Cowboys news: Run defense has to improve for team to contend

Run defense determined to get back on track - Kyle Youmans, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys' defense is ready to put the Saints game in the rear view mirror.

Moving on is exactly what Dallas has on the mind this week. Taking their lessons learned and applying it to the upcoming gameplan against teams like Baltimore, Detroit, and San Francisco who all finished in the top-5 for team rushing last year. Unfortunately, there's not a ton of time to implement change because Dallas faces those three teams over the next five games.

"You don't have time. You don't dwell on it really," Odighizuwa said. "You watch the film, you write down the things that you got to work on, take the things that you want to improve on until the next week, and then you got to move on."

Dallas made one roster move to bring back a familiar face, signing Carlos Watkins off the Washington practice squad while moving Jordan Phillips to injured reserve. Watkins has been back in the building no more than 24 hours and the veteran has already adjusted to the mindset needed to turn the unit around.

"I take pride in stopping the run." Watkins said. "We still have to play good with our hands, eyes and feet. For the most part, just being a D-lineman, it's things schematically that are a little different. But those three things can take you a long way playing."

Cowboys' early season woes are predictable. Jerry Jones' passive offseason is responsible - Saad Yousuf, The Athletic The front office handling of player acquisition in the offseason is being blamed for the Cowboys' early struggles.

The issues Sunday were known culprits. They are personnel issues that fall squarely on the front office.

The Cowboys' defensive tackle play was atrocious, to the point that Jordan Phillips , who had an awful game individually against the Saints, was curiously placed on injured reserve Wednesday with a wrist injury. Journeyman defensive tackle Carlos Watkins was brought back to Dallas off the Washington Commanders ' practice squad. Like Phillips, Watkins is a player who couldn't crack the rotation on a bad division rival and is looked at as a potential beacon of hope for the Cowboys.

Offensively, the Cowboys could not run the ball. Multiple days this week, McCarthy has already fielded questions about the readiness of Dalvin Cook . The veteran running back was signed right before the regular season and has been ramping up on the practice squad. He's being eyed as the potential savior of the Cowboys' running back committee.

The Cowboys frequently say that player acquisition is 365 days a year. They have displayed that recently, churning the edges of the roster throughout training camp and into the early parts of the season. They traded for Phillips and signed Cook and Linval Joseph . They picked up Watkins this week.

Unfortunately, the 365-day philosophy frequently excludes March and April, when there is a chance to acquire notable players who can make a substantial impact. That's where teams address a defensive tackle void by signing Christian Wilkins instead of the revolving door of Phillips, Joseph, Watkins, and the hope that Mazi Smith drastically improves. That's where teams sign Derrick Henry instead of bringing back Ezekiel Elliott after the draft and hoping he still has something left in the tank.

CeeDee Lamb, Trevon Diggs injury updates after missing practice - Josh Sanchez, Sports Illustrated Trevon Diggs and CeeDee Lamb missed practice this week but it shouldn't be too concerning for Sunday's game against the Ravens.

Lamb was listed on the report with an ankle injury, while Diggs was marked with a "foot" designation.

It is unclear where the injuries came from, but there is good news.

According to Todd Archer of ESPN, there is " no real concern " regarding the star wide receiver and cornerback. For extra comfort, Jane Slater of the NFL Network added Lamb and Diggs " should be okay ."

So let out that anxiety, Cowboy Nation.

After a disastrous Week 2 performance against the New Orleans Saints , the Cowboys will need all hands on deck when they host reigning NFL MVP Lamar Jackson and the Baltimore Ravens at AT&T Stadium in Week 3.

Science Lab: Cowboys' fate remains haunted by the Shanahan House of Horrors - Patrik Walker, DallasCowboys.com The Cowboys will eventually have to overcome Shanahan-tree offenses if they are to contend in the playoffs.

Whether that's the 49ers , the Packers or should the Rams figure out a way to get into the playoffs, as they often do, the Cowboys' defense will probably have to pass the test.

As the laws of the universe go, you will continually face the thing you fear most until you finally defeat it.

And if you're wondering how to bottle up such an offense, it's all about stopping the running back from having their way as a receiver in space and on edge runs — the bread and butter for Christian McCaffrey, Alvin Kamara, etc. — to force the runs inside (where your defensive tackles have to win) and the game more onto the arm of the opposing quarterback so that when the pass rush is dialed up, it will actually matter and, as such, impact the game through poor throws and sacks.

The best way to negate a pass rush on a passing rep is through quick tosses (see Kamara's 57-yard touchdown for reference), as it forces the defense to begin playing on its heels and softens the middle of the trench for A and B gap runs, then getting you to overcommit to that in compensation for the first issue and, voila, it becomes time to take the top off with a deep shot or two.

Delete the running back, in all ways, and you'll delete a gargantuan chunk of a Shanahan playbook. In the playoff loss to the Niners, McCaffrey had only 57 yards from scrimmage and one touchdown. Deebo Samuel, a quasi-RB, had only 56 yards from scrimmage and no touchdowns. Brock Purdy was then unable to take over the game, and the Niners finished with only 19 points in a game the Cowboys could've and should've won (the loss of Tony Pollard looms large in that outcome).

Cowboys' Brandon Aubrey's range is 'near unlimited'; All-Pro explains why NFL kickers are better than ever - Garrett Podell, CBS Sports Brandon Aubrey and John Fassel share their opinions on why kickers have gotten better in the NFL.

Aubrey's special teams coordinator with the Cowboys, John "Bones" Fassel, has been an NFL special teams coordinator for nearly 20 seasons — 17 to be exact (2005-present) with three different teams. He's coached Sebastian Janikowski in a stop with the Raiders (2008-2011), Greg Zuerlein with the Rams (2012-2019) and now Aubrey in Dallas on head coach Mike McCarthy's staff. He knows kicking.

What he can't quite put a finger on is why not only Aubrey but almost the entire NFL is cash money on field goals from 50 yards or deeper in 2024. According to CBS Sports Research, NFL kickers are a collective 35 of 39 (89.7%) on field goals from 50 yards or further in 2024, which is the best league-wide rate on field goals of 50 plus yards through the first two weeks of a season since 2008 when kickers went 10-for-11 (90.9%). Ironically enough, two of the four misses around the league are off of Tucker's leg.

"I don't know," Fassel said on Monday when asked when kickers got this good from deep. "It's incredible. I don't know if it's good weather, fresh legs. We get three balls, three K balls to really work for about an hour before the game to get them into game shape. I think the equipment managers are doctoring up three balls very well and legally. ... I think it all contributes to really good kickers. ... So when you say [Aubrey has hit] 13 in a row [from] 50 plus, I honestly don't know that or any of those stats. ... I just know he's pretty damn good. ... We feel our [Aubrey's] range is near unlimited."

Aubrey's theory is simple: today's kickers "are just better."

"I still think it's [kicking from 50-plus yards] as difficult as it used to be. I think the kickers are just better," Aubrey said. "Guys practice more. You have spring leagues that are providing more opportunities for guys. The coaching is better, you're paying guys more money to do it. So at a younger age, people are starting to do it because they know that's a career path they can have and then guys are just better. No better way of saying it."

Pull plug on run game, let Dak Prescott's arm spark Cowboys offense vs. Ravens - Tim Cowlishaw, Dallas Morning News The keys to the Cowboys offensive success may lie with Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb.

We really don't need to see a whole lot more from Zeke and the fellas before figuring this thing out. It's true that neither Elliott nor Dowdle have received a ton of touches. They're tied for 48th in the league in rushing. But among the top 50, Dowdle ranks 45th in yards per carry and Zeke is 47th. It's only two weeks, but what are we really expecting to change on this front?

Running backs do not have comeback seasons. I could try to argue that Larry Csonka did at some level, returning to rush for 800 yards for Miami after wandering away from a back-to-back Super Bowl champ to chase World League money, then winding up stuck for three years on a bad Giants team. But that's a 240-pound fullback and it was nearly 50 years ago. That's not in the cards for Zeke. Dowdle is in his fifth season.

The idea that the Cowboys have a diamond in the rough is unlikely. Jerry doesn't hide diamonds, he displays them and charges admission to see them.

But all is not despair. The Cowboys can still escape AT&T Stadium with a 2-1 record Sunday night as long as McCarthy and Schottenheimer are merely blowing smoke about trying to get the running game going. The Raiders came back to upset the Ravens on Sunday when Gardner Minshew threw for 212 yards after halftime. Davante Adams, still near the elite level at receiver, finished the day with nine catches for 110 yards and a touchdown.

Is it really hard to figure what the Cowboys need to be doing? If Lamb has fewer than 16 targets Sunday, Dallas is wasting time. With the money Jerry has poured into Dak's and CeeDee's accounts, figure the combination to be worth 12 catches for 150 yards and two TDs.