaging entire rosters, snap-weighted age looks at just the players who play and only according to the size of their role. A 35-year veteran riding the bench doesn’t hurt that average any more than a 20-year-old developmental prospect who can’t see the field would help. Bad teams like the Giants can take solace in the fact they are the second youngest team in snap-weighted age. Just like bad teams like the Cowboys, Panthers and Jets should all take caution because they reside on the older end of the spectrum. This should be a cause for concern in Dallas but there are things working in Dallas’ favor as well. Key veteran players like Zack Martin (34), Ezekiel Elliott (29), Cooper Rush (31), C.J. Goodwin (34), Linval Joseph (36), DeMarcus Lawrence (32), Eric Kendricks (32) and Brandin Cooks (31) are all set to hit free agency in 2025. Most, if not all, are predicted to leave. Assuming the Cowboys don’t sign old veterans to replace them, Dallas stands to get much younger next season. While the drop in age says very little about the quality of play replacing these aged veterans on the field, it does indicate the Cowboys are working to grow and improve rather than just trying to hang on. Unlike 2020 the news isn’t as optimistic in regard to age this season. The Cowboys are one of the older teams in weight-adjusted age and can’t just expect to organically improve like they did four years ago. The Cowboys task over the offseason won’t only be to purge old players on the decline but to replace them with young players on the incline. They’ll need free agency and the draft to accomplish it all. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Mike McCarthy not using this elite weapon more is unjustifiable Cowboys crime reidhanson For almost three years, return specialist KaVontae Turpin has made the Cowboys return game one of the most feared in the NFL. The former USFL MVP demanded respect from the start in Dallas, earning Pro Bowl honors as a rookie and seeing an ever-expanding role on offense along the way. While Turpin’s workload on Mike McCarthy’s offense has seen year-to-year growth, it’s still a generally niche role. Through 11 weeks in 2024, Turpin has just five rushing attempts and 31 targets downfield. He’s on pace for a career season on offense but it’s considerably less than what many in the media and fan circles envisioned for the former TCU receiver. Turpin has largely been stuck in a supportive and gadget role over the years. Despite the blatant need for speed and playmaking ability on offense, McCarthy has struggled to get Turpin involved. The 28-year-old hasn’t made things easy for his coach, dropping some key passes and running some undisciplined routes, but one can argue it’s not Turpin’s job to fit McCarthy’s roles but rather McCarthy’s job to find the right roles for Turpin. Such a statement may sound like semantics or even blame shifting but the reality is Turpin is just 5-foot-9, 153-pounds soaking wet and stretched out. He’s not the plug-and-play WR McCarthy has been trying to make him be. For the better part of the season Turpin’s results on the field have been fairly underwhelming. Until, of course, he was used in a way that leaned on his strengths over the past week. Turpin’s ability to be a gamebreaker was on full display against Houston when he took a routine slant route to the house for 64 yards. He showed off his ability to separate, create in space and take a short pass the distance in the blink of an eye. According to Seth Walder at ESPN, Turpin’s slant route for six points was just the second slant Turpin has run all season. It’s an inexcusable situation from an offensive coach who naturally leans on slant routes to a near preposterous degree. Rather than using Turpin on pick routes, screens and slants, the Cowboys have been running their diminutive dynamo downfield where his size and experience are understandably exposed. Over the past 2+ seasons in Dallas, Turpin has been misused and underutilized to an unforgivable degree. An argument could be made his actual number of touches is near maxed out given his build and that McCarthy was simply preserving him as a return man. But with speed and game breaking ability such as Turpin’s, he doesn’t even need the ball in his hands to be impactful. Motioning him behind the line at the snap and dragging him shallow across the formation after the snap is a great way to spread defenses horizontally, opening space on passing routes and widening rushing lanes on runs. It’s also worth pointing out no one has any idea where that usage rate maxes out at since it’s yet to be found. Turpin has played in 43 of a possible 44 regular season games since coming to Dallas. He’s been extremely durable even in the high impact life of a return man. A restricted free agent in 2025, Turpin may be somewhere else in the near future. There stands a very real chance his best years as an offensive weapon are ahead of him if his next coach is more willing to feature him in ways that play to his strength. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Jerry Jones sings high praise for potential Cowboys head coaching candidate angeltorres Dallas Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy may not survive the season, but even if he isn’t fired, his contract runs out shortly after the season’s conclusion. Detroit Lions offensive coordinator Ben Johnson sits atop the wish list of many NFL franchises, and is a popular name amongst fans and media on social media. There’s been no word on if Dallas would be interested in his services but on his weekly radio interview with 105.3 The Fan, Cowboys owner Jerry Jones praised this week’s opponent’s opponent’s contender for head coaching gigs, Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury. Related: Week 12 Mike McCarthy Replacement Rankings Jones’ comments didn’t end there. Kingsbury, the former Cardinals head coach, was fired in Arizona after going 28-37-1 in four seasons. After taking some time, he landed in Southern California coaching quarterback, and the eventual 2024  No. 1 overall draft pick Caleb Williams at USC. Kingsbury, a San Antonio native, began his coaching career in Houston. He was selected in the sixth round by Bill Belichick and the New England Patriots back in the 2003 NFL draft. Kingsbury would eventually become the offensive coordinator at Texas A&M University before taking the head coaching job at Texas Tech University. A return to Texas to coach the Cowboys may be atop his wish list and Dallas fans will get a first hand look this weekend at what could be in the near future. Follow all of your favorite Texas teams at Cowboys Wire, Longhorns Wire, Texans Wire, Rockets Wire and Aggies Wire!