Cowboys Today: A banged-up secondary and predictions — will Dallas finally win at home?
As the Houston Texans get wide receiver Nico Collins back from injured reserve, the Cowboys were dealt yet another blow in the secondary.
The mystery with All-Pro cornerback DaRon Bland continues. He did not practice all week again and is officially out Monday. Bland hasn't practiced since suffering a setback leading into the Week 6 game against the Detroit Lions . Now, Jourdan Lewis joins him on the shelf. Lewis missed practice all week with a neck injury and Saturday was ruled out of the game against Houston. Trevon Diggs and Caelen Carson — both appearing on the injury report throughout the week — are cleared and good to go against the Texans.
Diggs and Carson are expected to be the outside cornerbacks, though it's worth noting that the assumption isn't so obvious with Carson. The rookie fifth-round pick has struggled this season and has been benched during the game, so his role is no sure thing. Quarterbacks have made it a point to locate and go after him. C.J. Stroud is a quality quarterback getting a huge playmaker back in the lineup, so expect him to do the same, wherever Carson is. As much as Carson has struggled, the Cowboys are short on warm bodies right now, so they may not have a choice. The logical expectation going into the game would be Diggs and Carson on the outside and Israel Mukuamu in the slot. However, Mukuamu does have position flexibility so the Cowboys can get a little creative.
Standings watch
It wasn't the ideal Sunday for the Cowboys.
The Jacksonville Jaguars , Tennessee Titans , Las Vegas Raiders and Cleveland Browns all lost their games, keeping their season win totals at two games. The New York Giants , also with two wins, had a bye. The New York Jets and New England Patriots each lost as well, keeping them tied with the Cowboys for three wins. It's an interesting season to track the race for the best draft pick. There are plenty of bad teams, but no team in the NFL is far and away atrocious — although the Jaguars were pretty bad Sunday . There are no winless or one-win teams.
If the Cowboys lose Monday, they'll very much be in the race for a top-10 pick. In that regard, their Thanksgiving bout with the Giants actually holds significant stakes, even though it's not the kind either team would like to have. The Cowboys can preach the idea of a storybook turnaround and a magical finish to get in the playoffs but until they at least win a game — it's been 42 days since their last win and nearly 11 months since their last win at home — their outlook in the standings will be far more relevant in draft positioning than the playoff picture.
Future Cowboys coach?
I get lists emailed to me several times a week with the latest odds on who will be the Dallas Cowboys' next head coach. A name that hasn't been on those lists is former Cowboys tight end Jason Witten. The 11-time Pro Bowler has been coaching high school football in Texas.
Cowboys owner Jerry Jones was asked Friday on 105.3 The Fan in Dallas if he thinks Witten could one day be an NFL coach.
"Yes," Jones responded. "Without hesitation. Yes. He has something that you can't draw up. He reminds me a lot of our other tight end who is a head coach up there in Detroit right now (Dan Campbell).
"Jason is very sophisticated when it comes to understanding football and all the nuances. But more important than anything, he really does understand the physical and the mentality of being physical and that part of it. Without a question, he could become (an NFL coach). He has extraordinary work ethic. ... He can be a top coach."
Those comments naturally led to many Cowboys fans on social media speculating that Witten will be Dallas' next head coach. While you can't completely rule out anything with Jones, Witten not having any NFL coaching experience is notable in this scenario. The biggest difference between Campbell and Witten is that Campbell spent 11 years as an NFL assistant before getting the Lions' head coaching job in 2021.
. 1 RBJon Machota, Cowboys beat writer: This one really has very little to do with the Houston Texans. It's more about how the Cowboys have played at AT&T Stadium over the last 11 months. Not only have they lost every game, they haven't been close. Dallas' Saturday injury report had 19 names on it. Meanwhile, Texans star wide receiver Nico Collins is expected back after missing the last five games with a hamstring injury. The 2021 third-round pick had a breakout year last season, catching 80 passes for 1,297 yards and eight touchdowns. His return will likely be a major issue for a banged-up Dallas secondary. Texans 35, Cowboys 17.
Saad Yousuf, Cowboys beat writer: Last week, the Eagles didn't really blow me away with the season they were having so I expected the Cowboys to be able to keep up but eventually fall short. I was sort of right, as the Cowboys kept it interesting for 30 minutes before the game turned into a blowout in the second half. I have similar feelings about the Texans. I believe they are a quality team, destined for the playoffs, but I don't think they are elite. I think this will be a game in which Micah Parsons and DeMarvion Overshown will stand out in a big way. With that being said, the Cowboys are not even a quality team so I don't think the end result will be unexpected. Texans 24, Cowboys 12.
(Top photo of Nico Collins: Tim Warner / )
