Ralph Vacchiano
NFL reporter
David Helman
NFL reporter
Let’s return to the primary weekend of October: the Dallas Cowboys had simply gained at Pittsburgh and had been 3-2, however they weren’t taking part in properly. Anxiety was rising, accidents had been mounting, and one thing about this crew appeared off.
Since then, the Cowboys and their beleaguered fan base have been reminded of an previous adage:
Things can all the time worsen.
So, do not assume that is all-time low now with Dak Prescott headed to injured reserve, CeeDee Lamb injured, Micah Parsons not again but, no actual assist because the buying and selling deadline and, in fact, their three-game shedding streak. In our weekly Cowboys Corner, David Helman and Ralph Vacchiano check out the state of the crew and the season heading into their Week 10 matchup with the Philadelphia Eagles.
And if issues do not enhance after this weekend… properly, do not say we did not warn you.
1. With Dak Prescott out for not less than 4 video games, is that this formally a misplaced season for Dallas?
Hem: “Officially” is a robust phrase, so I reserve a small sliver of optimism that this crew can stay related. Micah Parsons will return from damage quickly and Cooper Rush is 5-1 as a starter. Crazier issues have occurred.
Realistically, although? This factor seems fairly cooked. A four-game absence is now the best-case state of affairs for Prescott, and it could possibly be longer. The Cowboys did nothing throughout the commerce deadline to enhance their run protection. Their subsequent three opponents are 19-7, and quarterbacks like Joe Burrow and Baker Mayfield are nonetheless ready to face them later within the season.
For all their troubles getting over the hump, the Cowboys have completed with a shedding report simply thrice within the final 15 years. We assume this season would be the fourth.
Vacchiano: Oh sure. I imply, issues had been getting in that route anyway. Even with Dak they had been a severely flawed, injury-plagued one-dimensional crew. And at 3-5 they’re going to in all probability must go 6-2 the remainder of the best way simply to have an opportunity of constructing the playoffs on a tiebreaker, and oh, by the best way, they nonetheless must face the Eagles and Commanders twice every.
And ought to they do it with Cooper Rush at quarterback over the subsequent 4 video games?
It’s over. The worst half is that the gamers virtually definitely know this. And it is the worst type of “over” as a result of they got here into the season with such excessive expectations. Teams can get better from a foul begin. But groups that thought they had been nice usually do not get better because the emotional blow takes its toll.
2. What is your largest takeaway from the Cowboys commerce deadline?
Vacchiano: Were they awake? Oh, proper. They bought Jonathan Mingo, a pleasant receiver who hasn’t achieved a lot in his yr and a half within the league. And they gave up a fourth-round choose to get him, which, by the best way, is a decrease spherical than the fifth-round choose the Browns bought for Amari Cooper two years in the past.
The proven fact that they knew they wanted one other receiver is nice. However, they determined to not purchase DeAndre Hopkins (who by the best way went to the Chiefs for a fifth-round choose) or Cooper, or Dionte Johnson, Mike Williams, or Davante Adams. Mingo is a pleasant younger participant. He’s not in any of the others’ class.
So what’s my largest takeaway? That the Cowboys want a GM. An actual one.
Hem: I like Ralph’s reply, but when they don’t seem to be going to vary the CEO (they will not), they may not less than replace their enterprise chart. Or possibly they may attempt to appear much less determined when making offers with different groups.
I will not shut the e-book on Jonathan Mingo’s profession. The man is gifted and solely 23 years previous, which makes him very younger for a second yr professional. He additionally has two years left on his rookie contract, which I’m positive would be the motive the Cowboys had been prepared to make use of a fourth-round choose to accumulate him.
Even so, a fourth-round choose is a big value to pay for a man who hasn’t confirmed to be a dependable NFL goal in 24 profession video games. Mingo’s profession excessive for a single recreation is 69 yards. He averages two receptions per recreation. And whereas it is honest to say that the quarterback state of affairs in Carolina is not nice, that hasn’t stopped the progress of fellow younger receivers Xavier Legette and Jalen Coker, who’ve each moved previous Mingo within the Panthers’ pecking order.
Keep in thoughts, too, that it’ll seemingly be tougher to judge Mingo in 2024, as Prescott will not be the one pitching him for the foreseeable future.
It’s good that the Cowboys discovered a younger, gifted receiver who can be on the roster for 2 extra years. He’s not price a fourth-round choose when you do not even know if he can play.
3. Which state of affairs would the fan base need extra at this level: a wild-card spot or a 2025 top-10 choose?
Hem: After residing in Dallas-Fort Worth for ten years and following the Cowboys, there are numerous Cowboys followers in my on a regular basis life. I additionally get pleasure from interacting with numerous others daily on social media.
I’ve but to fulfill or speak to a Cowboys fan in 2024 who nonetheless has any hope or enthusiasm for this crew. Even in the event that they handle to get better within the second half of the season and push in direction of the playoffs, we have already seen how they appear once they go up in opposition to actual contenders like Detroit and Baltimore.
I’m positive there are some Cowboys diehards on the market who won’t ever say by no means, however I believe the vast majority of this fan base can be way more intrigued by the thought of retooling a top-10 kind of draft class.
Vacchiano: I believe if you happen to requested Cowboys followers proper now they might let you know they need to accept a prime 10 choose. They’re life like they usually’re hurting proper now. They know this crew will not win the Super Bowl this yr and possibly will not make the playoffs, so what is the level of successful just a few video games in the long term? A top-10 choose can be higher for the crew’s future.
But followers are enjoyable. Deep down they know that is what the Cowboys want. But on Sundays, whether or not they’re sitting within the stands or on the sofa, will they actively root for his or her Cowboys to lose? Obviously not. They can be overcome with emotion and pleasure (such it’s) and can yell for Cooper Rush to steer them down the sphere for the successful landing.
Then, in April, they’re going to be unhappy as a result of their crew picks seventeenth place as a substitute of seventh they usually’ll cry, “Why did not they tank?”
4. Where do you assume this crew can be proper now if Derrick Henry had been on the roster all yr?
Vacchiano: They can be a lot, significantly better off. I imply, they might nonetheless be in hassle having to play subsequent month with out Dak Prescott. But as a substitute of lamenting a misplaced season, they might not less than have hope.
I believe a robust case could possibly be made that they might have gained not less than two extra video games, possibly even three, if they’d a robust dashing assault that would have taken some stress off Prescott and allowed him to manage the ball. They can be higher off within the purple zone, too, if everybody did not know that the one option to the top zone is thru the air.
And in the event that they had been not less than 5-3, they might have an opportunity to outlive Prescott’s absence as a result of Rush would not have to hold the crew alone. The playoffs should still be a protracted shot, however not essentially an inconceivable dream.
Hem: Derrick Henry ran for 1,167 yards, averaged 4.2 yards per carry, and scored 12 touchdowns for a Titans crew that had a damaged offensive line in 2023. I’m very assured he would assist the Cowboys. With Henry within the lineup, the Cowboys’ working recreation can be extra viable, which might open up the play-action recreation and assist their receivers generate extra separation. I believe the offense would have improved sufficient that Dallas can be 5-3 or 4-4, fairly than 3-5.
It would not be sufficient, although. There’s an excessive amount of unsuitable with this protection, amongst different issues, to assume Henry can be a lifesaver this season.
5. You count on Trey Lance to get significant photographs whereas Dak is out? Should?
Hem: Absolutely, it ought to. The Cowboys traded a fourth-round choose for him; It can be loopy to not even allow them to get their pads soiled whereas they’re coping with an damage to their beginning quarterback.
I completely perceive if they do not need me to start out. Rush is a greater quarterback and has been adequate to win video games previously. But there isn’t any hurt in putting in some type of package deal for Lance. He has dynamic athleticism that would not less than assist the working recreation. He won’t be price a strive when Prescott is on the market, however all bets are off when the starter declines.
I’ll attempt to manage some tweaks for Lance right here within the subsequent few weeks. Maybe use him as a short-yardage, goal-line or purple zone choice. And if issues proceed to go badly, possibly take into account him a starter for the ultimate month of the season.
Vacchiano: Unless Prescott is out for the season, I would not let Lance wherever close to the sphere anytime quickly. The purpose of the subsequent 4 weeks (assuming that is the extent of Prescott’s absence) is to outlive and hope we are able to get a few wins after which possibly Prescott can come again and pull off a miracle. They have an opportunity to outlive with Rush.
If and when the season is actually over – if Rush is horrible they usually lose two or three in a row, or if Prescott is out longer – then positive, transfer on and see what Lance can do. The opinions weren’t precisely glowing for his preseason motion, and it will be good if the Cowboys might get an actual take a look at him earlier than deciding whether or not to re-sign him subsequent season.
But they need to solely accomplish that if and when all hope has really disappeared.
David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL podcast on FOX. He beforehand spent 9 seasons protecting the Cowboys for the crew’s official web site. In 2018 he gained a regional Emmy for his function within the manufacturing of “Dak Prescott: A Family Reunion” in regards to the quarterback’s time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.
Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the earlier six years protecting the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York and, earlier than that, 16 years protecting the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.
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