Tag: Cedrick Wilson

Amari Cooper out; Could another Cowboys WR have a Miles Austin moment vs Chiefs?

In 2009, a bench WR stepped up in Kansas City and became a superstar; which current Cowboys player could repeat the feat this Sunday? | From @ToddBrock24f7

In the final hours leading up to an away game at Arrowhead Stadium, the Dallas Cowboys lose their biggest name at wide receiver. Winning on the road in Kansas City is a challenge for a team at full strength, but depending on a little-known depth player to step up at a key playmaking position in the notoriously-hostile environment puts the Cowboys at a distinct disadvantage.

Yes, that is the scenario enveloping the Cowboys this week as four-time Pro Bowler Amari Cooper has been declared out of Sunday’s matchup after being placed on the Reserve/COVID list.

But that opening premise is actually describing the 2009 season, when Dallas and Kansas City were set to square off in a Week 5 meeting. By the time the dust had settled that day, a 25-year-old Cowboys benchwarmer named Miles Austin had become an instant celebrity.

Could history repeat itself this weekend to produce a new Cowboys legend? Who in the current Dallas locker room is best-suited to play the role of Austin in the 2021 reboot?

The Cowboys were 2-2 coming into that October contest 12 years ago. It was the third year on the job for head coach Wade Phillips. Wide receiver Roy Williams, in his first full season in Dallas after being acquired by trade from Detroit the previous October, was to become the team’s top pass-catching threat after the release of Terrell Owens. But a ribs injury suffered against Denver caused Williams to miss several days of practice the following week. On Saturday, the day before their game versus the Chiefs, Williams was not on board the team plane to Kansas City. Someone named Miles Austin was to get his first NFL start.

Most Cowboys fans know the rest of the story. Austin absolutely exploded that day, hauling in ten catches from quarterback Tony Romo for 250 yards and a pair of touchdowns, including the 60-yard walkoff game-winner in overtime.

A star was born.

Williams was never again the undisputed WR1 for the rest of his short Dallas tenure. Austin, though, went on to lead the NFL in receiving yards that year and earned a Pro Bowl nod, the first of two straight. His 250-yard day at Arrowhead still stands as the franchise record for a receiver.

Austin was not a total unknown on his breakout day, though. He was officially listed as the team’s third receiving option after Owens’s release. The undrafted free agent was in his fourth season as a Cowboy, having seen action in 41 games. He had logged 23 catches on 45 targets for 435 yards and four touchdowns.

Clearly, though, Phillips and Romo and the rest of the offense thought enough of Austin to give him the opportunity when Williams was suddenly declared out.

So who is the under-the-mainstream-radar guy that the 2021 Cowboys might turn to for an Austinesque coming-out party in Kansas City? A look at the career stats of the current depth chart shows three players who all have not-dissimilar bodies of work coming into Sunday’s game.

Name Gms Tgts Recs Yds TDs
Miles Austin (entering 2009 KC game) 41 45 23 435 4
Cedrick Wilson 31 63 41 515 5
Noah Brown 45 52 31 358 0
Malik Turner 33 34 23 305 3

Wilson is the best-known of the bunch, both for his recent fill-in receiver work during Michael Gallup’s injury and for his current usage in many of the Cowboys’ gadget plays under offensive coordinator Kellen Moore. Turner just made a minor splash with two late scores in Week 9 to make the 30-16 loss to Denver seem less horrific than it actually was. And Brown has seen more playing time than any of them, although he hasn’t yet done anything that would light up a box score.

Wilson looks to be the primary beneficiary of Cooper’s COVID absence, but Dallas has shown a willingness to ride the guy with the hot hand. Should Brown or Turner catch fire by catching a few Dak Prescott passes in what promises to be a shootout, either could just as easily get their Miles Austin Mojo Moment this Sunday and provide the Cowboys with another weapon in the arsenal for when Cooper returns.

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Cowboys’ McCarthy on Gregory’s injury: ‘He’ll attack the rehab;’ Cedrick Wilson also to miss practice

Gregory will miss multiple weeks with a calf strain; WR Cedrick Wilson has a shoulder injury that will keep him out of 2 straight practices. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The list of Cowboys players unable to participate in practice keeps growing with just 72 hours to go before the Falcons come to town for a Week 10 matchup.

Obviously, the biggest bombshell dropped during head coach Mike McCarthy’s Thursday morning press conference was the calf injury that will sideline defensive end Randy Gregory for “multiple weeks.” The injury- deemed a calf strain after an MRI late Wednesday- occurred during the one-on-one portion of that day’s session, despite the veteran already taking a lightened number of reps.

Gregory had been thrust into a brighter spotlight along the Dallas defensive front, thanks to the foot injury that has kept edge rusher DeMarcus Lawrence off the field for all but the season opener. Gregory has responded and is currently the team leader in pressures, QB hits, and hurries. He’s also tied for the team lead in sacks.

“Clearly one of our best players on defense,” McCarthy raved. “Very disruptive. Our team and our defensive players feed off of his activity. He’s having a heck of a year, but he was back in here this morning . He’ll attack the rehab just like he has attacked everything else.”

While the team has not placed Gregory on injured reserve, McCarthy confirmed for reporters that it remains a possibility. In the meantime, it’s next man up for end Dorance Armstong, himself recently returned to active duty after an ankle injury.

“Dorance is back, so [his participation] will increase,” McCarthy noted. “How we rotate the third and fourth spot, we’ll see how it shakes out Sunday.”

One possibility? That rookie linebacker Micah Parsons slides up to see snaps at defensive end, just as he did in Week 2, when Lawrence was first out and Gregory showed up on the Reserve/COVID list.

McCarthy responded with a sly grin when asked if that may be in the cards. “Game starts at noon Sunday. Don’t be late.”

The team also announced Thursday that wide receiver Cedrick Wilson will miss the day’s practice, marking the second day in a row he will have sat due to a shoulder injury.

Wilson has been the team’s fourth-best receiver in terms of yardage and ranked second in yards per reception. Additionally, he’s returned punts and even played a key role in the occasional gadget play, averaging 5.5 yards on two rushes and completing both of his pass attempts for 57 yards through the air. He’s proven himself to be a valuable and versatile weapon with wideout Michael Gallup rehabbing from his a calf strain he suffered in the season opener.

Gallup has been back at practice this week and is expected to make his return to action on Sunday. The Dallas coaches will be very conscious of how much playing time Gallup and Wilson both get now.

“I think Michael will hit his stride,” McCarthy said in his press conference. “You’ve just got to be smart how much you use him. We’ll see how the rotation goes: obviously, Amari [Cooper], CeeDee [Lamb], and Ced. We were obviously being smart with Cedrick yesterday. Just really, how we work out the reps will be the biggest part. I don’t envision Michael being held back any.”

Looking down the rest of the roster, offensive tackle Tyron Smith will remain a non-participant with his ankle injury, and kicker Greg Zuerlein is still in COVID protocol. Running back Corey Clement and rookie defensive tackle Quinton Bohanna will miss Thursday’s practice, both with non-COVID illnesses.

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5 biggest EPA, WPA plays of Cowboys Week 8 win required skill, perserverance, luck

The Cowboys won nail-biter against the Vikings in a game that defied the odds as they picked up victory No. 6. A look at the EPA gains and WPA shifts of the biggest plays in the comeback. | From @ProfessorO_NFL

The Dallas Cowboys travelled to the land of 10,000 lakes to face the Minnesota Vikings on Halloween.  With the contest competing head to head with Game 5 of the World Series, the NFL matchup drew a larger audience with 12.82 million viewers.  Prior to the start of the game, the then 5-1 Cowboys reported quarterback Dak Prescott would be inactive leading the way for backup QB Cooper Rush to get his first NFL start.

Rush was ready for his big moment and overcame an up and down first half to throw for over 300 yards and lead a scoring drive with less than a minute left in the game to hand the then 3-3 Vikings their fourth loss of the season.

In a game with a backup quarterback making his first NFL start, the Cowboys lost the turnover battle for the first time this season, were called for over 10 penalties and trailed the majority of the game. As the saying goes, “good football teams find ways to win” and the Cowboys did just that.

Here are the five biggest plays of the game using Expected Points Added (EPA) and Win Probability models from rbsdm.com. EPA is a formula that takes historical data and applies it to every play to determine if it increases or decreases a team’s expected points given the outcome of that play.  Every down and distance has a level of expected points; the likelihood a team will score on that particular drive based on that situation. Therefore EPA measures the shift in expected points as a result of a specific play.

 

WATCH: Cowboys’ Rush finds Wilson, WR puts safety in spin cycle for TD

Following a sluggish first half, Cooper Rush and Cedrick Wilson broke it open with a 73-yard touchdown to start the second half.

The Cowboys’ offense looked all but dead in the first half. Quarterback Cooper Rush was thrust into a big moment as the starter in primetime and had a tough miss on an interception in a first half where he totaled just 110 passing yards.

The first drive of the second half was all offensive coordinator Kellen Moore could ask for. 73 yards and a score for wide receiver Cedrick Wilson, whose legend continues to build as a clutch performer in Dallas. Wilson put Vikings safety in a spin cycle after the catch, on his way to a game-tying score.

Rush and Wilson are familiar with each other as they spent plenty of time together on the scout team for the Cowboys and they were perfectly in sync on the score. Dallas has tied the game up at 10-10 and it’s back to square one in Minnesota.

Prescott, Lamb spotlight Cedrick Wilson’s clutch 4th-down grab as reason for Cowboys win

Cedrick Wilson missed out on 2 TDs in Sunday’s win, but his clutch grab allowed the Cowboys to tie the score and force overtime. | From @ToddBrock24f7

The box score shows that Cedrick Wilson was targeted seven times and caught four balls for 42 yards on Sunday. The replays show that, of the three passes he didn’t reel in, two could have been touchdowns.

But when the game was on the line, Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott trusted Wilson enough to come back to him. And while Prescott, Trevon Diggs, and CeeDee Lamb are being held up as the heroes of the 35-29 overtime victory by Dallas, none of it happens without Cedrick Wilson.

“Huge,” Prescott told reporters of the clutch fourth-down reception Wilson made with under two minutes to play. “Great play call. Great play call that I’m very comfortable in, very comfortable with. The moment [Wilson] came in, obviously, I started with my reads and, knowing that he was coming open right there, great catch by him. Great job to get his feet down. Without that, we’re not up here talking about the win.”

“I was like, it’s coming to me,” Wilson recalled after the game. “I just had to find the ball and catch it.”

The Boise State product has been thrust into a more active role in the Cowboys’ offensive attack with Michael Gallup shelved after Week 1. And he’s delivered: 14 receptions for 168 yards and a pair of scores so far in his fourth season with the club.

Those numbers trail the stats put up by CeeDee Lamb and Amari Cooper, but they’ve been just as vital to the overall- and, on Sunday, the situational- success of the Cowboys’ passing game.

“It’s a huge confidence booster for the room and for Dak, I’m sure, just to have the ability to throw it to anyone, as you saw,” Lamb told reporters. It was his 35-yard touchdown catch that ended the game, and his 24-yard reception that allowed the team to tie the score as time wound down in regulation. But Wilson had to move the chains first.

“[You] talk about my dig route that I caught,” Lamb continued, “but two or three plays before that, Ced caught an out route that was probably the most important catch of the drive. Having a group of guys in that room that I can trust, that can make a play for Dak- Dak can trust us- it plays a huge part. It speaks about the room, it speaks about the quarterback, it speaks about the team.”

Up until that fourth-down haul, though, Wilson’s game was more notable for a couple of bad breaks. It was Wilson that Prescott was aiming for in the end zone at the end of a 13-play, seven-minute drive early in the second quarter. Instead of a tying touchdown, the ball was intercepted, taking the wind out of the Cowboys’ sails.

On the next possession, Prescott came back to Wilson, again in the end zone. The former sixth-round draft pick looked for a moment like he had caught a perfectly-placed scoring throw, but he was unable to complete the catch as he went to the ground, leaving the Cowboys to settle for a field goal.

But Prescott and the Cowboys kept looking Wilson’s way, knowing it would take a complete team effort to beat New England at home. It finally paid off with Wilson’s clutch reception late to extend the drive that ultimately forced overtime.

“We talked all week,” head coach Mike McCarthy explained in his postgame remarks. “Just the few times I’ve had a chance to go against the Patriots, you have to have more than one or two perimeter players if you think you’re going to have a productive day. We went in here clearly with the mindset of: it didn’t matter who was at X, who was at F, who was at Z. It didn’t matter which back was in the game. It didn’t mater which tight end was in there. We were going to  challenge them schematically. Try to defeat their leverage and go play. Knowingly, to have success, your third, fourth, fifth- however you view them- your receivers, those guys needed to make plays today. That was a big part.”

Prescott also spoke of the team mentality of the Dallas pass-catchers.

“Just the brotherhood,” Prescott told reporters. “Just the way that we interact with each other throughout the building, off the field, and then it all just shows on the field. For CeeDee to say that [Wilson’s fourth-down reception was the key play of the game-tying drive], he’s right. That’s huge. Without Ced’s catch, we’re not talking CeeDee’s touchdown and we’re not even talking overtime, pretty much. Yeah, it’s huge. It’s a special group and a group that I’m so privileged to be a part of.”

When Gallup recovers from his calf injury, he’ll resume his spot in the starting lineup, and Wilson will likely see a drop in playing time. But Gallup is in a contract year, and likely to get high-dollar offers to play elsewhere in an offense where he’s not the third-best option. What Wilson is showing now, while filling in for his fellow 2018 draft-class-mate, may pay big dividends moving forward.

It certainly did as Sunday’s game in New England entered crunch time.

“It feels good that I trust in them just like they trust in me,” Wilson said after the game. “Obviously, in the red zone, a couple of those, I wish I could’ve pulled in. And I told [Dak], and he told me, ‘We’re going to get it when we need it.'”

Sure enough, when they did need it versus the Patriots, Prescott and Wilson made good on that prophecy.

“Supreme confidence,” Wilson said of his quarterback and the offense’s mindset in the huddle. “One, just knowing we can do anything we set our mind to. And then preparation. We do [a] two-minute [drill] every Thursday at practice. Either we win, or the defense wins. And that time, we won.”

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Fantasy Football: Potential bargains, must-plays from Giants-Cowboys game

Here’s a look at some potential bargains for daily fantasy from the New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys Week 5 game on Sunday.

The New York Giants (1-3) face the NFC East-leading Dallas Cowboys (3-1) this Sunday on the road in a potentially high-scoring matchup.

Fantasy football owners and players will have a lot of interest in this one, which will be televised on FOX’s late-afternoon window on Sunday.

Hers’s a quick rundown of the fantasy options in this game.

WATCH: Diggs snares 4th INT as Cowboys release hounds with 3Q scoring barrage

The Dallas Cowboys have opened the third-quarter flood gates and the points are pouring on the Panthers now.

The Dallas Cowboys may have been moving sluggishly in the first half, after playing on Monday night and facing an opponent who had 10 days of rest.

All it took was some halftime adjustments and everything has fallen in place now in their Week 4 matchup with the Carolina Panthers. After hitting Amari Cooper with a 49-yard bomb on their opening second half possession, the defense once again came through.

Their fourth sack of the game forced a punt and then a few plays later, Ezekiel Elliott ripped off his longest run of the season, a 47-yard jaunt that brought them within the breath of a score.

The next play, TE Dalton Schultz was wide open for his third score of the year.

On the next drive, Carolina ended up calling two timeouts, signifying how important the possession was. Oh well, after the second one Trevon Diggs did what he does, securing an interception for the fourth consecutive game to start the season.

Dallas quickly turned the opportunity into more points, with Dak Prescott finding Cedrick Wilson wide open and the receiver threw in a spin move to boot.

Dallas entered the half trailing 14-13, but all of a sudden it’s 33-14 and the rout is on.

Update: Trevon Diggs wasn’t finished, getting another interception to set Dallas up before the quarter was over.

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WATCH: Wilson catches toe-tap TD on 4th down to extend Cowboys’ lead

Dak Prescott and the Cowboys left no doubt on 4th down this time, delivering on a touchdown to Cedrick Wilson in the corner of the endzone. | From @CDBurnett7

The Cowboys went for fourth down within the Philadelphia 5-yard line for the second time of the game. After a failed challenge on what appeared to be a touchdown the first time, Dak Prescott made sure there were no questions this time, finding Cedrick Wilson for a toe-tap touchdown in the back of the endzone.

After the score, Dallas is up 34-14 in what has been a dominant performance apart from the fumble by Prescott. The franchise quarterback is 19-for-29 with 211 yards and two passing touchdowns. The scoring drive chewed off over six minutes and sealed the deal barring a major comeback by the Eagles.

Cowboys WR Cedrick Wilson has huge opportunity over next month of play

The loss of Michael Gallup is a huge blow to the Cowboys receiving corps, but it allows Cedrick Wilson to show his worth as a potential WR3. | From @StarConscience

The Dallas Cowboys didn’t just suffer a heartbreaking two-point loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 they learned they’d be without one of their biggest offensive weapons for a while. Wide receiver Michael Gallup was placed on injured reserve Monday with a strained calf and will miss the next three to five weeks. Fortunately for the Cowboys, they have Amari Cooper and CeeDee Lamb to help soften such a blow.

2021 is a contract season for Gallup so this setback isn’t ideal by any means. Many believe his price tag may be too high for the Cowboys and he’ll get his first big payday with another team. That all remains to be seen but his absence creates an opportunity for fourth-year receiver Cedrick Wilson who has a chance over the next month to show he can be another reliable threat in the passing game if Gallup goes elsewhere in 2022.

Wilson was drafted in the sixth round in 2018, three rounds after the Cowboys took Gallup. The former Boise State Bronco would be put on injured reserve after suffering a torn labrum while re-injuring in his shoulder in training camp, something he battled during his final collegiate season. After being released in August of 2019, Wilson was signed to the practice squad a few days later and was activated to the active roster shortly after. Unfortunately, a knee injury put him back on injured reserve in December, and Wilson only ended up with five receptions for 46 yards in six games.

The biggest splash Wilson has made with the Cowboys came in 2020. In a Week 3 matchup with the Seattle Seahawks, Wilson finished second on the team in receptions (5) and yards (107) to Gallup, ironically, and added two touchdowns. For the season, he amassed 17 receptions for 189 yards while logging 228 offensive snaps.

The start to the 2021 season for Wilson was a success despite the Cowboys’ loss. In 34 snaps he caught all three of his targets for 24 yards. His time on the field with quarterback Dak Prescott has been limited but Wilson has done enough to gain the trust of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore, which he expressed Monday.

“Ced will operate in there. No issues, no concerns,” Moore said. “He’s the utility guy. He can do a little bit of everything. Obviously, you saw him on Thursday night when he had to go in there and I felt like we didn’t miss a beat.”

Wilson isn’t the player Gallup is, no one would say that. He does, however, have great size at 6-foot-3 making him a possible red zone target. Wilson will work mainly in the slot with Gallup out but has shown the ability to play on the outside as well which gives Moore plenty of options when it comes to attacking through the air. Also, Prescott completes 71.4% of his passes to Wilson which proves there’s good chemistry between the two.

There’s no telling what the future will hold for Gallup in a Cowboys uniform. If Wilson can produce at a relatively high level in his absence it will make parting ways with Gallup easier for the Cowboys, assuming that’s the route they take after the season.

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Report: Cowboys WR Michael Gallup to miss 3-5 weeks with calf strain

The Dallas wide receiver left Thursday’s game in the third quarter with what was called an ankle injury; now it’s been called a calf strain. | From @ToddBrock24f7

Cowboys fans have been eagerly awaiting a fully-healthy Dak Prescott slinging it around the yard once again to his three-headed monster at wide receiver. Amari Cooper, CeeDee Lamb, and Michael Gallup pose a unique challenge to opposing teams, as each has the ability to break out and take over a game. Focus too hard on one, though, and the others are waiting to make a defense pay.

But someone else will have to step up and sit in as a temporary member of the pass-catching trio in Dallas. Michael Gallup will reportedly be out three to five weeks with a calf strain he suffered in Thursday night’s season opener, according to Michael Gehlken of the Dallas Morning News.

Gallup caught four balls in Week 1, racking up 36 yards on 12 targets before leaving the game late in the third quarter with what was called an ankle injury at the time.

Cedrick Wilson saw increased action in relief of Gallup and ended the night with three receptions for 24 yards.

This was to be a big year for Gallup, the former third-round pick from Colorado State. The fourth-year receiver is in the final season of his rookie contract, with many speculating that the Cowboys will be either unable or unwilling to retain the threesome of Cooper, Lamb, and Gallup beyond 2021.

Now it seems Gallup will have slightly fewer chances to either prove his worth in Dallas or increase his stock with a prospective suitor.

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