Dallas, TX

The Cowboys are trusting a couple of interesting situations

Published

1 year ago

June 24, 2023

The Cowboys are trusting a couple of interesting situations

Every year teams construct their rosters with varying levels of confidence from position to position, even player to player. The 2023 Dallas Cowboys are no different, and this season they’re putting a lot of faith in specific guys to play key roles despite some legitimate concerns about their health or performance.

The confines of the salary cap, particularly when you’re paying a veteran quarterback, mean you can’t be as talented or as deep as you’d like all across the roster. You’re forced to take some risks at a few spots. Sometimes that means sticking with a guy who still has a lot of dead money on his contract or gambling on a low-priced free agent who comes with some baggage.

Who are the biggest gambles for this year’s Cowboys?

WR Michael Gallup

It’s been a rough couple of years for Gallup. An early-season calf injury cost him the first half of 2021 and then a Week 17 ACL injury carried over into 2022. Gallup, who had emerged as one of Dak Prescott’s favorite targets in clutch moments, was a shell of his former self and woefully ineffective on the field as he worked his way back from major knee surgery.

The Cowboys showed tremendous faith in Gallup’s recovery last year when they gave him a significant contract extension and dumped Amari Cooper. They doubled down on that choice this past offseason by restructuring Gallup’s deal to create cap space, pushing more dead money into the last years of the contract.

While trading for Brandin Cooks takes some of the pressure off Gallup compared to last year, he is still expected to at least be WR3. And with highly unproven options like Jalen Tolbert and Simi Fehoko as the next men up, Dallas is counting on Gallup to be a stabilizing presence on the depth chart. The need for him to be a security blanket on critical downs may also increase with the loss of Dalton Schultz at tight end.

That’s a lot to lay at the feet of a guy who hasn’t been right since 2020. Gallup is still just 27 and there’s plenty of reason for optimism now that he’s further removed from the ACL injury. But if he doesn’t reward Dallas’ faith, Gallup’s continued decline could be a massive blow to the Cowboys’ offensive potency.

OTs Tyron Smith & Terence Steele

Dallas is taking a double risk on the offensive line. Smith has become chronically unavailable over the last few years and Steele is coming off a late-season ACL tear.

You’re probably as sick of hearing this as we are of saying it, but Smith hasn’t played a full season since 2015. After four years of missing at least three games from 2016-2019, things have gone off the rails with 31 missed games since 2020.

Still just 32 years old, Smith’s decreasing availability could turn around with better luck. But given how things have been trending for many years now, Dallas is taking a huge risk by counting on the veteran offensive tackle. That’s exactly what they’re doing in 2023 as Smith is expected to start somewhere on the line.

The Tyron issue wouldn’t be so bad if you were fully confident in Steele, but Dallas’ right tackle still has to prove he’s fully recovered. If the Cowboys come up short on both of these bets, the offensive line could crumble quickly with only a slew of unproven young prospects to help Zack Martin, Tyler Smith, and Tyler Biadasz. Even veteran free agent Chuma Edoga only has 13 starts under his belt since 2019; hardly a confidence booster.

At the very least, Tyler Smith can handle the critical left tackle spot regardless of how things shake out with Steele and the elder Smith. But with their eyes on a championship in 2023, Dallas’ goal could be torpedoed without a solvent offensive line. They at least need one of Tyron Smith and Terence Steele, if not both, to realize their full potential.

RB Tony Pollard

Returning on the franchise tag and replacing Ezekiel Elliott as the top RB, Pollard is facing the highest expectations ever in his NFL career. This comes after a major lower leg injury in Dallas’ playoff loss to the 49ers just five months ago.

While the team is obviously highly confident in Pollard’s recovery, given the franchise tag, we saw how that worked out last year with Gallup. Some guys need more time to come back from late-season injuries and particularly when they rely on speed. If Pollard can’t reach his top gear in 2023 or is playing with hesitance, it could severely neuter his game.

Those who claim that “running backs don’t matter” may not be worried about this. If that’s true, then some combination of Ronald Jones, Deuce Vaughn, and others could make up the bulk of the general production.

But there always come those moments in a season when you need more than the average; when a special talent needs to make that key play to swing a game. Pollard is that guy now at RB and the Cowboys may need him to be every bit of a franchise back if they’re going to be an elite NFC team.

LB Leighton Vander Esch

Dallas re-signed Vander Esch this offseason at a bargain of just $4 million per year. One reason he was that cheap was a bad history of injuries, which means the Cowboys are assuming that risk with their only experienced linebacker.

Unless Dallas brings back Anthony Barr or adds some other veteran talent before training camp, Vander Esch is the linebacker (not counting Micah Parsons) with significant playing time. Damone Clark has just 10 games under his belt from last year, DeMarvion Overshown is a rookie, and Jabril Cox has barely played the last two seasons.

That inexperience throughout the LB depth chart would be concerning even if Vander Esch was a paragon of reliability. But while he’s done much better the last two years than that awful stretch from 2019-2020, Vander Esch still missed three games last December with a shoulder injury. You just never know with him at this point, especially with that 2019 neck injury that will haunt him as long as he plays.

Some of the concerns at linebacker are mitigated by the way Dallas uses safety Jayron Kearse in a hybrid role, which is big both for occupying space on the field and providing veteran leadership. But Vander Esch is critical to the Cowboys’ run defense as a true interior linebacker; the clean-up man for a defensive line that still has to prove that it has improved.

While we have high hopes for Clark’s development and solid potential in Overshown and Cox, the idea that any of them could fill Vander Esch’s shoes this year leaves room for doubt. He’s a key cog on defense operating without any net that we can see; another major concern going forward.

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Dallas, TX

Game Day Guide: Stars vs Avalanche | Dallas Stars

Published

4 hours ago

November 29, 2024

Press Room

Game Day Guide: Stars vs Avalanche | Dallas Stars

First Shift 🏒

As the Stars pass the quarter point in the 2024-25 season, they definitely have some challenges.

After posting back-to-back trips to the Western Conference Final under coach Pete DeBoer and his staff, the start of this year has been uneven. Dallas last season had the best road record in the NHL and the best in franchise history at 26-10-5. This year, Dallas is 5-6-0 away from home and also has an additional “home” loss in Finland. That’s something that has to be addressed.

But, conversely, they are much better at home, going 8-1-0 at American Airlines Center, adding to the realization that this is a completely different season.

So when you compare the two performances, there is a lot to be addressed. Dallas was second best in points percentage last season at .689 and is eighth best this year at .619. The Stars last season were third in scoring at 3.59 goals per game and are eighth this year at 3.38 goals per game. That said, they are still eighth in both categories.

But it doesn’t feel that way.

“This team I don’t think has had a ton of adversity these last two years, and there’s a little bit coming at us right now,” said Duchene after a 6-2 loss in Chicago on Wednesday. “We’ve just got to figure things out and keep working and pushing.”

The Stars’ biggest issue so far has been a lack of power play success. Dallas is 25^th in success rate on the man advantage at 16.7 percent after ranking sixth last year at 24.2 percent. They also have surrendered three shorthanded goals after allowing only four all of last season.

“We have to find the balance,” said Johnston. “You can’t panic, you have to stay focused. You just have to outwork the penalty killers. You have five guys, but you still have to work harder than their four.”

The Stars will get the chance to do that with some great tests coming up. Dallas plays host to Colorado on Friday and Winnipeg on Sunday. The Avalanche are starting to get healthy and are 7-2-0 in their past nine games. Winnipeg is leading the NHL at 18-5-0. After winning the Central Division last season, Dallas currently ranks third.

That said, this is a strange season. Because the league will shut down for the Four Nations Faceoff in February, and because the Stars took a week to go to Finland, the schedule is condensed. As a result, the players and coaches have to adjust. Even so, many good teams have had challenges this year too, and that’s part of the game.

“You look around the league and we’re not the only team going through something like this,” DeBoer said. “You have to dig in and stick together and get your foundation back and play better hockey.”

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New York Giants Fall to Dallas Cowboys, 27-20 on Thanksgiving

Published

12 hours ago

November 28, 2024

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New York Giants Fall to Dallas Cowboys, 27-20 on Thanksgiving

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.

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.

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.

Tom Brady Criticizes Daniel Jones for How He Handled Final Days with Giants . dark. Next. Brady Criticizes Daniel Jones

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Sources: Giants’ DeVito expected out vs. Dallas

Published

20 hours ago

November 28, 2024

Press Room

Sources: Giants’ DeVito expected out vs. Dallas

Jordan Raanan, ESPN Staff WriterNov 28, 2024, 12:25 PM ET
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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.

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.

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