It’s at this point of the season where fans and media have to start thinking outside the box. The season is nowhere near being over, yet it already is. The Dallas Cowboys are now 3-7, losers of five in a row, winless at home and having a worse point differential than most of the teams that somehow have a worse record. The club currently sits with the ninth overall pick in the 2025 draft’s first round and are just one day into a three-game-in-10-day span that has a chance to guarantee a losing record before the calendar turns to December. And with that is the stark realization that the watch this website has been on since January is officially in Go Time Mode. Mike McCarthy will be replaced and likely by someone who has been talked about on these pages. Several outlets have finally caught up to what Cowboys Wire has been doing in earnest for a month now. Often imitated, never duplicated. One thought that has arisen that wasn’t there before. What if Jerry Jones chooses to be new by revisiting the past? One name that is rarely discussed but probably should be is the former heir apparent Kellen Moore. Moore was Jason Garrett 2.0; brought in to the coaching staff as a wunderkind who the Jones family thought a lot of. He carried over as offensive coordinator from Garrett to McCarthy. Being shown the door in 2023 after a playoff failure as McCarthy vowed taking back over play calling would take the offense to a new level. It did, for a year, before bottoming out in 2024, even before all of the injuries hit. Meanwhile Moore attached himself to Brandon Staley’s sinking ship in L.A. for a year, but has revitalized his reputation thanks to Saquon Barkley’s arrival in Phiadelphia. The Eagles are sitting at 8-2 with an offense that is focusing on running to set up the pass. Could Moore saving the Eagles’ offense from the misery that was their 2023 season be enough to have him back in the head coach conversation? He joins our Honorable Mention list as we rank 20 candidates who could replace McCarthy. Honorable Mentions: Dan Pritchard, Cincinnati Bengals OC Ryan Grubb, Seattle Seahawks OC Adam Stenovich, Green Bay Packers OC Ejiro Evero, Carolina Panthers, DC Jesse Minter, Los Angeles Chargers, DC Vance Joseph, Denver Broncos, DC Lincoln Riley, USC, HC Kellen Moore, Philadelphia Eagles, OC University of Georgia head coach Kirby Smart Dec 30, 2023; Miami Gardens, FL, USA; rGeorgia Bulldogs head coach Kirby Smart reacts after the 2023 Orange Bowl at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports The best collegiate head coach since Nick Saban.. he likely makes way too much ($13 million per year) coaching at his alma mater to move, but there’s no process that is sane without at least kicking the tires on the possibility. Minnesota VIkings DC Brian Flores Jan 9, 2022; Miami Gardens, Florida, USA; Miami Dolphins head coach Brian Flores watches from the sideline during the second quarter of the game against the New England Patriots at Hard Rock Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Sam Navarro-USA TODAY Sports Will Flores get another shot at a head coach gig? He was dumped by the Dolphins in their owner’s “I’m rich I can do what I want” attempt to lure Sean Payton and Tom Brady to South Beach. The revelation about trying to have a coach to tank games may have pulled the curtain back on the innerworkings of the league, but it likely didn’t do Flores much favor. What has though, is the job he’s done righting the ship in Minnesota with their defense. Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith Nov 2, 2023; Frankfurt, Germany; Miami Dolphins offensive coordinator Frank Smith at press conference at the PSD Bank Arena. Mandatory Credit: Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports Grabbing from a fruitful tree is always a wise idea, and snatching Smith from under Mike McDaniel as part of the Kyle Shanahan limb system seems like a wise call. Dallas rarely uses motion at the snap and isn’t particularly good at it; and that’s literally the forte of Smith. Doesn’t currently have play-calling duties though, which could be seen as a knock. Former NFL head coach Mike Vrabel Tennessee Titans Head Coach Mike Vrabel reacts to a Titans penalty against the Seattle Seahawks during their game at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tenn., Sunday, Dec. 24, 2023. Vrabel was fired by owner Amy Adams Strunk Monday after having two losing seasons back-to-back. Vrabel is a defensive-minded head coach who was able to achieve strong levels of success in Tennessee with a veteran QB who wasn’t well regarded (Ryan Tannehill) prior to their time together. Known as a disciplinarian, pairing him with Dak Prescott would require finding the next big thing as offensive coordinator. Former Patriots head coach Bill Belichick Sep 30, 2018; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick watches from the sideline as they take on the Miami Dolphins in the first quarter at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: David Butler II-USA TODAY Sports For better or worse, the clubhouse leader. Belichick is a huge Prescott fan, Jerry Jones is a huge supporter of retreads and it would be interesting to see if given a competent front office… oh wait. Lions DC Aaron Glenn Detroit Lions defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn watches practice during OTAs at Detroit Lions headquarters and practice facility in Allen Park on Tuesday, June 11, 2024. Glenn obviously has ties to Dallas, playing two of his 15 seasons with the organization, but the growth of the Lions’ defense under his tutelage has been impressive on its own. In 2020 they ranked 32nd in defensive DVOA. Since Glenn joined they moved to 29th, 27th, 13th and ranked 2nd going into Week 12 action. He’s consistently being highlighted by their players as a phenomenal leader of men. Comanders OC Kliff Kingsbury Sep 29, 2024; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Washington Commanders offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury against the

McCarthy: Cowboys players ‘better be frustrated’ after latest loss; ‘We deserve to win’ Todd Brock This Cowboys Tuesday is presented by the letter F. Fans were undoubtedly throwing the letter around liberally as they watched their team get mauled again on Monday night. Fifth loss in a row. Fouls. Flags. Fumbles. Fourth-down failures. A foolish fake punt. There was no shortage of opportunities for plenty of F-words in the 34-10 loss, but head coach Mike McCarthy kept coming back to a different one in his postgame press conference. “It’s very frustrating. It’s frustrating for everybody. Frustrating for the players, frustrating for the coaches, I know it’s disappointing for the fans,” McCarthy told reporters late Monday night from the podium at AT&T Stadium. He used the word frustrating (or some derivative) nine times in a ten-minute Q&A session. “Hell, they’d better be frustrated,” he said of his players. “I mean, we’re all frustrated. I think there would be something wrong if they weren’t frustrated.” Well, something is definitely wrong, even with the rampant frustration. Yet the coach struggled to pinpoint exactly why this team keeps losing so badly. “We’re not playing well enough or executing well enough, coaching well enough to overcome some of the mistakes we’re making at critical times in the game.” Like going 0-for-4 on fourth down conversion attempts. Like committing nine penalties (not to mention having four defensive players flagged for personal fouls on the same snap). Like getting into the red zone just once and not having a single snap in goal-to-go. Like fumbling twice on the same play and helplessly watching it turn into a scoop-and-score for the opponent. Like taking Brandon Aubrey’s field goal off the scoreboard and then coming away empty after a slapstick series of plays that turned the ball over on downs inside the Houston 10. Like that ill-advised fake punt in the Cowboys’ own end and on the offense’s first possession, the second such debacle in three weeks, and one which McCarthy described as “a poor call by us.” Like asking the backup quarterback coming off a historically bad performance to attempt the most passes in his career and the most throws by any Cowboys quarterback in a game in over three years. “I would have liked to have been a lot more balanced, run to pass,” McCarthy explained. “I don’t want to throw the ball 40 times.” Except it was 55 (56 if you count Bryan Anger’s four-yard lob… in a situation that needed nine). But despite all the mistakes, miscues, and missed plays, McCarthy says he won’t be doing anything radically different as the team prepares for two more games in the next 10 days. “We’ve just got to stay after it,” the coach said. “I’m disappointed, I’m frustrated for our guys because I know how much they put into this. We’ve just got to keep banging away.” Don’t expect much to change during this short week of practices, because McCarthy says practices aren’t the issue. “Our problem isn’t effort during the week; I haven’t seen that. We’re just not making critical plays.” Don’t look for some massive overhaul of the roster, either. Despite a record that currently has the team staring at a top-10 draft pick, McCarthy has no interest in giving up on his starters in favor of simply getting younger guys game reps. “We’re playing the best players to win the game,” he said. “I have every reason to believe that we can get better. We have to be cleaner. The discipline and the details; you’re tired of hearing about it, but I’ve just got to keep pushing it and making them focus on it. And I do believe we’ll come out on the other side. “We’ve got to win. We deserve to win. We deserve the opportunity to win, and that’s about putting the best people out there, and right now they’re young. Our young guys are getting a lot of experience, but we need to do whatever the hell we need to do to win.” [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] By that logic, then, McCarthy should be at least open to the idea of making a change. Many Cowboys fans are ready to move on from backup quarterback Cooper Rush and get third-stringer Trey Lance a lot more involved. Even McCarthy himself admitted he should have done so Monday night. “I think the one thing I should have done at the end, and I didn’t do it, was put Trey in there. I could have gotten him a series. That’s one thing I would second-guess myself on,” he told media members… though whether that was an oversight or a message to ownership is up for debate. “I really just didn’t want to get into putting him in for a play or two, because he’s more than a gadget player, in my opinion. We had him prepared to take a series, and frankly, there at the end, I should have given him that series. I regret not doing that.” Add that to the long list of frustrations to come out of the Monday meltdown. But come Tuesday, McCarthy will be back at work, looking to turn it around the only way he knows how: by leaning on the coaches and players around him to keep putting in the work and trusting that the process will lead to something positive. “Just trust the people in the room, the people that are doing the work. I do, I believe in this locker room,” McCarthy explained. “There is good coming out of this. You don’t see it because we’re not winning games, but there’s young men that are getting an opportunity to do more, and I do believe that will pay it forward. It needs to hurry the hell up, because we need it in six days.” Forward. Another F-word. And right now, for a very frustrated Cowboys team desperate to distance themselves from some of the losing squads of the franchise’s past they’re being lumped in with, it may

Overmatched Cowboys add more injuries to insulting play in fifth straight loss, 34-10 to Texans K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys placed QB Dak Prescott on injured reserve prior to Monday night’s contest against the Houston Texans. The Week 11 move was anticipated for the last several weeks, but the fact it took so long to make was a significant admission. There’s no cavalry coming, so the need for the roster spot wasn’t really a pressing issue for the 3-6 Cowboys. Make that 3-7, as the club was once again in a street fight without any weapons in falling to the Texans 34-10. The club’s fifth straight defeat came with the required number of head scratches and face palms pretty much from the onset of the game. Dallas gave up big plays, turned the ball over and had a myriad of new injuries to keep piling on the miserable season. Dallas saw three different starting offensive linemen leave the contest with injuries, along with their starting tight end. Jake Ferguson suffered a concussion early on, and then the second half saw Tyler Guyton, Zack Martin and Tyler Smith all get knocked out; the latter two within three plays of each other. With Cooper Rush continuing to struggle to push the ball downfield on a regular basis, the Dallas defense was once again asked to do something they were incapable of doing. The Houston offense scored on a 77-yard opening play that was called back, but were undaunted with numerous big plays. CJ Stroud released the ball quickly, often finding his returning star WR Nico Collins, on the way to 257 passing yards. He didn’t throw for a score, but it wasn’t necessary with RB Joe Mixon adding three touchdowns on 109 rushing yards. In comparison Rush threw for over 300 yards, but Mike McCarhty’s non-existent commitment to the running game saw Dallas rush just 16 times compared to over 50 passing attempts. The Cowoys offense remains disfunctional as the team lost their sixth straight home game Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Play design matters . (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images) KaVontae Turpin isn’t a great receiver, but Mike McCarthy gave him an easy play to work with on his 64-yard TD catch. It was a simple slant route from a spread formation using his speed to take it to the house. His breakaway catch and run was over 22 mph, which according to Next Gen Stats is the fastest of any player this season. This factoid is an indictment on a coaching staff that’s targeted him just 28 times and given him just five carries prior to tonight. Speed kills in the NFL and the Cowboys haven’t used their fastest killer enough on the offensive side of the ball this season. Effort remains Mandatory Credit: Kelley L Cox-Imagn Images Jerry Jones once begrudgingly fired Wade Phillips midseason because he believed his team had given up on the head coach. It seemed clear from the start of the season the only way Mike McCarthy would meet the same fate is if he gave Jones the same cause. Say what one will about this roster, but this team has not quit. Young players and veteran alike were working hard for the blue star on Monday Night Football. It was especially good to see Trevon Diggs lead blocking for Malik Hooker on the first half interception. Diggs gets heat for his disinterest in tackling, and rightfully so, but it’s not because of selfishness or lack of physicality. Cornerbacks just don’t like to tackle players twice their size. Diggs showed he has plenty of fight in him even if he’s not hawking balls play after play. On Turpin’s long catch and run, it was Rico Dowdle downfield blocking with extra effort. The 2024 Cowboys may not be very disciplined in their assignments, but they aren’t quitters and that’s something to rebuild around. Throws beyond the sticks Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-Imagn Images The Cowboys offense obviously suffered an enormous loss when Dak Prescott was lost to a hamstring injury for the rest of the season. In previous years, Cooper Rush was up to the task and the offense was able to survive. But in 2024 it’s behind a rebuilding offensive line and alongside a stripped-down receiver corps, making it a difficult task. Throws beyond the sticks is a great way to gauge an offense’s trust in the passing game. Not all offenses are designed to create run after the catch and Mike McCarthy’s offense is a perfect example of such an offense. Throwing beyond the sticks is a required element in his offense yet he was extremely hesitant to unleash Rush. Excluding the final two minutes of each half, Rush threw just nine passes beyond the sticks upon first review; less than 50% were completions, and one resulted in an interception. To re-sign or not re-sign, that is the question , Texas. (Photo by Richard Rodriguez/Getty Images) Chauncey Golston, the Cowboys’ third round pick in the 2021 NFL draft, has developed into a real NFL player this season. There’s a world where he’s even a key player on a legit playoff caliber defense. He keeps his assignments, plays the run, and works hard for scrappy pressures. He’s not a pass rusher but he’s not a liability on passing downs either. Injuries have forced the Cowboys to give him opportunities this season and they’ve been rewarded for playing him. The only problem is Golston is a free agent in 2025. With so many players making big money on the roster, it will be tough for the Cowboys to justify middle class level contracts like him, but Golston might be cheap enough and solid enough to justify it this winter. He’s a free agent to watch. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Related articles

Breaking, Literally: AT&T Stadium roof piece falls on field before Cowboys-Texans Todd Brock Cowboys fans may have thought nothing else could go wrong this season. As if. For a brief period late Monday afternoon when it looked as though the retractable roof at AT&T Stadium would be open for Monday night’s primetime meeting with the Houston Texans. Now that’s in doubt after some sort of mechanical issue sent a giant piece of metal fall to the turf below and left more torn-away scrap hanging in the rafters. Stadium workers began opening the roof several hours before kickoff, signalling a rather rare event for the venue that first opened in 2009. Cowboys owner Jerry Jones famously said recently- after the most recent complaints about the setting sun shining through the east/west-oriented windows causing problems for players- that the stadium, with its glass walls and retractable roof, was constructed to mimic the feel of an outdoor venue. Yet the roof hadn’t been opened for a game in two years, and it’s been opened for less than 25% of all Cowboys games ever played there. With perfect conditions forecast for Monday night (and possibly to distract slightly from the team’s godawful 3-6 record), Jones and the team made the decision to open the roof for the nationally-televised game. But shortly after the roof opened, a large piece of metal fell from the structure. Media members from the various TV outlets were already on the field doing pregame reports. The debris is seen in video posted by NBC DFW’s Noah Bullard. The roof was closed again and per The Athletic‘s Jon Machota, crews are investigating, ostensibly to determine whether or not it can be safely opened again. Update: The mandated 90-minute countdown to kickoff has started. The roof will officially remain closed for the game, as it would have had to have been opened prior to that deadline. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] While there were thankfully no injuries, the punchlines surrounding the incident in this “train wreck” of a Cowboys season will write themselves for some time. ESPN’s Ryan Clark, speaking from the Monday Night Countdown desk set up on the turf at the stadium, cracked, “The bottom done already fell out in Dallas; the top might as well, too.” Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Dallas isn’t this creative and doesn’t think like this. We know. It doesn’t mean that we have to be limited in our thoughts; especially not in November. In late August, the Dallas Cowboys and quarterback Dak Prescott agreed to a new four-year extension, but it does not mean the two sides are tethered to each other for that long. Prescott is now going to be out for the remainder of 2022, marking the third time in five seasons he’s missed a significant chunk of action due to injury. Coming from a world where the last franchise quarterback’s back gave out from carrying the franchise for a decade, Dallas fans are well prepared (overly sensitive?) to face a reality where the team may bail on their current situation despite the monetary aspect of things. Even before the severe, surgery-requiring hamstring injury was suffered, Prescott did not look anywhere near as mobile as even the 2023 version of himself. It is not anti-Prescott to say that if Dallas’ front office scouts the landscape of incoming rookies and identifies a QB they feel is franchise leader-ish, and that player is available to them, that they cannot bring him into the fold. The Green Bay Packers will forever be seen as the example to doing things in this way. Despite having Brett Favre, they drafted Aaron Rodgers. Despite having Rodgers they drafted Jordan Love. Both decisions took time to unfold but they’ve allowed that org to have a top QB for the last three decades. So if Dallas sees a QB in Round 1, they should be comfortable in drafting him and waiting until Prescott’s deal gets to a point it can be financially acceptable to move on from him in a trade. Fans shouldn’t worry about a no-trade clause; it’s honestly just a right of refusal that keeps Prescott from landing in NFL Siberia against his will. In this exercise, we’ll game that out with the 2025 draft. Here’s a Week 12, four-round mock conducted on Pro Football Focus. Prescott’s contract specifics Dallas signed Prescott to a four-year, $240 million extension beyond what was already on the books for 2024. The extension has four void years at the end, allowing Dallas to restructure each season and push cap hit off into the future. As currently constructed, Prescott will count $89 million against the 2025 cap. If the Cowboys want to escape the deal sooner than later, they will not touch this very much, if at all. The other option is to move up to $36 million of cap hit into the future. If Dallas wants to go the Green Bay route, not touching that cap space and eating the big hit as they reboot the roster makes sense. Prescott’s presence on the team gives Dallas a certain level of credibility to keep them in the public eye. Even with the prospect of a lost season, Dallas will be able to sell a competitive season based on the stars that are locked in for 2025. Prescott, CeeDee Lamb, Micah Parsons, Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland is enough to market successfully. And if there’s a budding quarterback controversy to stoke the flames? Even better. Eating Prescott’s big cap hit in 2025 allows the Cowboys to see some cap savings in 2026 and a ton in 2027, if they decide to roll with a draft pick in Year 2 or Year 3. Dallas would save $6 million in space if they traded Prescott in 2026, and if he started the next two seasons they’d see $28 million in savings in 2027. Allowing Prescott to rebuild his value in 2025, trading him for multiple first-round picks and having a new franchise signal caller already in tow seems like a viable path forward for the next head coach. Cowboys pick at No. 9 The current draft order projection for Week 12 is that the Cowboys’ 3-6 record places them 9th in the first-round draft order. Cowboys Team Needs Sep 28, 2014; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys executive vice president Stephen Jones on the field before the game against the New Orleans Saints at AT&T Stadium. Dallas beat New Orleans 38-17. Mandatory Credit: Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports Dallas has needs all over the place, and as always will have to balance their free agent moves… ahaha just kidding. They’ll need to balance their availability projections. If they need to fill two positions pretty equally, and one is top heavy and the other is deep, it’s probably a better decision to grab the prospect from the top-heavy position. Dallas is in need of a running back, wideout, defensive end, and defensive tackle. They could also potentially need safety help, depending on if they give the youngsters a chance to show their worth, along with linebacker depth. And as explained above, QB shouldn’t be ruled out if one who they think is special is staring them in the face. Top 8 picks ahead of Dallas BOULDER, COLORADO – APRIL 27: Travis Hunter #12 of the Colorado Buffaloes warms-up prior to their spring game at Folsom Field on April 27, 2024 in Boulder, Colorado. (Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images) Jacksonville Jaguars: WR/CB Travis Hunter, Colorado Tennessee Titans: WR Tetairoa McMillan, Arizona Cleveland Browns: CB Will Johnson, Michigan Las Vegas Raiders: QB Cam Ward, Miami New York Giants: RB Ashton Jeanty, Boise State New England Patriots: DE Abdul Carter, Penn State New York Jets: QB Jalen Milroe, Alabama Carolina Panthers: Safety Malaki Starks, Georgia Trade Down: Cincinnati Bengals Oct 29, 2017; Cincinnati, OH, USA; A view of a Bengals helmet on the sidelines in the game of the Indianapolis Colts against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Aaron Doster-USA TODAY Sports The Bengals called and offered a really good deal for Dallas to move down three spots, adding a third-round pick in exchange for one of the Cowboys’ fifth-round compensatory picks. Cowboys receive 1.12, 3.76 for 1.9, 5.171 Trade Down: Denver Broncos Oct 28, 2018; Kansas City, MO, USA;

Rico Dowdle value now clear after Cowboys abandon RBBC approach reidhanson For as maddening as it’s been stealing carries from Rico Dowdle in 2024, the side-by-side comparison of Ezekiel Elliott and Dowdle has given the Cowboys a nice picture of what each player adds to the running game. Running backs are a difficult position to evaluate in the NFL. Average yards per carry, cumulative totals and yards after contact have been common ways to grade RB efficiency in the past but they can be dated and often misleading in nature. Expected points added (EPA) has properly valuated the impact of each run better than yards/carry could ever dream of, but much like the others it has a hard time differentiating between RB impact and offensive line ability. As advanced stats pick up steam in mainstream sports analysis, fans have searched tirelessly to find something that shows the value of a running back beyond what is directly given to him by his offensive line. Many have recently latched onto success rate as great barometer of RB skill, but even that speaks to the team’s execution of the play and says nothing about the quality of the runner himself. That’s where Elliott and the Cowboys early use of RB-by-committee comes into play. Under Mike McCarthy, the Cowboys have been resistant to plug specific runners into specific roles. He will hand off drives and call running plays regardless of whether it’s Elliott or Dowdle in the backfield. To the unintended benefit of this analysis, he matches play calls and circumstances as evenly as can be hoped for. From this we compare yards/carry, yards after contact, elusive rating (PFF signature stat measuring value added by RB) and success rate between the two backs. Predictably, all factors point to Dowdle as the superior RB. Running behind the same Cowboys offensive line, Dowdle is averaging 4.5 yards/carry, compared to Elliott who just averages 3.2. Dowdle produces an EPA average of 0.04 while Elliott produces -0.27. Dowdle scores a 50.7 elusive rating compared to Elliott who averages a team low 17.2. Dowdle averages 2.41 yards after contact while Elliott averages 2.25. Dowdle is tackled for loss at a lower rate, he gains first downs at a higher rate, and his explosive run rate is roughly five times that of Elliott. In matters of success rate (SR) Dowdle sits at 48.2 percent while Elliott is light years behind at 31.5 percent. Again, this is all behind the same offensive line with average number of defenders in the box greater for Dowdle than Elliott. It’s important to point out SR differs from site to site with Pro Football Reference following a generic 40/60/100 format while Sumer Sports bases theirs on actual EPA on the given play (Sumer Sports for the win). But in either method of calculating SR, Dowdle has proven to be one of the best RBs in the NFL, all behind this Cowboys offensive line. A successful running game typically comes from a well-executed running scheme. Offensive lines have proven over the years they are often more instrumental in ground game success than the man running the ball. Such a sentiment has caused many to declare “running backs don’t matter” since many backups produce at or near the same level of output as the man they replace. In Dallas that is clearly not the situation. Running backs matter in a very big way because virtually every metric points to Dowdle as the superior runner. The Cowboys running game goes from bottom tier when Elliott has been carrying the ball to top tier when Dowdle is carrying the ball. For as frustrating as the committee approach has been in 2024 it’s given the team a good look at what Dowdle really adds to the formula. It hasn’t just made a case for Dowdle to be the top dog in 2024 but it’s a making a good argument to re-sign the 26-year-old RB for next year and beyond. This past week Dowdle has been declared the RB1 for the Cowboys going forward. That’s a wide move because based on the comparison between Dallas’ top two rushers, RBs really do matter sometimes. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys predicted as potential landing spot for $25 million coaching hire in 2025 K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys have had an interesting coaching dynamic ever since Jerry Jones bought them from Bum Bright over three decades ago. Jones brought his University of Arkansas buddy, Miami Hurricanes head coach Jimmy Johnson with him in 1989 and together they laid the foundation for a dynasty. After the relationship declined, another Arkansas friend, Barry Switzer took over and won the third of four Lombardi’s in four seasons. Following that success, though, it’s been an interesting swing between inexperienced or well-regarded champions. For every Chan Gailey there’s been a Bill Parcells, for every Dave Campo there’s been a Mike McCarthy. None of them have been able to recapture the magic formula from the early 1990s. Of course the common denominator is that each coach has had to work with Jones as their GM, but seeing how that’s not going to change, what will he look for in his next coach after McCarthy’s tenure ends in January (or sooner)? That could be a head coach with more success than every one of the others combined. Bill Belichick is starting to refloat his interest in returning to the sidelines in 2025, and Dallas is predicted to be one of the spots where he could land. Belichick, 72, has spent this year working in the media, most notably for ESPN’s College Gameday and CW Network’s Inside the NFL. When last in the NFL with the New England Patriots, his salary was believed to be the highest among NFL head coaches, $25 million. He earned it, winning seven titles with the Patriots over a two-decade run. Comparatively, McCarthy is believed to be making around $5 million to coach the Cowboys.

Bad C.J. Stroud Sunday, Sept. 17, 2023, NRG Stadium in Houston There’s little doubt about Texans quarterback C.J. Stroud being one of the best young signal callers in the league, but he’s had an uneven second season. When he’s been ‘on’ he’s near the top of the league in passing yards and completion percentage per game. However, it has been a struggle for Stroud lately, which has coincided with losing two of his top wide receivers. In his last five games, all without WR Nico Collins and two without WR Stefon Diggs, Stroud has thrown for just five touchdowns, is averaging just over 197 yards passing per game and his completion percentage is under 55%. Take out the win over a bad New England Patriots team and Stroud has thrown for just two scores in his last five outings. That’s some bad football Stroud is playing, and he took responsibility for last week’s poor performance. The good news for the Texans is they are likely to get Collins back at WR. However, it will be his first game coming off a hamstring injury, so the Cowboys might not have to deal with Collins at 100%, or playing against him at his usual number of snaps. Even with Collins returning, Stroud’s weapons won’t be the same as they were when he was thriving. Diggs is out for the remainder of the season and the young QB is still trying to get comfortable with his new receiving options. Defending Stroud now feels much easier than it did when the schedule came out. Bad offensive line… Oct 20, 2024; Green Bay, Wisconsin, USA; Houston Texans offensive tackle Laremy Tunsil (78) during the game against the Green Bay Packers at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-Imagn Images Both Texas teams seem to have something in common, poor offensive line play. While the Cowboys are the middle of the road in allowing sacks, the Texans are third worst at giving them up. Stroud has been sacked 34 times this season, after being taken down just 38 times his rookie year. It’s an offensive line that is giving up pressure and Stroud is trying to make plays instead of throwing the ball away. In the last four games, the Texans have allowed 18 sacks, and Stroud hasn’t been sacked less than two times in any of their matchups. The Cowboys are coming off their second-best pass rushing output against one of the better offensive lines in the league. Mike Zimmer’s unit came away with five sacks in Week 10, which was aided by the return of elite edge rusher Micah Parsons, who was responsible for two. … due to injuries Sep 29, 2024; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans guard Kenyon Green (76) during the game against the Jacksonville Jaguars at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Troy Taormina-Imagn Images Injuries aren’t helping the Texans on the offensive line; they don’t have the horses up front. Starting left guard Kenyon Green is on IR with a shoulder injury and left tackle Laremy Tunsil has been battling a knee injury, leaving him questionable for the Week 11 matchup. If Tunsil can’t go, backup Blake Fisher, who has been limited in practice this week with a concussion, might get the nod. If neither play, the Cowboys’ defense gets a third-string tackle. That’s a thin group at OL, and even with Tunsil likely to play, the Cowboys will have opportunities to get to the QB. Dallas’ defense has to love the matchup as they’re getting healthier at pass rusher. Second half woes Troy Taormina-USA TODAY Sports Here’s another place where the two teams mirror each other, second half play. It’s well documented how poorly the Cowboys have played in the third quarter, but the Texans aren’t much better. Houston’s offense averages just 9.1 points a game after halftime, but they’ve been even worse in the third quarter where they average a paltry 3.2 points. Take away the 13-point third quarter explosion against the Patriots, and that number drops to an anemic 1.9 ppg in the opening 15 minutes of the second half. Recently it’s been an even bigger struggle to score at all in the final 30 minutes of a game. In their last four outings, the Texans haven’t scored a second-half touchdown, and they were shut out in last week’s loss. In total, the Texans have just six second-half touchdowns on the year, with five coming in two games. In their other eight games, they’ve managed to score one measly touchdown in the last two quarters. This game might be won by whoever can come out and play their best after halftime. It hasn’t been the strong suit for the Cowboys this year, but the Texans have been equally bad. In a rare instance, the Cowboys must love their chances to win the second half. Do that, and they may upset the Texans in Week 11. Related Links