FRISCO, Texas – This is not so much an excuse, and there should be no excuses for a 5-2 team, tying for the fourth-best record in the NFL, though the problem is just the third best in the NFC East where the Eagles (6-0) and Giants (6-1) have combined for just one loss, and that belonging to the Cowboys.
Nope, more of a summer reminder of just how young this Cowboys team really is, now nearly half the current 53-man roster (25) in no more than NFL Year 3. That’s a lot of youth.
And to think, nine of those 25 are starters on the team’s official depth chart for this week’s game against the Chicago Bears, all a prime example of head coach Mike McCarthy’s “draft and develop” philosophy.
Let’s consider, starting with the offensive line. Three of the starting five are in no more than their third seasons, with of course rookie Tyler Smith now with all of seven NFL games under his belt. And even a fourth, Connor McGovern, is in just his fourth, the left guard a fulltime starter for the first time
Then move to tight end. Initially thought this would be one of the weakest groups on the team, but mostly because of the unknown. Sure, starter Dalton Schultz is franchised in his fifth year, but behind him was going to be two rookies, fourth-round pick Jake Ferguson and undrafted rookie free agent Peyton Hendershot.
Well, those two rookies have stepped to the plate, each now with a touchdown reception, and having become the driving force behind the Cowboys utilizing so many two- and three-tight end sets. The key? Not being afraid to play the youngsters.
Oh, and we forget since he’s already played in 39 games, CeeDee Lamb, the team’s leading receiver (37 for 449 yards and two touchdowns), is in just his third season. And don’t forget, second-year Matt Farniok had become the backup center/guard and then pulling some fullback duty until tearing that hammy and landing on IR.
Defensively, we forget two of the biggest stars, Micah Parsons and Trevon Diggs, are in just their second and third seasons, respectively. Parsons, with eight sacks, is just a half-sack shy of tying for the NFL lead. And Diggs, with his three interceptions, is tied for second most, one behind the leaders.
The two listed starting defensive tackles, Osa Odighizuwa and Quinton Bohanna, are second-year players. Neville Gallimore in just his third as part of the rotation inside. And you are just witnessing the emergence of rookie defensive end Sam Williams, the team’s second-round pick.
And with Jourdan Lewis ending up on IR following surgery to repair Sunday’s Lisfranc fracture, the Cowboys will turn to another youngin’, fifth-round rookie DaRon Bland to jump in as the slot corner. Plus, let’s not forget rookie returner KaVontae Turpin, one kickoff return short of ranking second in both average punt and kickoff returns.
See what I mean? All this with a _shot_ to continue improving with more than half the season still to play.
- Hail Emmitt: Twenty years ago Thursday, Oct. 27, 2002, at Texas Stadium, Emmitt Smith broke Walter Payton’s long-standing career rushing record of 16,726 with his 109-yard performance against Seattle to reach 16,743 career yards that day. Payton broke Jim Brown’s record of 12,312 yards in 1984. Emmitt played two more years after that 2002 season with the Arizona Cardinals, finishing with his 18,355 yards that still stands today.
- Halfway There: After just seven games, the Cowboys have five wins. If they can win at least five of the final 10, giving them at least 10 for 2022, this would be the first time the Cowboys have put together back-to-back double-digit win seasons since accomplishing that feat in six straight seasons from 1991-96. That tied the franchise high, first set from 1968-73 with six.
- Huge Human: Make way for defensive tackle Johnathan Hankins, the Cowboys recent trade acquisition for peanuts. The Cowboys are listing the 11th-year veteran at 320 pounds. Online he’s listed at 340. If we split the difference then, how about 330? And standing in…
Read More: These Young Cowboys Growing Up Fast