The Dallas Cowboys are gearing up for the 2024 NFL season, and their defense will need to be special if they will be contenders.
With several key players returning and some new faces in the mix, let’s look at the projected starters and rank them based on what we expect to see from their performance on the field.
Jul 29, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Mazi Smith (58) wears a Guardian / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Mazi Smith had a disappointing rookie season, so putting him any higher on this list wouldn’t feel right. The hope is that he thrives in Mike Zimmer’s system and can become the dominant run-stopper that they drafted him to be.
Jul 27, 2023; Oxnard, CA, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker DeMarvion Overshown (35) wears a Guardian / Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports
Unfortunately for Overshown, he tore his ACL during the preseason, and we never saw him play during his rookie season. Reports say Overshown has put on some extra muscle during the offseason and the coaches are impressed with how he attacked the recovery process.
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I expect Overshown to be much higher on this list next year.
Jan 14, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Damone Clark (33) reacts after a / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Clark missed a significant chunk of his rookie campaign recovering from a neck injury he suffered at LSU. Last season, he started all 17 games for the Cowboys and had a solid year.
He needs to improve at stacking and shedding blocks in the run game, but he brings sideline-to-sideline speed and toughness to this defense.
Sep 24, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals running back James Conner (6) runs against / Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports
Malik Hooker joined the Cowboys in 2021, and he has been one of their better free-agent signings in recent memory.
While he’s not an all-pro type of safety, he is reliable and has done an excellent job playing coverage in the deep third of Dallas’ defense. Fortunately for the Cowboys, Hooker has been able to stay healthy, which he was never able to do during his time with the Indianapolis Colts.
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Oct 1, 2023; Inglewood, California, USA; Las Vegas Raiders running back Josh Jacobs (8) carries the / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Eric Kendricks isn’t quite the player he used to be for the Minnesota Vikings, but he is still a solid linebacker. He’s smart, tough, and has a great feel for zone coverage. He is the perfect kind of mentor who should do wonders for the development of the young linebackers on this team.
Jan 7, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Dallas Cowboys safety Donovan Wilson (6) celebrates with / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Donovan Wilson has been up and down over the past few seasons. But when he is healthy, he is a missile in the secondary.
Wilson is a pseudo-linebacker who plays like his hair is on fire and adds intensity to this team.
Oct 9, 2022; Inglewood, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa (97) / Jayne Kamin-Oncea-USA TODAY Sports
Odighizuwa doesn’t get much love from the national media, but the coaches and players on this team know that he is a force. Osa is as tough as nails and does a lot of the dirty work on the interior of this defense. Dallas’ run defense would be hard to watch without Odighizuwa.
Jan 14, 2024; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence (90) tackles / Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Lawrence has been a cornerstone player for the Dallas Cowboys for a decade, and somehow, he is still criminally underrated. He is, arguably, the best run-defending EDGE in the entire NFL and has great versatility to play all over the defensive line.
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Ranking him as the fourth-best defensive player felt too low, but Dallas has some dominant players on the defensive side of the ball.
Jan 8, 2023; Landover, Maryland, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback Trevon Diggs (7) gestures on the / Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
On most teams, Diggs would be their best defensive player. He missed most of the 2023 season with an ACL tear in his left knee, but he is expected to be ready for training camp.
When healthy, Diggs is a star and is a massive difference-maker for the defense.
Jan 7, 2024; Landover, Maryland, USA; Dallas Cowboys cornerback DaRon Bland (26) intercepts a pass / Brad Mills-USA TODAY Sports
DaRon Bland followed up his stellar rookie season with an All-Pro year in 2023. Bland has quickly become one of the best young defensive backs in the league. He is the NFL record holder for interceptions returned for a touchdown in a season (5) and has 14 interceptions in his first two seasons. Bland is off to an all-time great start to his career.
Dec 30, 2023; Arlington, Texas, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons (11) stands on the / Tim Heitman-USA TODAY Sports
There was no doubt that Parsons would be at the top of this ranking. Micah is a generational talent and one of the best defensive players in all of football. Nothing more needs to be said.
U.S. Rep. Jasmine Crockett will introduce Dallas hip-hop collective Cure for Paranoia at its upcoming album release show in Deep Ellum, according to frontman Cameron McCloud. The Dallas Observer reported the news first.
“I just said I’d love for her to be at the show if she was in town,” McCloud said in a text message. “She didn’t even have to come up if she didn’t want to and she said ‘Oh no, I’m definitely getting on stage.’”
Crockett, a Dallas Democrat, catapulted into the national spotlight in 2024 after a tense exchange with fellow U.S. Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene at a House committee meeting. She has since been regarded as a progressive firebrand, frequently in the headlines for heated back-and-forths with politicians across the aisle.
Crockett also recently launched a bid for the U.S. Senate, promoting her campaign in an Instagram video with McCloud, who wrote a verse about her. He has posted new raps every day this year.
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“Who else willing to go toe to toe against the president?” he recited in Day No. 343’s verse, adding a later nod to Crockett’s viral remarks about Greene: “Texas tough don’t need no more bad built bleach blonde butch bodies moving forward.”
Crockett discovered McCloud through social media.
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“I started listening and thought ‘Man, he’s a genius.’ I was impressed by his ability to sum up what’s going on in under a minute and with accuracy,” she said in a statement. “Especially at a time when people are not listening to traditional news and the easiest thing to do is keep scrolling, Cure captures people’s attention. I was floored to know that not only was he a Texan but a Dallasite.”
Crockett, who has a penchant for alliteration in her speeches, teased a potential performance during her introduction. “I’m known to drop some bars from time to time so you’ll just have to be there and see.”
Cure for Paranoia’s show will be on Dec. 26 at Trees. It will be pegged to the group’s new album, Work of A.R.T., which is slated for release on Dec. 22.
Details
Tickets cost $30.35. 7 to 11 p.m. on Dec. 26. 2709 Elm St., Dallas. For more information, visit treesdallas.com/shows/cure-for-paranoia.
Romeo Santos, Prince Royce headed to Dallas on 2026 tour
They will be performing at American Airlines Center as part of their “Mejor Tarde Que Nunca” (“Better Late Than Never”) tour.
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Texas A&M sophomore Aiden Ross wins ‘The Voice’ season 28
The College Station native is studying industrial engineering at the university.
Los Angeles Lakers (18-7, third in the Western Conference) vs. Utah Jazz (10-15, 10th in the Western Conference)
Salt Lake City; Thursday, 9 p.m. EST
BETMGM SPORTSBOOK LINE: Lakers -6.5; over/under is 241.5
BOTTOM LINE: Utah hosts the Los Angeles Lakers after the Jazz took down the Dallas Mavericks 140-133 in overtime.
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The Jazz are 6-11 in conference matchups. Utah allows the most points in the Western Conference, giving up 126.1 points and is allowing opponents to shoot 48.8%.
The Lakers have gone 13-5 against Western Conference opponents. Los Angeles has a 5-0 record in one-possession games.
The Jazz are shooting 45.8% from the field this season, 2.3 percentage points lower than the 48.1% the Lakers allow to opponents. The Lakers are shooting 50.4% from the field, 1.6% higher than the 48.8% the Jazz’s opponents have shot this season.
The teams meet for the third time this season. The Lakers won 108-106 in the last matchup on Nov. 24. Luka Doncic led the Lakers with 33 points, and Keyonte George led the Jazz with 27 points.
TOP PERFORMERS: Lauri Markkanen is scoring 27.8 points per game with 7.0 rebounds and 2.1 assists for the Jazz. George is averaging 37.0 points and 5.0 rebounds while shooting 55.0% over the past 10 games.
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Doncic is averaging 34.7 points, 8.7 rebounds, 8.8 assists and 1.5 steals for the Lakers. LeBron James is averaging 26 points, four assists, two steals and two blocks over the last 10 games.
LAST 10 GAMES: Jazz: 5-5, averaging 119.1 points, 44.2 rebounds, 30.1 assists, 7.2 steals and 3.4 blocks per game while shooting 46.8% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 126.1 points per game.
Lakers: 7-3, averaging 118.8 points, 42.4 rebounds, 23.6 assists, 6.0 steals and 5.4 blocks per game while shooting 49.3% from the field. Their opponents have averaged 118.9 points.
INJURIES: Jazz: Georges Niang: out (foot), Jusuf Nurkic: day to day (rest), Walker Kessler: out for season (shoulder).
Lakers: Maxi Kleber: day to day (back), Austin Reaves: out (calf).
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The Associated Press created this story using technology provided by Data Skrive and data from Sportradar.
Packers coach Matt LaFleur updates on injuries ahead of Bears rematch
The Green Bay Packers had a number on injuries in the Broncos game, including Micah Parsons’ season-ending ACL injury. Matt LaFleur has latest on them.
GREEN BAY – Packers edge rusher Micah Parsons won’t be with the team as he awaits surgery on his torn left ACL.
But it’s for a good reason.
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“He’s about to have another child here pretty quick,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Dec. 16 in his press conference.
Parsons has a home in the Dallas area and has returned there for the birth of his third child. He has not had surgery on his knee and LaFleur said he did not have a timeline on when that might occur.
Typically, doctors allow swelling to go down before they operate to repair the ligament, and so it’s possible surgery hasn’t been scheduled.
Parsons tore his ACL late in the third quarter of the Packers’ 34-26 loss to the Broncos on Dec. 14. Tests confirmed the injury Dec. 15.
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LaFleur said he didn’t know if Parsons would have the surgery in Dallas.
As for the rest of the season, LaFleur said he thought Parsons would be around to support his teammates once his child is born and his medical situation is settled.
