Finally, we are closing on actual football. After what has felt like a very long offseason, in just a few days the Dallas Cowboys will head west for Oxnard, CA as training camp 2023 will commence. The optimism surrounding this year’s team is not unfounded. The Cowboys have put a roster together that should be on par with many of the others that are discussed among the upper echelon in the league.
However, as talented as this team looks to be, they are not without their own questions as well. The Cowboys will have a month and a half, plus three preseason games, to sort it all out in hopes of finally lifting the Lombardi trophy for the first time in over a quarter-century.
Let’s take a look at three storylines that are worthy of our attention as camp gets ready to start.
Does Dak Prescott take a leap?
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When discussing the Dallas Cowboys, it has to start at the top with Dak Prescott. It came out earlier this month that the league-wide feeling is Dak is securely inside the top 10 quarterbacks in the league. While the show of respect is a nice acknowledgment, Cowboys Nation, and surely even Dak himself, understand it ultimately doesn’t mean much if it doesn’t come with playoff success. We have seen Dak look great at times, and while the pros vastly outweigh the cons when it comes to the quarterback, we are looking for the combination of talent and mistake-free football on the offensive side of the ball that can live in harmony together for this Cowboys offense.
Dak would be the first to tell you as a leader that he “needs to be better” but film study, and even just your eyes, tell you that the scheme and help around him has let him, and this group, down at times. Dak is certainly not blameless in this and that’s why we lead off with his play being the biggest storyline we will be monitoring at the start of camp. With an emphasis on adding more offensive talent, and a new offensive staff calling the plays, there is intrigue and a belief that Dak, and this offense, will be much cleaner and be more consistently efficient in their pursuit of finally getting over the divisional round hump.
Offensive line configuration and health
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We know who the best five are on the Cowboys offensive line, but what we don’t know is the health of some, and where a couple of them will end up lining up as a result. It’s easy to identify that Tyron Smith, Tyler Smith, Tyler Biadasz, Zack Martin, and Terence Steele are the five men for the job, but what is up in the air is the health of Steele and just what impact that will have on the group as a whole heading into camp. The Cowboys have talent and there is some hope this could be a good group, but there are so many variables at the position as we approach the season.
Where Tyler Smith will line up is a main point of focus as all this gets sorted out. Some feel he should be kept at left tackle no matter what, putting Tyron either on the right side or on the bench. But should the Cowboys leave a future Hall of Fame left tackle on the bench if healthy? Some feel as if Tyler should just be penciled in at left guard securing the interior of the group at least for 2023. There is a lot to be sorted out and most of it is going to fall after we know the status of Steele and his availability.
There are some intriguing names to consider in the mix as well, like Matt Waletzko, the rookie Asim Richards, and even Matt Farniok, but just how and where is still very much still a question as we head into camp, The Cowboys cannot afford to let the big men upfront be the reason this team does not reach it’s goals in a promising season.
Who is going to be this team’s kicker?
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Brandon Aubrey and Tristan Vizcaino have the opportunity of a lifetime in front of them as they battle it out to be the kicker of the Dallas Cowboys. Despite the two of them inline to duke it out, the feeling around the team is that the biggest question mark on the Cowboys’ roster may still very well be at the kicker position. Neither guy on the roster right now has much of a pedigree, and there is some understood skepticism at the spot heading into camp, especially with some veterans such as Mason Crosby and Robbie Gould still out there unsigned.
We have seen what shaky kicker play has looked like in the past and with a team as loaded as this one is; it would be heartbreaking to have the season cut short by poor special teams play. Much like last season, just because these two are here now does not mean that they will be the guys come week one, and they will need to approach everyday like their jobs are on the line while they have the chance.
The New York Giants’ dreadful 2024 season continued with a 27-20 to the Dallas Cowboys on Thanksgiving. It was the Giants’ seventh-straight loss this season and their eighth-consecutive defeat at the hands of the Cowboys, dating back to the 2020 season.
The Cowboys benefitted from two Giants turnovers, including a pick-6 by DeMarvion Overshown in the second quarter he returned 23 yards to give the Cowboys a 13-7 lead, the Cowboys at that point never relinquishing the lead.
The other came following a Giants fumble in the second half, which the Cowboys converted into another touchdown to cap a six-play scoring drive.
The game started well, as the Giants held the Cowboys to just a field goal after their first possession. The Giants offense took the field with Drew Lock under center for the injured Tommy DeVito.
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Lock was under pressure practically half the game, the Cowboys hitting him 14 times and sacking him six. The Giants also had just as many penalties in this game (13) as they did first downs (17), and their defense once again couldn’t stop the run if they tried, with missed tackles–at least 10 of them in the first half alone–an ongoing problem.
Cowboys running back Rico Dowdle captured his first career 100+ yard rushing game, going for 112 yards and one touchdown against the Giants, who saw three defensive linemen–D.J. Davidson (shoulder), Rakeem Nunez-Roches (stinger) and Dexter Lawrence II (elbow)–leave the game with injuries.
Cowboys quarterback Cooper Rush finished 21 of 36 for 195 yards and one touchdown, his leading receiver being tight end Luke Schoonmaker (five catches on six pass targets).
Lock and running back Tyrone Tracy, Jr. scored the Giants’ two touchdowns, TRacy’s coming on a 1-yard run on the Giants’ opening drive to give them their first lead in a game since Week 6, and then Lock scoring a fourth-quarter garbage time touchdown on an 8-yard rush to make it 27-20 with 2:18 left.
The Giants got the rest of their scoring from kicker Graham Gano, who hit field goals of 46 and 47 yards.
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Giants receiver Malik Nabers caught 13 pass targets for 69 yards, but he also dropped two balls. Rookie tight end Theo Johnson displayed toughness on a few of his receptions, hauling in five catches for 54 yards.
This is the Giants’ ninth time in the last 11 seasons that they’ve lost at least ten games. This loss eliminated them from playoff contention and currently slots them into the No.1 pick in April’s draft.
The Giants will have 10 days to prepare for their next matchup, a home meeting with the New Orleans Saints. They’re now the only team in the NFL to win a game at home still not this season, and they currently have the league’s longest losing streak.
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Jordan Raanan, ESPN Staff WriterNov 28, 2024, 12:25 PM ET
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Jordan Raanan is a reporter for NFL Nation at ESPN. Raanan covers the New York Giants. You can follow him via Twitter @JordanRaanan.
New York Giants quarterback Tommy DeVito is expected to be out for Thursday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys because of his forearm injury and Drew Lock is expected to start in his place, sources told ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jordan Raanan.
DeVito is listed as questionable for the Thanksgiving Day game, but a source told ESPN on Wednesday that DeVito was considered a long shot to play.
He did not travel with the team to Dallas on Wednesday as he was undergoing further evaluation, the Giants said. The team, however, said it expected him to travel to Dallas later Wednesday.
DeVito took several big hits in Sunday’s 30-7 loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He was making his first start of the season after the Giants released former starter Daniel Jones late last week.
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The Giants turn to Lock after bypassing him following the benching of Jones for DeVito. Lock spent the first 10 weeks as the backup, with DeVito as the third string/emergency quarterback.
Lock has a short week and no real practices to get ready for the matchup of NFC East rivals. He also will be playing behind an offensive line without its starting tackles. Andrew Thomas (foot) is on injured reserve and Jermaine Eluemunor (quad) was ruled out Wednesday.
Colorado Avalanche (13-10, in the Central Division) vs. Dallas Stars (13-8, in the Central Division)
Dallas; Friday, 9 p.m. EST
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BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Stars -140, Avalanche +116; over/under is 6.5
BOTTOM LINE: The Dallas Stars host the Colorado Avalanche after the Avalanche took down the Vegas Golden Knights 2-1 in a shootout.
Dallas is 13-8 overall and 4-2-0 against the Central Division. The Stars have a 4-2-0 record in games they score at least one power-play goal.
Colorado is 13-10 overall and 2-3-0 against the Central Division. The Avalanche have a 2-5-0 record in games their opponents serve fewer penalty minutes.
The teams meet Friday for the first time this season.
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TOP PERFORMERS: Matt Duchene has 12 goals and 14 assists for the Stars. Mason Marchment has five goals and seven assists over the last 10 games.
Cale Makar has eight goals and 22 assists for the Avalanche. Mikko Rantanen has eight goals and seven assists over the past 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Stars: 6-4-0, averaging 3.7 goals, 6.4 assists, 3.1 penalties and 8.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.8 goals per game.
Avalanche: 7-3-0, averaging three goals, 4.8 assists, 2.6 penalties and 5.2 penalty minutes while giving up 2.9 goals per game.
INJURIES: Stars: None listed.
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Avalanche: None listed.
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
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