The latest and greatest Dallas Cowboys news.
If the Cowboys offense is going to find another gear, the home opener against the Giants would be a great time to do so.
The 25-year-old didn’t miss a day of practice in his first camp with the Cowboys, and is as healthy and determined as he’s ever been to make an impact in the league — for a Cowboys’ team that was wildly deficient on the ground last season.
“… Overall, Javonte played the game the right way. If you watch him, he showed how physical he is as a runner, but also ran a speed sweep and [his blocking prowess] — I’m excited about what Javonte brings to our offense.”
Not so long ago, Williams flew out of the NFL gates as the second-round pick of the Denver Broncos that earned PFWA All-Rookie Team Honors in 2021, but his trajectory was all but halted due to injury.
“It felt real good,” Williams said of his maiden voyage against the Eagles. “I wish we could’ve come away with the win. I feel like we were right there. A couple more plays and we could’ve pulled it out but we’ve gotta forget about that one and move on to the next.”
Next is the home opener at AT&T Stadium on Sunday, and against a second NFC East rival in as many weeks.
“I’m excited,” said Williams. “We’ve gotta win, [especially] for the fans.”
A first look at Schottenheimer’s offense revealed plenty of unpredictability, great clock management and discipline, and the potential to score a lot of points against some really good defenses — uncharacteristic drops and a lost fumble notwithstanding.
So while the Cowboys are sitting at 0-1 to start the season, it’s also true they were scathingly close to hanging 40 points on the defending champs, if they would have fine tuned a couple items.
“I like the offense,” Williams said of the potential in Dallas’ offense, particularly. “We got playmakers at every position. So, I mean, it’s gonna be scary.”
Veteran running back Miles Sanders made an explosive play followed by a fumble against the Eagles, which might open the door for rookie Jaydon Blue to see the field for the first time in week two.
RB Jaydon Blue needs to be active over Miles Sanders
Ninety minutes before gametime, the Cowboys surprised fans when they announced rookie running back Jaydon Blue was a healthy scratch. Following a standout training camp, Blue appeared poised for an important role on offense, especially because he brings the explosiveness and speed that his veteran teammates lack.
Javonte Williams looked good as the offense’s RB1 in his Cowboys debut, but Sanders’ up-and-down performance should open the door for Blue to play more. Sure, Sanders had a 49-yard gain. However, that big play would have been a touchdown had he not been caught by Eagles linebacker Zach Baun, who was out of the box at the snap. Later, Sanders fumbled.
Keep in mind, Sanders played zero special teams snaps, so activating Blue over him next weekend would be an easy fix. We’ll see how quickly the Cowboys react to the RB situation.
Marist Liufau asserted himself early in the preseason and looked like a key player for the defense, but didn’t play a key role in the loss at the Eagles.
Still, the linebackers for the Dallas Cowboys and the secondary played well, but one name that should be earning more snaps is second-year guy Marist Liufau.
He got most of his run on special teams, but I saw nothing but good things and he is clearly earning his chance.
A Lot Of Bodies
The Cowboys line backing core has a lot of bodies, so I get it may be hard to get the snap count up, but still, Liufau is the most athletic guy they have at that spot.
Get him on the field!
Cowboys HC Brian Schottenheimer was asked about LB Marist Liufau playing only six defensive snaps. “Marist is earning those rights to play more.”
I think the issue maybe he is still understanding the defense completely, a little like Jalen Tolbert went through even though that was his rookie year.
They see him in practice every single day. There is a reason for it, just like when Mazi Smith was a healthy inactive. They know more than we do.
Winfrey is another player that had a strong preseason, but his regular season debut is on hold with a back injury.
Winfrey was inactive for the Cowboys last Thursday night in Philadelphia after missing practices with injury. Clearly he has some sort of back issue that the team believes merits missing time.
Per the NFL’s rules involving injured reserve, Winfrey must now miss at least four games. Given that he was on the team’s active 53-man roster they now have a spot available to do with as they please.
For what it’s worth safety Malik Hooker was not seen by members of the media in attendance at The Star on Monday.
The Cowboys defense still needs more support against the run, but has the players capable of stepping up to do so.
LB Kenneth Murray – Run defense/tackling
Again, the smaller sample size for the corners isn’t a world ender, but the top linebacker who played 100% of the defensive snaps making this list is a cause for concern. The Cowboys traded for Murray this offseason, picking up his sizable $7.4 million cap hit. On Thursday night, he saw 28 snaps in run defense, and 32 in coverage.
He only missed one tackle, while being credited with five solo takedowns and another five assists. That means that Murray’s issue was with diagnosing plays and understanding what hole to attack. As a reminder, PFF never knows what a player is supposed to do on any play, so there’s a lot of gray area here, but one of the biggest knocks on the Murray addition was him being caught in 4k guessing wrong.
DT Jay Toia – Run defense
One of the shocking-but-not-surprising things from Thursday was that third-year DT Mazi Smith was on the inactives list as a healthy scratch. It’s a mighty long fall for the 2023 first-round pick, who got paid $109,000 to not play. But his salary is guaranteed so there’s no reason for the Cowboys to cut him if they need to dust him off at some point.
And that point might be soon, because despite trading for Kenny Clark, the team’s backup to him struggled. Seventh-round rookie Jay Toia got his first taste of NFL life and graded out pretty badly for his 11 run-blocking snaps, a 29.7.
It is power rankings season again, with a look at how the NFC East stands after one week:
28. New York Giants (0-1)
Last Week: 29
Week 1 Result: Lost vs. Washington 21-6
The New York Giants gave us little to discuss following their loss to the Washington Commanders. Russell Wilson completed just 46 percent of his passes, and he led the ground attack with 44 rushing yards.
Malik Nabers still posted solid numbers, catching five passes for 71 yards, but you wonder what his stat line would look like with rookie Jaxson Dart under center.
Dart, who generated a ton of preseason buzz, will start and provide some excitement for the Giants offense at some point this season. — Moton
20. Dallas Cowboys (0-1)
Last Week: 21
Week 1 Result: Lost vs. Philadelphia 24-20
Without Micah Parsons, the Dallas Cowboys defense had a decent outing. The Philadelphia Eagles offense didn’t squash them, and running back Saquon Barkley averaged just 3.3 yards per carry.
If not for CeeDee Lamb’s case of the dropsies, Dallas may have pulled off the upset. The Cowboys are a less interesting team without Parsons, but a healthy Dak Prescott will keep them in the NFC playoff race. — Moton
6. Washington Commanders (1-0)
Last Week: 6
Week 1 Result: Won vs. New York Giants 21-6
The Washington Commanders offense looks refreshed with the addition of five-time Pro Bowl left tackle Laremy Tunsil, wideout Deebo Samuel and rookie seventh-round running back Jacory Croskey-Merritt.
Though the Commanders didn’t have to do much to outscore the New York Giants, Samuel made a strong first impression, catching seven passes for 77 yards. Croskey-Merritt also looked impressive, logging 10 carries for 82 yards and a touchdown.
This year, quarterback Jayden Daniels may not have to carry a heavy offensive load on a playoff-caliber roster. — Moton
1. Philadelphia Eagles (1-0)
Last Week: No. 1
Week 1 Result: Won vs. Dallas 24-20
Jalen Carter spat on Dak Prescott, which resulted in his ejection and created a gaping hole in the middle of the Philadelphia Eagles defense. A.J. Brown spent three hours working on his cardiovascular conditioning, hauling in one pass for eight yards.
Despite the lackluster showing from the Eagles as a team, they found a way to win with Jalen Hurts and Saquon Barkley scoring three rushing touchdowns combined.
Until the 2024 champions lose, they should be No. 1 in the power rankings. — Moton