Tag: 2024 Dallas Cowboys

Two Reasons: Cowboys only have selves to blame for disappointing 2024

The Dallas Cowboys haven’t met expectations in 2024, and the team only has themselves to blame for their issues. | From @cdpiglet

Coming off of their third 12-5 season in a row and a second seed in the playoffs, the Dallas Cowboys have fallen far from contention in 2024. That began well before the loss of starting quarterback Dak Prescott to a season-ending injury. If the team is upset by these results, it has only itself to blame.

The issues began with inactivity. The decision not to extend Prescott or star wide receiver CeeDee Lamb earlier in the offseason instead of right before September  was a two-fold error. Not only did it put them behind on the field, as it caused Lamb to miss training camp, but those extensions would’ve freed up cap space for Dallas to sign free agents to replace the nine players who signed elsewhere.

The only outside free agent the Cowboys signed before training camp began was Eric Kendricks, who was a direct replacement for a cut/retired player, Leighton Vander Esch.

That doesn’t negate the poor performance of the head coach and play-caller, Mike McCarthy.

Only recently did he make Rico Dowdle the primary running back, instead choosing a committee approach instead of featuring one of the top 10 running backs (success rate) on the season. In games Dowdle had at least 20 touches the Cowboys are 3-0, but only 2-6 in games when he gets under 20. After rushing 20 times for 87 yards against the Steelers’ top-three rush defense, Dowdle should’ve been the clear top back on the team.

McCarthy instead fed Ezekiel Elliott as the back with the most attempts the next game.

Beyond that, McCarthy hasn’t done a good job opening up the offense, failing to get the team’s playmakers the ball in spots where they can make plays. Speedster Kavontae Turpin has never had more than four receptions in a game all season and had more than five targets only once.

Against the Houston Texans, Turpin caught all three of his targets for 86 yards and a touchdown but had only one target the next game. In their last contest, the team targeted Turpin four straight plays on the opening drive and had him wide open on a slot corner route Cooper Rush missed in the end zone. Fans will have to wait and see if there were any lessons learned.

Dallas was due to regress, but the drop didn’t have to be this drastic if the front office and head coach had done their jobs more effectively. Now, they are trying to make a surge towards an unlikely playoff berth while many fans are already doing 2025 mock drafts, but the projections could’ve been much more positive if the people in charge had done their jobs earlier.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or YouTube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast.

Commanders make three roster moves, including surprise release

The Commanders made three roster moves Saturday, including a surprise release.

Both the Commanders and Cowboys made some roster moves in preparation for Sunday’s game at Northwest Stadium.

Roster moves were inevitable, but it was unexpected that Chris Rodriguez would be released. The second-year running back out of Kentucky by Ron Rivera, ran well, rushing for 52 yards on 11 carries against the NY Giants three weeks ago.

Someone had to be released because the Commanders activated DE Javontae Jean-Baptiste from injured reserve, removing him from the injury report.

Thirdly, the Commanders have removed kicker Austin Seibert from the injury report, yet haven’t released backup kicker Zane Gonzalez.

Dallas waived former Washington defensive end KJ Henry and placed S Markquese Bell on IR. The Cowboys also activated T Chuma Edoga and DE Marshawn Kneeland from IR, and both are expected to play Sunday.

The Cowboys also announced WR Brandin Cooks, CB Trevon Diggs and G Zack Martin won’t be playing against the Commanders, Sunday. In addition, TE Princeton Fant and CB Kemon Hall were activated from the practice squad.

Potential reason why Jerry Jones might not want this Cowboy to see the field

Here’s one theory why Jerry Jones might be on board with keeping Trey Lance on the sideline. | From @cdpiglet

This season has not gone the way the Dallas Cowboys hoped. The team didn’t play well early on, and then it snowballed as different injuries piled up every week, and the same mistakes reoccurred every game. Cooper Rush has started two blowout losses since Dak Prescott was placed on the shelf, and people are beginning to ask why Trey Lance isn’t getting his chance.

The case for Lance is easy to make regardless of if it’s on or off the field. Dallas has an offensive line decimated by injury. Tyler Guyton, Tyler Smith, and Zack Martin could all miss games, leaving a rookie at center and a struggling Terence Steele at right tackle. Lance’s mobility could help the offense by adding a threat to the Cowboys’ rushing attack and getting away from the opposing pass rush to make plays on the ground or through the air. Rush can’t do that.

Off the field, playing Lance would seem to make even more sense. Dallas could showcase the sixth youngest quarterback in the NFL behind Anthony Richardson, Drake Maye, C.J. Stroud, Bryce Young, and Caleb Williams. He has been a bust so far, but lately, the NFL has shown that top prospects sometimes just needed time and the correct situation to flourish.

Former first-overall pick Baker Mayfield finally found his place in Tampa Bay. Sam Darnold is making a comeback on the Minnesota Vikings, and Geno Smith has made two Pro Bowls for the Seattle Seahawks. Considering that Lance is younger than three rookie quarterbacks, Jayden Daniels, Bo Nix, and Michael Penix, Jr., if he can show improvement and get one team intrigued, the Cowboys could earn a compensatory pick if he leaves in free agency.

So why are the Cowboys not putting him on the field?

Rush is possibly believed to be a much better player, and Mike McCarthy, in his final season, wants his best chance to win every week. After their loss to the Houston Texans, McCarthy said he wanted to play Lance but didn’t. Could this decision be made by the front office against McCarthy’s will? Jerry Jones had already told the media that Rush was starting against the Washington Commanders, and there could have been a sneaky reason for this.

What if Dallas sees all the reasons to play Lance, his age, his talent, and the late growth of other quarterbacks selected at the top of the draft, and they think Lance could be the next QB in line to bloom late? Instead of trying to showcase him, they are hiding him to keep his price down. He hasn’t shown a reason to be signed elsewhere in his time in Dallas, so if they hide him behind Rush, they could convince him and his agent to take a contract to develop here and possibly be ready to live up to his potential two or three seasons down the line when he will still be multiple years from turning 30.

Dallas was thinking this way when they traded a fourth-round pick for him and this could be a strategy for doubling down on that risk, hoping for a big reward in the future.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or YouTube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast.

 

Cowboys release 10-year veteran DT, former 2nd-round pick

The Cowboys thought they were getting some veteran leadership and interior help, but it did not work out. | From @ArmyChiefW3

Dallas churned the bottom of their roster today with a few moves, including a trade, and defensive tackle Jordan Phillips became the latest casualty after they released the 10-year veteran. The move doesn’t actually open a roster spot as Phillips had been on IR with a disputed injury.

The Cowboys acquired Phillips from the Giants along with a 2026 seventh-round draft pick in exchange for a sixth-rounder in 2026. Phillips played in the season’s first two games before landing on injured reserve.

The Cowboys placed him on IR because of a wrist injury, something Phillips disputed when he first talked to the media.

Phillips spent a stint on injured reserve last December as a member of the Buffalo Bills. He had signed with the Giants as a free agent but was traded to Dallas during training camp.

The Cowboys have a desperate need for defensive tackle help ranking near the bottom of all rush defense metrics and moving on from the veteran is yet another stain on this front office and their curious way of conducting business.

According to Phillips’s Instagram account, he appears headed back to Buffalo.

With one open roster spot, Dallas must make another move if they intend to bring back two defensive starters. Phillips was the first domino to fall and another name must be moved. The search continues in Dallas for capable interior lineman as another name has been scratched from the list.

What is really going on with Dak Prescott and the Cowboys offense?

Why is the Cowboys offense struggling to find the same success as usual with quarterback Dak Prescott? @cdpiglet looks at all of the factors.

Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott ended last season as a second-team All-Pro, and only behind Lamar Jackson in MVP voting. Another season in head coach Mike McCarthy’s system, a season of growth from young, playmaking pass catchers like CeeDee Lamb, Jalen Tolbert, and Jake Ferguson, and another year of work with Brandin Cooks would supposedly set Prescott up for another MVP-level year.

Seven games in, and the quarterback is having possibly the worst season of his career. Could it be a play-calling issue? Is it because of Lamb missing training camp? A weaker offensive line? Injuries to surrounding players? Or even just regression from the quarterback? The answer is yes; it’s a mix of all these factors.

The offense doesn’t have the personnel they did last year. All-Pro Left tackle Tyron Smith is gone to the New York Jets, and rookie Tyler Guyton hasn’t approached that play in Year 1. All-Pro right guard Zack Martin hasn’t been the same level of player all are accustomed to, and that combination has led Prescott to be hit the most times in his career through seven games.

WR Brandon Cooks has been injured, too, and these issues may have prompted McCarthy to be more conservative in his playing calling, leading to a less efficient passing attack.

The team isn’t helping their QB by running the ball well, or creating easy throws. Dallas has the highest tight-window throw percentage in the NFL at 22.5%, and no other qualifying quarterback is even at 20%. His best option in the tight window is Tolbert, who has seven receptions on 12 targets for 127 and 1 TD. All other pass-catchers combined for 11 catches on 47 targets for 137 yards and two interceptions. Jake Ferguson is down nearly 20 percent in his targets, has more than two yards less per reception, is at the lowest success rate of his career & has scored zero touchdowns.

The rushing attack is even worse.

The team is last in the league in rushing yards per game at 74.1. They have the second-worst explosive run percentage at 6.6%, are last in total explosive runs with 10, and have no runs over 15 yards all season. The team has only averaged 3.5 yards per rush or lower in a single season, 1960, over 60 years ago.

While these are valid reasons for a QB to play worse, Prescott still has to make quality decisions, and he hasn’t done that at a level the team is accustomed to. He has 16 turnover-worthy plays this season through seven games. His career high in a season was 21, so he is on pace to shatter that. Regardless of his surroundings, Prescott must improve his decision-making. If the team is going to play this poorly around him, there’s an urgent need for him to play even better than he ever has to elevate them.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or YouTube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast

3 things Cowboys need to change during bye week to salvage 2024 season

The team doesn’t look to be adding any talent, so here are the ways they’ll be able to improve from within. | From @cdpiglet

The Dallas Cowboys are 3-3 and currently a single game behind the NFC East division leader Washington Commanders. Still, the team doesn’t feel competitive because it has only one quality victory; its three losses were all at home, and two weren’t even competitive contests. Owner and GM Jerry Jones has already said the team isn’t bringing in new players or making coaching changes, so they will need to get better this bye week with what they already have here, and they can make it happen.

Players returning from injury will make a difference. DaRon Bland is an All-Pro corner. His return will make an immediate impact. Micah Parsons could be back against the San Francisco 49ers, and having a top-tier pass rusher always helps. Rookie left tackle Tyler Guyton and rookie corner Caelen Carson should return as well, and their reps now should get them better for later in the year. Brandin Cooks and Marshawn Kneeland are a few weeks away, and Demarcus Lawrence will eventually return.

Still, the losses to the New Orleans Saints and Baltimore Ravens happened with almost all those players available, so the Cowboys must go beyond injuries to solve the issues they’ve had so far this season.

One of the key solutions is better play calling, a strategy that proved successful for them last year. The offense needs to incorporate more creativity, put the ball in the hands of their quarterback, Dak Prescott, and get it to their superstar receiver, CeeDee Lamb. Lamb had 32 receptions for 467 yards and two touchdowns at the bye last season, which happened to be the same break point as this season, Week 7.

He has 34 catches for 475 yards and two scores, nearly identical stats. However, Lamb’s performance skyrocketed after the bye, with 101 receptions for 1,274 yards and 10 touchdowns. This transformation for Lamb could be the key to the 2024 season. His improved play takes pressure off of the other weapons on the team, the run game, and the defense.

The other key to a Dallas turnaround is limiting self-inflicted mistakes. The team is tied for third-worst in turnover differential at -6. Prescott has to be more disciplined with the ball, especially in the red zone.

Penalties are another high priority; the Cowboys are in the bottom five with 47 penalties, including 11 false starts, which is also in the bottom five in the NFL. False starts are about self-discipline, which can be emphasized during the bye and throughout the rest of the season.

Mike Checks: The biggest challenge Cowboys McCarthy, Zimmer must overcome

The Cowboys must find a way to compete with the Shanahan-style motion offenses, or else the season will end as has become expected. | From @cdpiglet

The Dallas Cowboys have faced a significant challenge in the form of the Shanahan-style motion offense, leading to their elimination from the playoffs for three consecutive seasons. Mike Zimmer was brought in to address this issue, but the team’s first attempt in Week 2 against the New Orleans Saints did not yield the desired results.

They suffered a 44-19 defeat, with the defense allowing touchdowns on the first six offensive drives of the Saints. Dallas must find a way to overcome this trend.

In 2021, the 49ers eliminated Dallas, 23-17, with the Cowboys allowing 169 yards rushing, 4.4 yards per attempt. San Francisco dominated on the ground, throwing for only 172 total yards but controlling the game with a great rushing attack and elite defense. In 2022, the Dallas defense played well enough to win, losing 19-12, but the 49ers could run the ball when necessary. With the score 9-9, San Francisco went on two straight long scoring drives of 10 and 13 plays to go up by seven points and never looked back.

The real issues started in the 2023 season when Dallas began to have difficulty competing with offenses that ran Shanahan-style offenses.

The 49ers blew the Cowboys out 42-10, with Dallas allowing 170 rushing yards and letting Purdy throw for over 250 yards and four touchdowns. They lost a close game to a depleted Miami Dolphins team later in the season, the defense giving up the game-losing final drive as time expired.

The Green Bay Packers eliminated Dallas last season 48-32 in a wild-card game that wasn’t as close as the score suggests. Jordan Love threw for 13 yards per completion and a 157.2 QB rating, while Aaron Jones ran for 118 yards and three scores.

The NFC alone has the 49ers, the Saints, the Packers, and the Los Angeles Rams all running a motion-style offense that Dallas must adjust to in order to compete. The Cowboys face the 49ers in Week 8 and the Texans, who have Shanahan understudy Bobby Slowik as their offensive coordinator in Week 11 before any eventual elimination games in the playoffs.

You can find Mike Crum on Twitter @cdpiglet or YouTube on the Across the Cowboys Podcast

Cowboys lose starting LT to injury for at least 4 weeks, maybe longer

Cowboys left tackle Chuma Edgo will reportedly miss four-to six weeks with a broken toe he suffered against the Rams. | From @ArmyChiefW3

Cowboys left tackle Chuma Edoga injured his foot during the preseason-opening loss to the Rams on Sunday, and was later seen on the sidelines sporting a walking boot. According to 105.3 The Fan’s Cowboys insider Bobby Belt, Edoga is expected to miss four-to-six weeks with a broken toe.

With the Cowboys less than four weeks away from their regular season opener in Cleveland, 2024 first-round tackle Tyler Guyton is now expected to begin the season protecting quarterback Dak Prescott’s blindside.

Edoga was signed for depth purposes last season, starting six games for the Cowboys. He was re-signed this offseason for another go after Dallas allowed Tyron Smith to leave during free agency. Dallas had previously attempted to trade for Edoga while he was a member of the Jets in 2022.

The team will now move forward with Guyton as the presumed starter but the depth behind him may force Dallas to shuffle a few players around.

Offensive lineman Asim Richards will likely receive the first chance to fill the all-important swing tackle role. Richards was a three-year college starter for the University of North Carolina and logged 38 starts for the Tar-Heels.

Richards has looked more comfortable at guard which may spur a different route for Dallas.

Other options include Cowboys 2021 fourth-round tackle Josh Ball, who has dealt with multiple injuries limiting his career to just 13 games with zero starts.

Matt Waletzko, who was taken in the fifth round of the 2022 draft by the Cowboys is another name to watch. Like Ball, Waltezko’s on-field experience has been limited, playing in just four contests entering his third season.

The Cowboys could look to the open market to see if any remaining free agents interest them. Veterans such as David Bakhtiari, Charles Leno, Duane Brown, and Donovan Smith headline the list of players who could potentially come to Dallas.

With final cutdown day of Tuesday, August 27 at 4 p.m. ET right around the corner, Dallas must make a timely decision so they don’t lose a player they wanted to keep because of an untimely injury.

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NFL insider previews the Commanders and NFC East

The Commanders are a mystery in 2024.

What would you say are the non-negotiables for the 2024 Commanders if they are to be a playoff team?

NFL Network Insider Tom Pelissero, filling in on the “Rich Eisen Show” this week, provided his non-negotiables for each team in the NFC East.

NY Giants: Daniel Jones plays like a $40 million quarterback.

“He has had injuries; he must stay healthy. They lost Saquon; this is going to be a lot on Daniel Jones. He is going to have to figure out how to move that team forward.”

Philadelphia Eagles: They get back to playing offense the way they have when they were one of the best teams in the NFL.

“A lot of things got away from them down the stretch last season. You’re now changing out both your coordinators again. It comes back to how do we put Jalen Hurts in the best position to succeed?”

Washington Commanders: If you stacked up all the teams that I don’t know what they are going to be, the Commanders are one of the top teams on the list.

“I know Dan Quinn is a hell of a culture builder. I know Jayden Daniels was a hell of a college quarterback. Beyond that, you’ve got this combination of the Austin Ekelers, the Bobby Wagners, the big names that are toward the back end of their career. You obviously have a holdover like Terry McLaurin. I just don’t know. Maybe they get that first-year boost from the head coach who comes in, takes a team and it is a different vibe.”

Co-host Chris Brockman offered that he thinks it is clear they will be in the top five of the draft again. He added he doesn’t see Washington going over six wins.

Dallas Cowboys: There is a lot that still needs to be sorted out.

“Is CeeDee Lamb going to be at training camp? Is Dak Prescott going to get a new deal? Do they even potentially do a Mike McCarthy extension? Dak has to play his absolute best, elevating everyone, including into January.”

Chris Simms: Previewing NFC East, but down on the Commanders

It’s clear he grew up a Giants’ fan.

Chris Simms hardly said a word about the Washington Commanders.

This week on his “Chris Simms Unbuttoned” podcast, Sims gave a brief look ahead to the NFC East for this season.

In doing so, it was quite noticeable that he barely mentioned the Commanders. When co-host Ahmed Fareed mentioned the Draft Kings over/under win totals were the Giants and Commanders at 6.5 and that the Commanders were predicted ahead of the Giants (+800 to +1200), Simms replied, “I’m a little surprised by that. I mean, what do the Commanders got that they are plus 400 better than the Giants? That’s a little shocking to me.”

And that is it, Simms did not mention the Commanders again, choosing to discuss briefly, the other three division rivals.

Simms is high on the Eagles, stating they will be better than the 2023 team and “I think they are a team that has a real chip this offseason. Siriani is having minicamp for the first time ever as a head coach. That tells you where they are.”

“Work needs to be done; we got to get better. They are not going to rest on their roster being the best in football…I would put Philly in a class by itself in the NFC East.”

“A fringe playoff team is kinda how I (about the Cowboys).”

Simms, whose dad, Phil, was a longtime starting quarterback for the Giants, still loves his Giants. “The Giants are the team that I would, if you wanted a long shot bet in that division, the Giants would be the team I would take.”

Simms then stated he feels many will later see the Giants as a little scary at receiver. He named four receivers he thinks will shine for the NYG this season: Malik Nabers, Jalin Hyatt, Wan’Dale Robinson and Darius Slayton.

Both Simms and Fareed agreed that the Giants wide receiver group is going to be better than the Cowboys group. “Who is going to be the third receiver for the Cowboys? We don’t know that.” Simms stated he feels both offensive tackle spots for the Cowboys will be question marks this season.

The preview was brief, and what was unmistakable is that Simms sees the Eagles first and the Commanders as last. And he sees the Cowboys and Giants fighting it out for second place.