Dallas, TX

The Marshawn Kneeland pick seems a lot about the future for the Cowboys

Published

7 months ago

April 27, 2024

The Marshawn Kneeland pick seems a lot about the future for the Cowboys

The Dallas Cowboys looked to be considering a trade back scenario when they were on the clock in the second round of the 2024 NFL Draft, but ultimately they decided to pick at 56. Marshawn Kneeland was the selection, ranked number 32 overall by The Athletic’s Dane Brugler which is a high vote of confidence, and it felt a bit odd in the overall landscape of where the Cowboys are at right now.

While Kneeland certainly offers a lot of potential and has traits that can seemingly be developed (his size alone is impressive, but that he was so productive at Western Michigan while still learning how to rush is exciting), it is an interesting selection in the second round.

Ideally you walk away with someone in the second round who you can plug and play right away. With DeMarcus Lawrence and Micah Parsons as the team’s primary edge rushers (not to mention Sam Williams), snaps will be hard to come by for Kneeland, similar to how they were for Williams throughout his rookie year of 2022.

In fact, we are just now entering a point in time where Williams is expected to see a legitimate workload and a big reason for that is the departure of Dorance Armstrong in free agency. It seems as if the Cowboys are looking at the future in a similar way with Kneeland because this coming year is the final one on DeMarcus Lawrence’s contract.

It is a good and wise thing that the Cowboys are planning for the future so soundly, and taking swings at important positions like pass rushers is certainly not a bad thing. But again, you would have liked to have seen someone who can offer a little bit more right away given the amount of needs the team entered the draft with. Also if we are going to subscribe to a methodology of being forward-thinking (which we should!) how about applying that same disposition to contract extensions?

This discussion is not meant to take away from Kneeland as he is indeed a fun player who can potentially turn into something exciting for the Cowboys; however, this seems about 2025 more than anything barring any sort of surprise.

DeMarcus Lawrence was a second-round pick himself 10 years ago. My how time flies.

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Dallas, TX

Cowboys vs Giants on Thanksgiving: Dallas is favored after weeks as underdog

Published

7 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Cowboys vs Giants on Thanksgiving: Dallas is favored after weeks as underdog

The Dallas Cowboys got back in the win column with a surprising upset over the Washington Commanders. Surprising in the fact that Dallas won, and surprising in that it was one of the crazier games seen in a while. The fourth-quarter alone was worth the price of admission.

The Cowboys were able to get their win even though they were roughly 10.5-point underdogs going into the game. Dallas has been the underdog for a while now, but this week they are favored. With their rivals in the NFC East, the New York Giants, coming to town on turkey day, Dallas finds themselves as 3.5-point favorites in the FanDuel odds.

The Giants appear to be falling apart after cutting QB Daniel Jones, getting rocked by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers 30-7, then having multiple players calling the team’s effort ‘soft’ and questioning the game plan.

Could the Cowboys actually go on a winning streak? And how does this sit with a fanbase firmly looking toward draft position?

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Dallas, TX

CeeDee Lamb made NFL history on Sunday

Published

15 hours ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

During the first quarter on Sunday afternoon against the Washington Commanders, Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb set an impressive bit of NFL history.

By recording his fourth reception in the game (CeeDee got a lot of work early if that is not obvious) Lamb recorded four receptions for the 44th consecutive game. That is the longest streak in NFL history, according to the Cowboys’ public relations team.

CeeDee Lamb (@_CeeDeeThree) has recorded four receptions in the first quarter. Lamb has recorded at least four receptions in 44 consecutive games, surpassing Michael Thomas for the longest such streak in NFL history.
— Dallas Cowboys Public Relations (@DallasCowboysPR) November 24, 2024

Lamb surpassed former New Orleans Saints wide receiver Michael Thomas to set the record all to himself. The impressive thing about a streak like this is that it crosses over multiple seasons and in CeeDee’s case even multiple quarterbacks.

Obviously this season has been a bit tough for the Cowboys, but seeing CeeDee continually perform is a bright spot throughout it all. Kudos and congratulations to him, hopefully there is a lot more history on the way for him and the team in sunnier days.

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Dallas, TX

Dallas police pension won big against the city, but there is still room for agreement

Published

1 day ago

November 24, 2024

Press Room

Dallas police pension won big against the city, but there is still room for agreement

In August, when the Dallas Police and Fire Pension System filed a lawsuit against City Hall, we winced in concern.

The difference boiled down to which entity, the city or the pension board, had the authority to send a plan to the Texas Legislature to get the badly underfunded system back on track.

Well, the pension system won that fight in district court in Travis County. The plan it has crafted would offer substantially more funding to the pension system, with cost-of-living increases and a reduction in employee contributions in later years.

The city could drag this through an appeal, but as things stand, the pension system’s plan would become the required funding formula.

Most readers know the pension system is underfunded by more than $3 billion. The difference here boils down to how much additional money the city will contribute per year to get us back on track. Under the pension system’s plan, it would be millions more per year.

But this is a wholly negotiable matter. Two sides have different figures in mind. The sides need to hash out those differences in a way that ensures the city is aligned with a 2017 state law that was passed for the express purpose of getting this pension funded.

There are serious people on both sides. What we need now is a leader at City Hall who has the standing to get this done. Normally, that would be the mayor, but our mayor hasn’t been doing the hard work at City Hall for a long time and we don’t expect him to start now. It could be the city manager, but that job is in the hands of an interim manager now.

Mayor Pro Tem Tennell Atkins has been doing the heavy lifting for the city, but whether he can lead the city’s side in negotiations is unclear.

All we know is that there is an opportunity for a solution that gets this thing out of court and a solid plan to the Legislature that, yes, includes sacrifices but that also stops the drumbeat about this important public benefit.

Someone needs to get on the phone, book a conference room, order some takeout and work the spreadsheets. There is time, but the clock is ticking.

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