Your Friday morning Cowboys news is here.
Source: Cowboys’ Dak Prescott no longer wearing walking boot – Todd Archer, ESPN
No need to press the panic button regarding Dak Prescott’s apparent foot injury, he’ll be okay.
Dallas Cowboys quarterback Dak Prescott recently suffered a minor right foot sprain that temporarily required a walking boot, a source told ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Prescott was seen in a walking boot while on vacation in Cabo San Lucas in a picture posted to X on Wednesday. It was unclear when the picture was taken, and he is no longer wearing the boot, according to the source.
The injury is not expected to impact Prescott when the Cowboys hold their first training camp practice on July 25.
It is not known how Prescott suffered the injury. The Cowboys last held an organized workout on June 5.
Role Call: Nathaniel Peat must make waves early – Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com
Will Nathaniel Peat earn his spot on the Dallas Cowboys roster at training camp?
How He Got Here: Peat is a product of spending his final two seasons in the SEC, prepping for the next level, after transferring to Missouri following three seasons at Stanford. His two seasons in Mizzou yielded 176 carries for 755 rushing yards and five touchdowns along with 147 receiving yards and two receiving touchdowns on 16 receptions in a total of 24 games played — also putting his ability to return kicks on display as well.
At Stanford, he was a two-time winner of the Phil Moffat Award, granted to the team’s most outstanding special teams player in any given season. That goes to his ability to provide value to the Cowboys in multiple ways, and that’s why he found himself receiving a call from several teams as an undrafted free agent before opting to join the Cowboys.
What’s Next: Needing to find a way to make waves in Oxnard, Peat enters a room of running backs that varies between seasoned and proven veterans like Ezekiel Elliott to inexperienced players with strong potential, and his speed will be key in helping to separate him from the pack early on. The same will be true of his ability to catch the ball out of the backfield and to take special teams reps when called upon, though few of those will be as a returner.
There are far too many bodies on the RBs depth chart to consider not literally halving the count at the end of August, so Peat needs to standout from Day 1, and every day thereafter, and his skill set gives him a more than solid chance at doing exactly that.
14) What are realistic expectations for Zeke? – Dallas Cowboys Staff Writers, DallasCowboys.com
DallasCowboys.com writers provide their expectations for Ezekiel Elliott in his return to Dallas.
Kyle Youmans: Zeke completed seven seasons in Dallas, surpassing 875 rushing yards and at least eight total touchdowns in every one of them. At this point in his career, this may be the ceiling for his statistical contribution. He’ll most likely be used as a short-yardage and pass protecting back to start out, with the opportunity to earn more consistent carries as the season continues. Especially if he proves his fitness and durability can last deep into the long NFL season. Last season in New England, he proved he can still pass block at an elite level and produce in the red zone. Both elements that Dallas is hungry for in their offensive scheme.
Nick Eatman: I think Fantasy Football players are going to have a hard time with Zeke this year. If I had to guess, he’ll be someone on a roster in every league, but a week-to-week call on starting him. I know that doesn’t answer the question, but my point is that I think he’ll have some very productive weeks, especially down in the Red Zone because he’ll be a good short-yardage option. I think Zeke might score anywhere from 7-10 touchdowns this season. That doesn’t mean he will rack up a ton of yards because they will rotate the backs, something that should make him more effective. I could see him finishing somewhere around 600-800 rushing yards and maybe 25-30 catches out of the backfield. A 1,000-yard all-purpose yard season would be a good year for him, as long as the “committee” is also putting in some work as well.
Answers to Biggest Questions Teams Face in 2024 NFL Season – Gary Davenport, Bleacher Report
The biggest question surrounding the Dallas Cowboys for this season is if they will get back to the NFC Championship game.
Will the ‘All-In’ Dallas Cowboys Finally Get Back to the NFC Championship Game?
It’s a statement that Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones may well wish he hadn’t made. All the way back in January, Jones told reporters after another postseason collapse that the Cowboys were “all-in” for 2024. That this year would be different.
“I thought we made a pretty good move four years ago when we hired Mike McCarthy, and he’s had some great in-season success,” Jones said. “Now he’s come up short three times and advanced us in the playoff. But I like that fact that’s he’s hanging around the rim, and I like what the team has done to hang around the rim. So, I think, what the answer that I would have is, that I’m aware that we’re hanging around the rim. We’re not getting the ball in but when you hang around the rim—let’s don’t discount hanging around the rim—where we are right now with the players we’ve got, and I’m thinking about it from the whole look.”
The puzzling part is what came after that—nothing. Dallas was a complete non-player in free agency, outside replacing running back Tony Pollard with a familiar face in Ezekiel Elliott. That was partly because of the massive cap number quarterback Dak Prescott carries into the final year of his contract.
Granted, the Cowboys have won 12 games in each of the past three seasons. But it’s impossible to look at this year’s roster and call this Dallas team better than those—or even as good. And last year’s NFC East title had as much to do with the late-season collapse by the Eagles than the Cowboys themselves.
The Cowboys are a good team. In an NFC that’s not nearly as strong as the AFC, they will likely make the postseason tournament. But they aren’t getting past the San Francisco 49ers. Or the Detroit Lions. Or the Philadelphia Eagles.
All this version of “all-in” is going to get Jones and the Cowboys is more of the same. Another early playoff exit. And a very interesting offseason in 2025.
Answer: No
NFL teams don’t need a No. 1 receiver and here’s why – Doug Farrar, SBNation
Farrar explains that the Packers, Chiefs, and more NFL teams are moving away from alpha dogs in the receiver room. But is it by choice or by necessity?
Depending on how broad you want to be with the definition, there are at most maybe 10-15 receivers in the league at any time who are true field-tilters in that sense.
NFL teams are realizing this, and instead of going all in on one guy in the hope that he’s The Guy, they’re moving their resources around, and relying more on advanced schemes and concerts to get it done.
More than ever, the league is about spacing and matchups more than this set of routes versus that kind of coverage. NFL offensive coordinators are trying everything possible to win those particular battles, and without a true No. 1 receiver, and all the advantages and limitations therein, maybe it’s that much more difficult for defenses to understand what a passing game is trying to accomplish.
In a game where milliseconds play out like minutes, any kind of hesitation is a big deal.
So yes, it’s great to have a No. 1 receiver if you can identify, develop, and keep one. But more and more, the NFL’s best offensive minds are looking for workarounds to that formerly incontrovertible ideal.
2024 NFL season: Predicting each NFC team’s MVP – Eric Edholm, NFL.com
Prescott or Parsons, who’d you pick?
Prior to the playoff loss to the Packers, QB Dak Prescott was playing some of the best ball of his career, leading the league in completions (410) and TD passes (36) and finishing second to Lamar Jackson in MVP voting. He’s certainly a strong candidate to be his team’s MVP again this season, and yet, I’m just a little bearish of that happening in 2024. First, Dak’s had a bit of a hard time stringing together back-to-back great seasons over his career, and the Cowboys have some roles to iron out at receiver and along the offensive line.
Parsons is my pick to be Dallas’ MVP this season, although his candidacy is not a slam dunk, either. Even with a career-best 14 sacks in 2023 and the high level of play we’ve come to expect, there were a few games where Parsons was notably quiet, especially down the stretch as cracks started forming in the defense. I still think he has a DPOY in his future, perhaps even this season, although the loss of defensive coordinator Dan Quinn also opens this pick up to scrutiny.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login