Dallas City News

Micah Parsons on leadership, plan to ‘check that box’ for Cowboys in 2024 – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

Micah Parsons has a renewed perspective on leadership that will change his approach for 2024.

“Honestly, it was a deep conversation [teammates and I] had last year before the playoffs and guys were like, ‘You’ve gotta bring us along with you, and you can’t be on this journey alone, if you’re mister All-Pro,’” Parsons explained before pausing for reflection and then continuing. “It was a reality check for me. I went to my mentors this offseason like, ‘How do I approach this? How do I get better at this because this is a task I’ve never had to take on in my life?

“My whole life it’s been ‘Micah’s gonna do what Micah’s gotta do,’ and I just expected everyone else to do that.”

It’s an approach that got Parsons to where he is today, true enough, but not one he feels will get him any further in his journey toward a Super Bowl and potentially the Hall of Fame.

“You learn that leadership means some people do need a pat on the back and some people do need a push that tells them you need a little bit more out of [them], because everyone’s not built the same and everyone doesn’t have the same mindset,” he said. “I think it was a harsh reality check within myself. I’ve gotta do what I gotta do to make myself better, but also to bring along other guys. I feel like I needed that, and I’m glad I had that conversation early on [in my career].”

There can be no denying the talent of Parsons, a generational talent and athlete who can change the course of an entire game. The goal has to be bigger though, and that’s to change the course of an entire locker room for the better.

Training camp standouts: Which Dallas Cowboys made the most of their time in Oxnard? – David Moore and Calvin Watkins, Dallas Morning News

Jalen Brooks, Trey Lance and Marist Liufau are just a few of the players who have been standouts at training camp.

Jalen Brooks, wide receiver: He flashed as a rookie last season and put in the work with QB Dak Prescott leading into this camp. It shows. He needs to improve as a slot receiver to increase his playing time, but he’s developed a rapport with Prescott on the outside and is poised to make that second-year jump.

Trey Lance, quarterback: Did he do enough to supplant Cooper Rush as the No. 2 quarterback? No. But that was never going to happen. This camp was about giving Lance as many snaps as possible to see if this is a quarterback the Cowboys want to continue to develop. His progress has been encouraging.

Marist Liufau, linebacker: There was a cluster of running backs the Cowboys liked still on the board in the third round when the club was on the clock at No. 87. Their choice to ignore those backs to take Liufau seemed puzzling. Now? Not so much. The young linebacker has been outstanding. Liufau’s addition and the return of DeMarvion Overshown turns a position of weakness one year ago into a strength.

Ten players we’re watching in Cowboys’ preseason finale against Chargers – Jon Machota, The Athletic

The final preseason game will be crucial for these players.

1. Trey Lance

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones made it clear this week that he needs to see more from Lance but added that the 24-year-old quarterback will be on Dallas’ 53-man roster. Look for Lance to play the majority of the game against the Chargers — perhaps even the entire game. He didn’t look great in the Cowboys’ first preseason game against the Los Angeles Rams but was more consistent and looked more comfortable last weekend against the Las Vegas Raiders. It would take a lot for Lance to jump Cooper Rush for the backup job, but those spots have not been finalized.

“I think, just like anything, you play this all the way out,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy said. “You can never have enough good quarterbacks, and we got three good ones. We’re fortunate.”

2. Mazi Smith

Smith did not make the trip to Las Vegas after experiencing an allergic reaction to some milk he drank. “I’m a big guy; I eat a lot of food,” Smith said. “I know the ropes when it comes to having an allergic reaction. You can’t panic.” Smith returned to practice this week and is expected to play Saturday. The Cowboys need last year’s first-round pick to be much more impactful in Year 2. Some veteran help has been recently added at defensive tackle, but a big game from Smith on Saturday would be a good way to get him some positive vibes entering the regular season.

3. Deuce Vaughn

Like last preseason, Vaughn showed some juice last week against the Raiders. He performed like a player who deserves to be on the 53-man roster. But the running back cuts will be interesting. Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle are expected to be on the roster. Fullback Hunter Luepke seems like a good bet as well. It’s difficult to see the Cowboys going with more than four here, so the final spot could be coming down to Vaughn and veteran Royce Freeman.

Ranking all 32 NFL teams’ coaching staffs, coordinators in 2024 – Ben Solak, ESPN

ESPN ranked Dallas’ coaching staff 16th out of all the NFL teams.

16. Dallas Cowboys

Do you remember McCarthy’s great analytics revolution? The year off coaching he spent grinding the spreadsheets at Pro Football Focus? It wasn’t all lip service, it turns out. The Cowboys are one of the league’s most pass-happy teams, especially since he took playcalling duties following the dismissal of offensive coordinator Kellen Moore after the 2022 season. McCarthy was also sixth in the league in expected points added gained on fourth-down decisions last season — he was making the right decision on fourth-down punts, field goals and attempts far more often than he wasn’t.

Now, I’m not at all willing to retire the McCarthy memes, as an end-of-half running clock still mystifies the man. (Also, remember the Ezekiel Elliott snap trickeration play in the 2022 postseason? Good times.) But since he became the coach of the Cowboys in 2020, they are a top-five offense in success rate, expected points added per play and points per drive. There has been no huge free agent addition to galvanize the offense either, just a lot of homegrown talent in CeeDee Lamb, Dalton Schultz, Jake Ferguson and Tyler Smith. McCarthy is holding up his side of the offensive bargain — it’s the clock management that’s hurting him.

Dallas would have been lower if not for the Zimmer hire. Zimmer is a great defensive coordinator — he was a pretty good head coach with some bad quarterback luck, but that’s a soapbox for another day. Zimmer replaces Dan Quinn, who was another great defensive coach, but philosophically, Zimmer is much better suited for beating those top NFC offenses with which Quinn has typically struggled. San Francisco, Detroit, Green Bay — they’re all chips off the Shanahan/McVay block, which means they’re great against a Quinn defense. Zimmer, who mixes up his fronts and his blitzes much more readily than Quinn, should give the Cowboys a new edge in the playoffs against those key opponents, even if the season-long production of his defense is a little worse than Quinn’s.

Strong showing in Oxnard expedites production expected from Cowboys’ 2024 rookie class – David Moore, DMN

When the draft grades came out right after the draft, it was raining B’s, C’s, and the occasional D for the Cowboys’ draft haul. But that was then, and this is now:

The first five players taken in this draft have definitively carved out a role for themselves entering the season.

“It’s a very mature rookie class,” head coach Mike McCarthy said. “You could see that right away. Just in their approach and their ability individually and really as a whole. Group time, individual time, I’ve been so impressed with this particular group.

“I think it’s apparent that these guys definitely will contribute early and often to our success.”

Let’s start with the two rookies who are poised to start the opener against Cleveland. Left tackle Tyler Guyton and center Cooper Beebe were drafted to continue the bridge to the future for the Dallas offensive line.

The two have impressed coaches and teammates with their approach. Generational guard Zack Martin talks about how impressive Guyton, the team’s first round pick, has been in his movements this early in his career. Beebe has never played center before, but he’s a big, strong guy who can anchor the middle and loves, in his own words, to dirt people.

It’s clear that Marshawn Kneeland (second round), Marist Liufau (third round) and Caelen Carson (fifth round) have all secured spots in the defensive rotation.

Receiver is stacked with talent and an injury slowed Ryan Flournoy (sixth round pick) entering the competition. But he’s come on strong the last 10 days and played well in the second preseason game against Las Vegas.

The team’s two seventh-round picks, offensive tackle Nathan Thomas and defensive tackle Justin Rogers, haven’t put themselves in positions to contribute. The practice squad awaits.

How Linval Joseph’s signing can positively impact Mazi Smith – Tyler Reed, Sports Illustrated

The addition of Linval Joseph will bring veteran experience and competition to the interior defensive line.

Everyone is ready to see Smith leap forward, and bringing in a veteran like Joseph may be the turning point. New defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer is very familiar with Joseph, as the defensive tackle spent time with Zimmer when Zimmer was the head coach of the Minnesota Vikings.

Joseph’s two Pro Bowl seasons came during his time with Zimmer. So, Zimmer knows what Joseph brings to the table and what he can teach a younger guy like Smith.

Of course, Joseph isn’t here just to teach. The former second-round pick is here to compete, to push the guys who have been here to be better.