Dallas City News

The Dallas Cowboys need to shore up their run defense – and fast – Zoltan Buday, Pro Football Focus

This is an Achilles heel for the Cowboys defense that won’t seem to go away.

The interior of the Cowboys’ defensive line has been a persistent issue for years despite several moves made to strengthen it.

While they drafted former Michigan player Mazi Smith in the first round of the 2023 NFL Draft, his rookie season was not encouraging, as he finished the 2023 season with a 47.2 PFF overall grade, 113th among 130 qualifying interior defenders.

The moves Dallas made just one month before the season highlighted their awareness of the issue. In mid-August, they traded for Jordan Phillips, and a week before the opener, they signed veteran Linval Joseph. And despite their late arrivals, the two players combined for over 70 snaps in the first two weeks. However, Phillips has since been placed on injured reserve.

The three aforementioned players have generated five total pressures on 62 combined pass-rushing snaps in the first two weeks, though that’s not a massive concern because the Cowboys should be able to create plenty of pressure off the edge.

However, if the interior defensive line cannot hold its ground against the run, it becomes much harder to scheme around. Out of 112 interior defenders who have played at least 15 snaps against the run this season, all four Cowboys players rank in the bottom seven for PFF run-defense grades: Phillips is 111th (26.2), Smith is 110th (27.9), Osa Odighizuwa is 107th (29.7), and Joseph is tied for 105th (29.9).

Jake Ferguson, Mazi Smith expected to play in Cowboys’ battle with Ravens – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com

Dallas will have all hands on deck for a huge game against Baltimore.

There is good news regarding the Dallas Cowboys’ injury report heading into their pivotal Week 3 matchup against the Baltimore Ravens, and it’s headlined by tight end Jake Ferguson and former first-round pick Mazi Smith, both having injury scares as of late.

Ferguson suffered a mild MCL sprain in the regular season debut and victory over the Cleveland Browns that he initially thought might have been a torn ACL, but thankfully was not, and he “was close” to taking the field against the New Orleans Saints in Week 2, thought the Cowboys opted to rest him instead for the sake of precaution and longevity.

He returned to practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday and Thursday, but was a full participant on Friday — indicating he will be available to return and take on the Ravens.

Smith left practice early on Wednesday with back tightness and did not return, nor did he participate on Thursday, but head coach Mike McCarthy was impressed with Smith’s progress on Friday and it led to full participation in the team’s mock game; and also a “full steam ahead” stamp of approval from McCarthy despite being listed as questionable on the final injury report.

‘Not on our radar’: Jerry Jones in full denial over Cowboys’ RB situation – Todd Brock, Cowboys Wire

Despite the lackluster results from the Cowboys running game, Jerry Jones doesn’t see an issue.

Jerry Jones simply doesn’t see a problem. And he can’t understand why the question keeps coming up.

The Cowboys owner made his weekly call-in to Dallas radio station 105.3 The Fan on Friday, and he went into full-blown denial mode when asked about the team’s current running back situation.

“This is a little bit of a first for me,” he told the K&C Masterpiece show on Friday, “because I’ve never seen such made of our position and what we’re doing at that position- running back- this year and not having done this or not having done that at running back.”

The Cowboys found themselves in quite a pickle over the offseason in regard to the ground game. Tony Pollard was deemed too expensive to keep and was allowed to leave in free agency. Rather than pursue one of several high-profile rushers on the open market, the Cowboys instead brought sentimental favorite Ezekiel Elliott back on a cheap one-year deal.

Then the club opted not to look to the draft for any new talent at the position, deciding to go into the regular season with a committee that also included Rico Dowdle, Deuce Vaughn, and Hunter Luepke. Dalvin Cook was added late in the offseason, but he has yet to make it off the practice squad after a summer of working out on his own.

Given all that, the results on the field have been predictably lousy.

Dallas Cowboys scouting report: Breaking down the Ravens offensive scheme – David Howman, Blogging The Boys

The Cowboys will have a unique challenge versus Lamar Jackson and the Ravens offense.

So when Monken arrived in Baltimore a year ago, he was tasked with tweaking and revamping the passing game but not making wholesale changes to the scheme. Jackson’s ability as a dual-threat made him one of one, and the Ravens’ power running scheme was a perfect fit for that talent. But the passing game needed to consist of more than just targeting tight end Mark Andrews over and over.

Monken did exactly that. He introduced a greater use of three receiver sets, as seen in the chart below, that best highlighted the Ravens’ group of skill players. Rookie receiver Zay Flowers saw 108 targets and led the team in catches and yards. Andrews was on his way to another strong season before a leg injury ended his regular season. And Jackson easily set a career high for pass attempts (and completion percentage) without compromising the run game that’s worked so well: Baltimore led the league in rushing attempts, yards, and rushing DVOA. Jackson also won his second MVP award as a result.

Going into Year 2, though, Monken wanted more. With a full season’s worth of chemistry under their belts, Monken and Jackson are taking a more collaborative approach this season. That means more freedom for Jackson to make adjustments at the line of scrimmage, and more plays designed to put the ball in his hands and let Lamar be Lamar.

So far, that’s led to more passing plays for Jackson. His chemistry with Flowers has blossomed (pun intended), with only three other players seeing more targets through two games. Backup tight end Isaiah Likely, who filled in for Andrews late last year, has seen a major uptick in usage; he’s actually second among all tight ends in both targets and catches.

The run game is still chugging along well, though it’s been less relied upon through two games. Baltimore brought in veteran Derrick Henry in the offseason, and the downhill runner has snapped up the lion’s share of the running back reps in this offense. The Ravens are tied for second in yards per carry, though they’re 11th in total rushing attempts.

Cowboys have been a bounce-back team under Mike McCarthy. This stat backs it up. – David Moore, Dallas Morning News

Dallas needs this trend to continue on Sunday.

The Cowboys’ loss to New Orleans in Week 2 was so crushing, so thorough, it leaves some fans to wonder how the team can rebound just one week later against a Baltimore team that is coming off an AFC Championship Game appearance.

It remains to be seen if Dallas can. But there is precedent on their side.

The Cowboys are 12-2 following a loss since the 2021 season. That .857 winning percentage ties them with Buffalo for the best response in the last three-plus seasons.

“I think it definitely carries over,’’ head coach Mike McCarthy said. “I think it’s a reflection of your program, your culture.

“We adhere to a process of how we evaluate and apply the lessons learned every week regardless of the outcome of the game. I think our whole culture does a really good job of that. It’s so important not to swing too high and definitely very important not to swing too low.

“That’s critical when you’re building a long-term plan for success in this league.’’