Cowboys Addressing Big-Picture Issues Two Weeks into the Season
FRISCO — The day after the Cowboys won a game against their NFC East rival, the New York Giants, there are some big-picture issues that need addressing two weeks into the season.
Pass rush. Pass coverage. Penalties. Poise. Health.
Pass Rush Problems
On Monday, the Cowboys addressed the pass rush problem by officially signing Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year deal. The Clowney signing is more of an indictment of what’s currently on the roster in the aftermath of the Micah Parsons trade.
After two weeks, the Cowboys have four sacks and 11 quarterback hits. Parsons alone has 1 ½ sacks with four quarterback hits.
Clowney, a man with 58 career sacks, is someone who draws attention to himself off the edge, similar to what Kenny Clark is doing as a defensive tackle.
“We just are in the business of adding good football players,” coach Brian Schottenheimer said. “And he’s a damn good football player, a guy that we’ve all seen play at a high level for a long time and the reason we brought him in was to figure out where he was from a conditioning standpoint, where he was mentally. I think he checked all those boxes for us. He’s hungry. He has missed it.”
Pass Coverage Concerns
Defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus must deal with the aftereffects of pass coverage that was torched for 450 yards by Russell Wilson on Sunday. The Cowboys play a zone coverage at least 95% of the time and after two weeks, this defense allowed eight pass plays of 20 or more yards, with seven of those plays coming in the Giants game.
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Is it time to play more man coverage, or will Clowney’s presence solve these problems by getting pressure on the quarterback for hurried throws? Personnel changes at safety, where there’s a clear communication and on-field awareness issue, is something worth exploring.
Donovan Wilson and Malik Hooker are the safeties. Several times, cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and Kaiir Elam let receivers run past them in zone coverage, thinking a safety was waiting on the back end.
“The only negatives we really have is miscommunication,” Elam said. “It was definitely something that we learned from right away. We adjusted it in the game, especially in the overtime.”
Elam believes it’s an easy fix.
Penalties and Poise
The loss of starting corner DaRon Bland (foot) complicates matters at least for another week. It’s doubtful he’ll play at Chicago in Week 3, so Eberflus is left to manage what’s at his disposal on the roster.
On Sunday, the Cowboys were penalized 12 times for 106 yards. The special teams unit was flagged seven times. On one play, receiver CeeDee Lamb got popped for taunting, which offset three penalties called against the Giants.
You could say some of the penalties are combative, but two false start infractions have nothing to do with that. One of the delay of game penalties was about field positioning, and an illegal shift call was declined. The only one of the day.
Penalties and poise are almost in the same realm. Play under control and yellow flags remain in the referee’s pockets.
Health Concerns
On top of these issues is the health of this team. Starting center Cooper Beebe is out six-to-eight weeks with a severely sprained ankle. After getting placed on injured reserve/return, he’ll miss at least the next four games.
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Kick returner KaVontae Turpin has a trapezius injury and said he hopes to play Sunday in Chicago.
And despite the problems, Schottenheimer noted his team didn’t practice well last week. He called last Friday’s practice “lethargic” and almost forced the team to restart, but “they answered the call, so I didn’t have to.”
The Cowboys did win a football game on Sunday, moving to 1-1 heading into Chicago. So that’s a positive, yet, Schottenheimer said there are issues to clean up.
“But I do feel like this, when you win games, you can almost be harder on the guys and our process is always the same, we’re not too high, not too low,” he said. “It’s good to be able to make corrections when you find a way to win and you show the competitive stamina, the fight and the will to win that our guys showed last night. It’s easier to make those corrections.”
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Conclusion
The Cowboys have addressed some of their big-picture issues, but there is still work to be done. With the signing of Jadeveon Clowney, the team hopes to improve their pass rush and subsequently their pass coverage. However, penalties and health concerns still linger. The team will need to work on these issues if they want to succeed in the upcoming weeks.
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: Who did the Cowboys sign to address their pass rush problem?
A: The Cowboys signed Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year deal to address their pass rush problem.
Q: How many sacks does Jadeveon Clowney have in his career?
A: Jadeveon Clowney has 58 career sacks.
Q: What is the status of starting center Cooper Beebe?
A: Starting center Cooper Beebe is out six-to-eight weeks with a severely sprained ankle.
Q: How many penalties did the Cowboys have in their last game?
A: The Cowboys had 12 penalties for 106 yards in their last game.
