Dallas City News

Every week, we take questions on X (Twitter) and Facebook about Dallas Cowboys players and other issues surrounding the team. So let’s get right into it.

Why would you start Cooper Rush over Trey Lance when you have the perfect opportunity to see what Trey Lance has in a meaningful game?

(@Androvian70 on Twitter)

Mike: For now, yes. For most fans the season is over at this point, but for the players and the coaches that are all trying to keep their jobs or hope for employment beyond this year, they have to keep fighting. If things get really bad then no doubt the coaches will get into the experimental phase and put Lance in and a bunch of other players to see what they have. But for now the season is still on in their eyes, and the year is far from over. So that being the case, Rush is the QB2 and will take over for now and that where it stays, unless things get worse.

Dana: If the Cowboys feel like they still have a chance at making a run, that would be the argument to go with Rush over Lance. Rush is the better QB at the moment. However, the Cowboys are third in the division, three games behind the Eagles and four games behind the Commanders. The chances are pretty grim. That being said, I would opt to give Trey Lance more opportunities to grow. See what he can make of the rest of the season. There isn’t much to lose at this point.

Can Cooper Rush save the season for the Cowboys?

(@MrEd315 on Twitter)

Mike: He has a proven record of doing it once before and back in 2022 thanks to his efforts the Cowboys went on to make the playoffs. Sure, those were different times when the defense was a lot more efficient and the offense was clicking, but there’s a chance that could happen again. It takes a huge shock to the system to sometimes get the best out of players and this team always plays better when its back is against the wall. Or maybe I’m just being desperately optimistic.

Dana: While we’ve seen him do it in the past, this year it might be a bit harder for Rush keep this team afloat. In 2022, when Rush helped the Cowboys go 4-1 in Dak Prescott’s absence however, the team around him was much better than this 2024 team. For comparison:

Points per game:

• 2022 Cowboys ranked 4th
• 2024 Cowboys rank 20th

Rushing yards per game:

• 2022 Cowboys ranked 9th
• 2024 Cowboys rank 31st

Points allowed per game

• 2022 Cowboys ranked 5th
• 2024 Cowboys rank 31st

The odds are not stacked in his favor this time around, especially with so many injured players.

What’s your take on the Jonathan Mingo trade?

(@Ryan Jones on Facebook)

Mike: Is the fourth-round draft pick a high price? Is the fact Mingo has yet to score in two seasons a concern? Is the problem that the Cowboys previous fourth-round trade has gone down like a lead balloon a cause for apprehension? All of that is a problem but none of that is worse than the timing of the trade.

For me personally I hate the trade based on the timing, or extremely poor timing of the deal. This offense has been lackluster for most of the year, then Brandin Cooks went down and none of that got Jerry Jones to move. We then get the news that Dak Prescott has a hamstring injury that could be season-ending, or if else he’ll be out for a substantial amount of time. And then suddenly a trade is made— after losing the starting quarterback. The timing is confusing, it makes little sense now and it’s infuriating when the entire free agency period in the offseason Jerry remained stubborn and silent not making any deals. It’s a poor trade as it stands, but hopefully Mingo can inject some life into this offense and make us all eat humble pie.

Dana: In a season where the owner/GM claimed to be “all-in” this trade is justifiably underwhelming. But this trade is not a win-now type of a move. It is an investment that they hope to capitalize on in the next few years. On it’s own, this trade may not be the worst decision in the world, especially if Mingo is able to contribute as a very solid WR2/WR3 in the next few years. However, when you pair it with the last fourth-round draft pick trade this team made, it could prove to be another disappointment if the investment does not pay off.