Cowboys news: Rico Dowdle looks to have the RB1 role in Dallas

Rico Dowdle, originally expected to share carries as part of a committee, has emerged as the Cowboys’ lead back. Over the first four games of the season, Dowdle has carried the ball 34 times for 134 yards but has yet to find the end zone. Despite his lack of touchdowns, his production and workload have made him the go-to option in the backfield. Ezekiel Elliott, once the face of the Cowboys’ rushing attack, has seen limited success this season. With 81 yards on 24 carries and one rushing touchdown, Elliott has struggled to regain his previous form. This decline has paved the way for Dowdle’s rise, but the overall rushing output remains an issue.

Receiver CeeDee Lamb is third in rushing for the Cowboys… Yes, you read that correctly, Lamb is third in rushing with 6 carries for 33 yards and holds the longest rushing play for the cowboys [sic] with 12 yards.

Care to guess who is behind the receiver? Its’ [sic] quarterback Dak Prescott who has seven carries for 21 yards and 1 rushing touchdown. As the Cowboys prepare for a 10-day break before their matchup against the Pittsburgh Steelers, they will face an even tougher challenge. The Steelers boast one of the league’s most dominant defenses, allowing just 71.3 rushing yards per game and holding opponents to a mere 8.7 points per game.

Coach Mike McCarthy said Smith’s efforts against the Giants was his best as a pro.

The box score says Smith had three tackles and a tackle for loss while playing 26 snaps.

Pro Football Focus, an independent website that grades players, gave Smith an 88.4 rating for his overall defense and an 86.6 for his run defense in the victory over the Giants.

NextGen Stats credited Smith with three stuffs, meaning he stopped three running plays for no yards.

Those watching the game saw Smith split double-teams, a requirement for his position, push back Giants center John Michael Schmitz Jr. on several plays and hold up blockers as linebackers filled the running lanes to make plays.

“Mazi was dominant, bro,” uber pass rusher Micah Parsons said. “I told you guys Mazi keeps getting better and better. I always tell him it always starts and ends with him.”

In the buildup to the Giants game, several defensive players made note of working on the small details of the game. For a defensive tackle, that meant getting a solid base in their stances so they could get a good push at the line of scrimmage.

That occurred Thursday night.

“It’s a pretty big deal,” Smith said of the run-defense improvements. “But it don’t matter if you do it for one game like we did [in season opener] for the Browns. Then you saw what happened. Now, we just got to keep it flowing, going in the right direction. You don’t want to go back.”

3) More Snaps for DeMarvion Overshown – Last preseason, losing DeMarvion Overshown was an incalculable blow to the Cowboys defensive unit. This year, he gets to turn his fortunes around by elevating his play. So far, Overshown has carved out a bigger role on defense, by showing speed, athleticism, and a high level of effort. All things that are building trust with his new defensive coordinator and the peers around him. If he can continue to elevate his game, just as he did against the Giants in Week 4, Overshown could become a crucial part of Mike Zimmer’s defensive unit and a key to overall team success.

2) DaRon Bland Eyeing Return – Before the season was even underway, Dallas lost one of their top defenders as DaRon Bland was placed on Injured Reserve with a stress fracture in his left foot. Mike McCarthy alluded to the “mini bye” that begins this weekend as the original target for more information around Bland’s return. Either way, it appears he’s not far off from making a much-needed return to the cornerback position after missing the first four games.

Acquiring disgruntled edge-rusher Haason Reddick “isn’t a viable option” for the Dallas Cowboys amid their current injury crunch, according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.

Reddick continues to hold out for a new contract from the New York Jets and he hasn’t suited up for the team as a result. That might’ve led some Cowboys fans to wonder whether he might be a target with Micah Parsons (high-ankle sprain) and DeMarcus Lawrence (midfoot sprain) battling injuries.

Fowler cited the cost to the Cowboys as the reason why a Reddick trade wouldn’t work.

The two-time Pro Bowler has a $14.3 million base salary for 2024. While Dallas has more than enough salary cap space to absorb that figure, a long-term extension probably isn’t feasible. Quarterback Dak Prescott and wide receiver CeeDee Lamb recently signed massive contracts, and Parsons is the next in line since he can become a free agent in 2026.

If Reddick is willing to end his holdout and suit up for the Cowboys without a new contract, then the situation is a little different. Considering how much money he’s losing, the Jets or another team can try to call his bluff at some point.

The 30-year-old has hit double digits in sacks in each of the last four seasons. Even with how much his holdout has disrupted his preparations for the season, he’d be a big addition to any front seven.

Tyler Guyton gets called for holding on free play

Following the Giants’ third field goal of the game, the Cowboys led 14-9 and had scored touchdowns on their last two possessions. They got the ball back with just over a minute left in the first half and hoped to at least get in range for a field goal from Brandon Aubrey.

The offense quickly moved the ball on their first few plays, but a sack dropped them behind schedule. Then, on third down with 12 yards to go and near midfield, Kayvon Thibodeaux jumped offsides before the ball was snapped. Dak Prescott took the snap and rolled out to his left, hitting Jalen Tolbert for a 26-yard gain.

The play ended up not counting, though, as Tyler Guyton had been called for holding. That penalty, coupled with Thibodeaux’s offsides, meant the penalties would offset. Prescott then missed Brandin Cooks on the next try, and Dallas had to punt. Were it not for Guyton’s penalty – which was a hold against Thibodeaux, who was the one that jumped offsides – the Cowboys would have had first down at the Giants’ 29-yard line, easily in field goal range. Instead, they got zero points before the halftime break.

Giants recover their own fumble on kickoff

The Giants got the ball to start the second half, which made it even more impactful that they were able to keep Dallas from scoring right before halftime. However, they came very close to coughing things up right away.

As Tyrone Tracy took the ball on the kick return, Juanyeh Thomas delivered a big hit that popped the ball right out of Tracy’s hands. Through sheer luck, Chris Manhertz just so happened to be standing right where the ball flew, and he easily recovered it.

Had the Cowboys managed to recover the fumble here, they would’ve taken over right around the 20-yard line and had a golden opportunity to stake out a two-score lead early on in the second half. Instead, the Giants kept the ball and went on to kick a field goal on that drive.