‘It’s not a death sentence’: Jake Ferguson has faith in backup QBs, thinks Cowboys’ season can still be saved Madison Tenenbaum After the 34-6 obliteration at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 10 at AT&T Stadium, it seems quite clear that it’s time to close the curtains on the Dallas Cowboys season (yes, pun intended). This team has been playing with a sub-zero confidence level since the Week 2 beatdown against the now 3-7 Saints and continues to show week in and week out that they don’t have any answers. Throw in losing your starting quarterback for the rest of the year and having to rely on Cooper Rush and Trey Lance to help turn your season around, it doesn’t look promising. Despite the frustration, tight end Jake Ferguson still has hope. Ferguson recently joined Sports Seriously, on behalf of USAA, and said he wasn’t ready to count Dallas out just yet. “There’s two things you can do right now in this situation. You can roll over, you can say we’re done, or you can buckle down, figure out what it may be that needs to be done and start winning some games.” They are sitting at 3-6 with only eight games left and are dealing with injuries at nearly every position. So how can they turn it around? Well, that starts with coaching and quarterback play. Yes, Dallas went 4-1 with Cooper Rush under center back in 2022 when Dak Prescott was sidelined with a thumb injury for five weeks, but that was with a legitimate run game and a remarkably stout defense— regardless, that seems like a non-issue in the locker room. “I have full confidence in this team and this coaching staff to pull it together and create the schemes so we can go out and prep the whole week and get ready to execute,” Ferguson said. Another issue that Dallas needs to fix, and quickly for that matter, is their play at home. In stark contrast to their season last year, in which the Cowboys went 9-0 at home (a 17-game home win streak dating back to 2022), they have now fallen to 0-4 at home in the 2024 season— technically 0-5 if you want to count their Wild Card playoff loss to the Packers last season. When asked about their struggles at AT&T Stadium and how much that’s dependent on red zone execution, Ferguson didn’t hold back. “If you want to win games you got to score points. Last game, having two opportunities where I think both were inside the 15, maybe inside the 10, and not executing on that… it’s hard it’s hard to win games doing that.” He’s right, and from the outside looking in, the two main factors that contribute to that are the lack of efficiency on the ground and the lack of talent outside of CeeDee Lamb. Ferguson has shown many moments of potential stardom and is without a doubt an elite blocker. However, he’s struggling to get open, which ultimately, comes down to the fact that Mike McCarthy and Brian Schottenheimer have taken away more of his seam routes so he can chip more at the line of scrimmage. “My job is to do what they tell me to do. I’m doing whatever I can to help this team win and we’re not winning, so there’s obviously some more things that I can do to help this team,” Ferguson said when asked about his use and production. Additionally, he reiterated that this is not the end. “It’s not a death sentence. There are things you can do and there are ways to get out of it and it starts with winning games, it starts with one day at a time.” You can watch the full conversation in the video above.

Cowboys Coordinator Bowl I goes to Eagles as Commanders fall apart in Q4 K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys have enjoyed a ton of regular season success over the last several years, which makes their 2024 performance extremely disappointing. Sitting at 3-6, their playoff hopes are on life support as Week 11 starts to unfold. Mike McCarthy and his current staff are all on notice they’ll likely be looking elsewhere for employment in 2024. Their two most recent high-profile coordinators though are enjoying a ton of success this season. Kellen Moore, former OC under both Jason Garrett and McCarthy, is now in charge of the Philadelphia Eagles’ offense. Dan Quinn, the defensive coordinator from the last three 12-5 Cowboys seasons, is now the head coach in Washington. They former co-workers met up on opposite sidelines Thursday night with Quinn’s Commanders getting the 26-18 victory. The two teams entered their TNF matchup with a combined 14-5 record, but despite some questionable calls in their favor throughout, Washington fell apart late. Quinn’s troops entered the fourth quarter with a 10-6 lead, but a dumb fourth-down decision by Quinn gave Moore’s offense the opening it needed to score three rushing touchdowns; his new signature. Washington scored a no-urgency TD with just 28 seconds left to close the gap, but the onside kick attempt failed. What’s interesting for Cowboys’ fans though is how far each’s former units have plummeted in performance and ranking since each left. Moore joined Garrett’s staff in his lame-duck 2019 season and moved the Cowboys’ offense from 17th to 6th in scoring. With a 2020 mulligan for Prescott’s broken leg, he also had them ranked 1st and 4th in his other seasons. However playoff disappointment and McCarthy wanting to take over play-calling (to save his job, likely) led to Moore moving on to the Los Angeles Chargers in 2023. Initially McCarthy did find success, as the Cowboys returned to the No. 1 scoring offense in 2023. But there was a catch. Quinn’s defense’s were monsters at creating extra opportunities for the offense by being at or near the top of forced turnovers the last three seasons. Without Quinn in tow, the turnovers have stopped and even before the Cowboys lost Prescott for the season again, their offense was in the bottom third of the NFL in 2024. Quinn’s defense finished seventh, fifth and fifth in points allowed during his three seasons in Dallas. Jerry Jones was able to convince Quinn to stay in Dallas the last several seasons despite head coaching interviews all over the league, but Quinn finally bolted to land with the division rival Commanders. Moore was let go along with head coach Brandon Staley and his entire staff in LA and landed in Philadelphia. Both have been cooking in their first seasons elsewhere in the NFC East. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys vs Texans Initial Injury Report: 1/3rd of Dallas roster is injured in Week 11 K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys have licked their wounds, again, and are ready to get back on the bull. After four straight defeats, the team is reeling but they will no forfeit the rest of there 2024 season. Instead they will take on the Houston Texans in Week 11 and hope to begin an epic comeback from a 3-6 record. Likely? Of course not, but that’s from an outsider’s perspective. The team isn’t going to turn over their entire roster in 2025, so having players who refuse to give up on the season is a good thing, draft order notwithstanding. As the club returns to practice on Thursday, they do so with only 2/3rds of their entire roster actually healthy. Dallas listed 18 players, 34% of their 53-man roster, as dealing with some degree of a medical issue.  Cowboys CB DaRon Bland, Foot | Wednesday: Did Not Participate CB Caelen Carson, Shoulder | Wednesday: Full Participant CB Trevon Diggs, Calf | Wednesday: Limited OT Chuma Edoga, Toe | Wednesday: Limited TE Jake Ferguson, Illness | Wednesday: DNP OT Tyler Guyton, Neck/Shoulder | Wednesday: Limited LB Eric Kendricks, Shoulder | Wednesday: DNP CB Jourdan Lewis, Neck | Wednesday: DNP FB Hunter Luepke, Calf | | Wednesday: DNP OG Zack Martin, Shoulder | Wednesday: DNP LB DeMarvion Overshown, Knee | Wednesday: Full LB Micah Parsons, Ankle | Wednesday: Full QB Dak Prescott, Hamstring | Wednesday: DNP QB Cooper Rush, Neck | Wednesday: Full OG Tyler Smith, Knee | Wednesday: Limited Safey Juanyeh Thomas, Concussion | Wednesday: DNP LB Nick Vigil, Foot | Wednesday: DNP Safety Donovan Wilson, Hip | Wednesday: Full Houston Texans Will update when available. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys fans get glimpse of another potential Mike McCarthy replacement in Week 11 reidhanson All indications are the Cowboys will be looking for new head coach this winter when Mike McCarthy’s contract runs out. Armed with draft picks, available spending cash, and a desire for change, Dallas will be an attractive place for a head coach looking to make an instant impact. Bobby Slowik, the Texans’ prized offensive coordinator, is likely on his way out of Houston this winter. The Shanahan-like play caller has seen his stock rise to meteoric levels over the past season and a half and is now one of the hottest names on head coaching market in 2025. Slowik is a play designer who creates deception by using a series of similar looking personnel groups and alignments. He’s a run truther but he backs it up by designing run-friendly plays and using run-friendly wrinkles. He’s taken a fledging Houston offense and built it up to sky-high levels with an inexperienced QB. Play action, motion at the snap and various post-snap options all put his offenses in position to succeed. It’s allowed his offenses to produce higher outputs as complete unit than the individual pieces would otherwise provide. It’s these traits that make Slowik such an attractive option for Cowboys fans. Eager to turn the page on yet another disappointing chapter in Cowboys history, many fans look at Slowik as a true step in the right direction. He’s not only an offensive savant up to date on all the tips and tricks that drive defenses wild but he’s also someone with a fair degree of defensive coaching experience. Unlike most head coaches, Slowik is a coach who adds considerable value with scheme on one side of the ball and also has work experience on the other side of the ball. As if that wasn’t enough, Slowik worked for three years at Pro Football Focus, understanding analytics in a way very few NFL coaches can. Slowik is the complete package, and the Cowboys may be able to hire him this winter. For anyone interested in getting a glimpse at the trending head coach candidate they needn’t look much further than Monday. In Week 11 the Cowboys take on the Texans and get a great firsthand look at someone who could be the next head coach of the Cowboys. Not since Week 6 against the Lions and Ben Johnson did Dallas get such a privilege. If Slowik can show half as much as Johnson did, fans are in for a real treat, so to speak. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys RT Terence Steele proving quite the tricky analysis reidhanson Terence Steele isn’t very good. The fifth-year vet has allowed the third most pressures in the NFL from the tackle position in 2024. In Pro Football Focus’ pass block grades he’s fourth lowest among those with seven or more starts. And the seven sacks he’s given up ties him with backup OT Fred Johnson for worst in the NFL. At the same time, Steele is also pretty darn good. The 27-year-old is, at times, a dominant run blocker. Steele grades as the 13th best run blocking OT in the NFL. On zone runs in 2024 he ranks eighth amongst his peers. While Steele has been called for three false starts, he hasn’t been called for a single hold in run blocking this season. Steele is a liability in pass protection and an asset in run blocking. It’s a situation that surely gives the Cowboys fits because Steele represents both extremes at the OT position. He’s a player to run the ball behind but also someone in pass protection to be wary of. When Steele originally signed his five-year, $82,500,000 extension, he was coming off a career season. Though injury ended that year prematurely, Steele had established himself as an elite run blocker and adequate pass protector in 2022. It’s taken time for Steele to bounce back, but as a run blocker, he appears to be finally arriving. Unfortunately, as a pass protector he’s still a far cry from adequate. It’s made Steele a lightning rod for criticism in 2024 and a likely cap casualty in the offseason. While he’s technically signed through 2028, the Cowboys can cut him in 2025 for $14 million in savings. The Cowboys will likely be looking to cut costs over the winter as they rebuild their roster for next year. Middle class players like Steele could very well be out the door, even if they have posted some impressive highlights over the years. It’s understandable many have been critical of Steele over recent weeks. He’s one of the highest-paid players on the roster and routinely gives up pressures, killing drives and frustrating fans. But it’s worth acknowledging Steele is pretty good in some areas too. Steele’s an excellent run blocker and for that he deserves recognition. Related articles [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys backup predicted to get $10 million contract in free agency K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys might not be able to resuscitate their playoff chances in 2024, but that doesn’t mean there’s nothing to salvage from the season. Dallas sits at 3-6 and will watch the rest of the league play their Week 11 games before they get a chance to take the field. While there’s still plenty of action left in the season, the Cowboys are likely playing for draft positioning, not playoff positioning. But playing out the string can benefit individual players. Dallas has a ton of free agents who could be auditioning for either a new coaching staff in Dallas or a new franchise outside of the DFW. That includes quarterback Trey Lance. Sooner or later, the coaching staff is going to give Lance a shot at starting, though it won’t be in Week 11. But when he does, one outlet has confidence he’s going to play pretty well. Bleacher Report’s Brad Gagnon identified the fifth-year quarterback as someone on the verge of making a name for himself in the writer’s 5 Bold Predictions for the rest of the 2024 season. Gagnon thinks Lance will take the opportunity afforded with Dak Prescott’s pending surgery, and run with it all the way to a lucrative contract in the offseason. Right place, right time. The Cowboys have lost Dak Prescott for the remainder of the year, and Cooper Rush has been so bad that Trey Lance is bound to get some serious work down the stretch. Surrounded by plenty of talent, look for the skilled 24-year-old to put on some shows just as his contract expires. I’m not saying he’ll salvage his career, but the 2021 No. 3 pick is in the ideal environment to fire up some teams that might be desperate enough to believe he could be a late-blooming answer. At the very least, Lance will do enough to earn a Sam Darnold-like top-tier backup contract as an insurance policy somewhere. A Sam Darnold like deal would net Lance around $10 million on a one-year contract to prove himself; that’s what the former Jet was provided to be the backup in Minnesota to a rookie QB. JJ McCarthy was lost for the year to injury and Darnold stepped in and has led the Vikings into the playoff picture, surprising many. If Lance has that in him, then he will probably lose the Cowboys some draft slot positioning and earn them a 2026 compensatory pick.

Cowboys starter with rehab group to start Week 11; backup OL has practice window activated Todd Brock Get ready for the possibility of more personnel swapping along the Cowboys’ offensive line. With rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton already having sat out last Sunday’s game against Philadelphia with a neck/shoulder injury, backup Asim Richards got the Week 10 start and played well enough to leave Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy “impressed,” despite the team’s 34-6 blowout loss. Guyton is reportedly “trending towards being healthy” for the team’s next outing, per the team website. But now the spot next to him on the Dallas O-line is suddenly worth monitoring with the 6-4 Houston Texans coming to town for a Monday night intrastate clash. Third-year left guard Tyler Smith was seen wearing a knee wrap during the media portion of Wednesday’s practice session, according to multiple observers. The 23-year-old worked with the rehab group, along with cornerback DaRon Bland, who has yet to make his 2024 debut after a foot injury suffered in camp. https://twitter.com/tommy_yarrish/status/1856769903971233857/ It is not known what sort of issue Smith is experiencing. The team will not release its first practice report of the week until Thursday. Houston enters Week 11 ranked seventh leaguewide in sacks, with 29. [affiliatewidget_smgtolocal] In a separate move that may or may not be coincidental, reserve lineman Chuma Edoga had his 21-day practice window activated on Wednesday. The veteran had been sidelined with a toe injury prior to the season opener. Edoga started six games last season– four at left tackle and two at left guard- and could therefore theoretically be in play if Smith is unable to go. T.J. Bass is officially listed on the team website as the primary backup to both right guard Zack Martin and Smith at left guard. Smith currently has the third-most snaps on the Cowboys offense through nine games this season, appearing in nearly 96% of the unit’s on-field action. Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.

Cowboys head coach surprisingly low on Hot Seat scale for remainder of 2024 K.D. Drummond The Dallas Cowboys are down, and fading fast. Sitting with a 3-6 record, they haven’t quite reached a projected top-10 draft selection, but they are much closer to the No. 1 overall selection than they are to making the playoffs. The man at the center of it all is head coach Mike McCarthy, who appears to be on his last legs as a playcaller. McCarthy took over the duties from Kellen Moore, who himself is on his second OC job since leaving Dallas, but has the Eagles at 7-2 and in first place with a rejuvenated rushing attack centered around Saquon Barkley. Meanwhile the Cowboys’ offense has fallen flat this season. And now with Dak Prescott out for the year, it doesn’t appear to have any semblance of picking up. That will likely mean the end of McCarthy’s tenure in Dallas, but one outlet doesn’t think he’s in danger of facing the same fate as Robert Saleh (NY Jets) or Dennis Allen (Saints). Kristopher Knox of Bleacher Report ranks McCarthy’s chances of being let go in season as a lowly 2 out of 10. The 3-6 Cowboys are falling apart. The defense stinks, players are publicly criticizing their head coach, and quarterback Dak Prescott appears headed for season-ending hamstring surgery. A significant rebuild is incoming, and McCarthy won’t be a part of it. However, the Cowboys may not fire their head coach because they don’t have to. McCarthy is in the final year of his contract, which Dallas can simply choose not to renew. Franchise owner Jerry Jones probably won’t pull the plug on McCarthy before the offseason. The only time Jones has fired a coach in-season came in 2010, when he replaced Wade Phillips with Jason Garrett. He’s stated publicly that he won’t repeat that decision in 2024. Realistically, Jones will only deviate from his plan if a coach who isn’t currently employed by another team decides he wants to get an early start on the 2025 season—and, yes, we’re thinking of Bill Belichick, probably as much as Jones is. Hot Seat Level: 2, until McCarthy’s contract expires, then he’s gone Read all the best Cowboys coverage at the Austin American-Statesman and Cowboys Wire.