The Dallas Cowboys are one of several teams with a bye week in Week 7 of the NFL season. The bye comes in the early half of the season, but it's a good-enough slot to get Dallas some much-needed rest and relaxation ahead of a return to play on October 29 against the Los Angeles Rams.
At 4-2, Dallas should be optimistic overall about its performance thus far, but that's not to say there haven't been low points and areas they can look to improve. The early returns of Mike McCarthy taking over play-calling have been at times (if not overall) suspect, and the defense has been punished by a key injury to Trevon Diggs and up-and-down performances from much of the secondary.
Here's the latest news and rumors for the Cowboys.
Mazi Smith's young career gets reviews as Cowboys hit the bye week
Mazi Smith has drawn the ire of Cowboys fans early in his career because he's failed to pad his stats with sacks and tackles. Thus far Smith has four tackles (2 solo) and no sacks, with just one tackle for loss and no quarterback hits.
Expected to step right into the defensive and make meaningful contributions, some Cowboys fans have been let down.
Fans should keep in mind, though, that Smith hasn't seen the lion's share of snaps yet, only getting 97 thus far, 26% of the opportunities. The Cowboys are relatively stacked on the defensive end, so the need for Smith to step in and make an immediate starter-level contribution hasn't been there. That's what Aden Durde, defensive line coach, said on Smith to reporters (H/T Cowboys Wire):
"We've got a gang of rushers. It's like a fight on the sideline to get out there and want to get out and compete."
It takes, sometimes, pure exposure to grow into a DT role at the pro level.
Durde continued, praising Smith specifically and his growth, which might not be as steeply linear as fans would like:
"A lot of them, they're getting like 80 snaps a game, the plays move fast, the coordinator's telling them, they don't have to listen to communication. Now all of that's changed. You get into a huddle, someone gives you the communication, you line up, now what am I getting? These things are changing, I think, and as we're going through this, Mazi's growth and understanding of how to play the game at that level is growing. You can see week in [and] week out, he's making marginal gains, and that's what it's about. He's around a good group of players, he's in a position where he can grow and he's in the right place. He's doing good."
Todd Brock at Cowboys Wire praised Smith and his success thus far in doing things away from the stats, specifically pointing to his work occupying multiple opposing offensive linemen at once.
For those interested in Pro Football Focus's grading -- a good tool to use for positions like defensive tackle because it factors in some of the eye test elements that may not reflect in the stat sheet -- he is below average there, clocking in at 48.2 overall. But, looking at his segmented grades, you get a better look at where his potential lies. He grades 34.7 in run defense but a much better 67.9 in pass rush, sixth-best for Dallas behind the crop of usual superstars in that category.
Cowboys probably won't do much at the NFL trade deadline
Jay Glazer laid out in a segment with Dave Helman at Fox Sports this week what he's hearing around the Cowboys this week.
According to Glazer, despite Dallas's normally aggressive approach to acquiring midseason talent, the Cowboys are unlikely to make a big or even minor splash this year.
Glazer simply said, "there wasn't a lot," that came back when he asked about possible names fans might see in regards to the Cowboys sending players out or taking any in.
"They did in the past with Amari Cooper a few years ago, right? Dallas is always pretty aggressive, especially if they think, 'OK, we're on the cusp here, we need something else.' But just in my conversations this week, when I was asking around, 'Hey, who are some of the names we might see?' There really wasn't a lot. You know, in the past, you knew, okay, these players whose contracts [are] in the last year of their deal, these guys [will] be valuable. We just didn't see a lot of those marquee names."
While there are still just under 10 days left before the deadline, the Cowboys having a bye week this week means that their trade deadline strategy is more or less solidifed as of now. Very little can change between now and Halloween, the day of the trade deadline, to move the Dallas trade strategy in a meaningful way.
Perhaps there's something happening behind the scenes, but for an ownership group that typically hypes up and telegraphs its moves, it's hard to see a surprise big move coming.
So, it seems like it'll be a quiet deadline for the Cowboys. If anything, expect some marginal moves.
Stephen Jones comments on Dak Prescott extension make it seem like he'll get one
In her latest column for The Athletic, Dianna Russini provided some quotes from team executive Stephen Jones (subscription required) when asked about Dak Prescott and a possible extension for the quarterback.
"He's under contract now, but we'd like to do this after the season. Once the season is over, we will focus on that. Dak will be our quarterback."
While it stops short of guaranteeing a contract extension for Prescott, it sure leans into the idea that he'll get one from the Cowboys. Prescott is under contract next season and a free agent in 2025, set to make $29 million next season.
Currently, Prescott is the 11th-highest paid quarterback in the NFL, and ninth-best in adjusted EPA per play.
Interestingly, Jerry Jones mentioned previously he's open to an extension mid-season. That was preseason, though, and perhaps a dangled carrot for Prescott to prove his worth. The Cowboys also have money coming due for generational defensive player Micah Parsons, as well, which complicates things.
The change in tone is curious, though one could chalk it up to the differences in how Stephen frames things compared to his father, notorious for talking a big game even when things don't come to bear. Dallas's options outside of Prescott likely won't be great, and though the results for Dallas in 2023 have been lukewarm offensively, a deep look would suggest that has much more to do with play calling than Prescott's performance.
