Cowboys News: Dallas top receiving trio does elite damage in Week 1

3 & Out: ‘Runaway’ Best Receiver Trio? - Rob Phillips, DallasCowboys.com

One big reason for the Cowboys putting on such a show through the air on Sunday was the impressive play from their top three wide receivers. Amari Cooper, Michal Gallup, and Randall Cobb have already made the case for being the best receiver trio in the NFL.

In Week 1, the Cowboys’ top three wideouts all ranked in the top 30 among receivers in yards after catch: Gallup (3rd; 76 yards), Cobb (11th; 41 yards) and Cooper (27th; 22 yards), according to ESPN.

Cooper added that big-play dimension to the offense when he arrived in the second half of last season. He finished the year tied for 10th among receivers in yards after catch (411).

Cobb, too, can turn a 10-yard play into 40. In 2017, his most recent full-ish season, he produced about the same total (409) with Green Bay. His 14-yard catch and run in the second quarter Sunday – an excellent second effort to break a tackle from cornerback Antonio Hamilton – set up Jason Witten’s touchdown.

And now the development of Gallup, the team’s third-round draft pick a year ago, could push this receiving core to new heights. Gallup is picking up right where he left off in preseason as Prescott’s main target during the month Cooper missed with a heel injury.

COWBOYS SIGN PRACTICE SQUAD LB CHRIS COVINGTON, CUT RB JORDAN CHUNN - Jess Haynie, Inside the Star

Even though the Cowboys are still basking in the glow of their dominant win, there are roster moves to be made, and that happened on Tuesday. With Ezekiel Elliott now getting a full week’s worth of practice, the team looks to aid their special teams lineup.

Dallas now has seven linebackers on the official roster. One of them, Luke Gifford, is still healing from an ankle injury and was inactive last week against the Giants.

But on top of that, backup LB Justin March didn’t play a single defensive snap in Week 1. Joe Thomas only played one snap, and Sean Lee was only used on about 16% of the defensive plays.

Given those figures, adding Chris Covington appears to be about giving Dallas a preferred player on special teams.

Dallas likely kept Jordan Chunn last week due to Ezekiel Elliott’s brief opportunity to practice. But Chunn didn’t play at all on offense, and the Cowboys do have Fullback Jamize Olawale who can be utilized as an emergency third RB if needed.

Cowboys’ DeMarcus Lawrence denies autograph to a young Giants fan - Shanna McCarriston, CBS Sports

There shouldn’t be any doubt about the state of the rivalry between the Cowboys and Giants after DeMarcus Lawrence made headlines Tuesday morning for a video where he savagely denied an autograph to a young Giants fan.

As the Cowboys were heading to their bus after beating the New York Giants in their home opener, a young fan walked up to him asking for an autograph. It is important to note this fan was wearing a Saquon Barkley jersey. The bold fan walked right up to Lawrence, yelling, “DeMarcus, DeMarcus” and holding out something for him to sign. Lawrence took one look at the kid’s jersey, shook his head and kept walking.

”You need the right jersey, son,” the defensive end said.

Lawrence responded to criticism on Twitter:

”It’s crazy how you fans want to attack me for not signing for a kid,” he wrote. “It’s more than one kid that come to the game with Cowboys jerseys and never get to meet any player. So if I’m honest with my own kids I will never treat your kid better than mine so suck it up.”

Week 2 Power Rankings Roundup: Cowboys move into Top 10 across board - Tony Thompson, Cowboys Wire

The Cowboys came into the season with high expectations and lived up to them, if only for a week so far. Still, now that every game from the first week of the NFL has been played, the Cowboys are seeing a rise in power rankings all across the media.

3. Dallas Cowboys, 1-0 (5)

How about Sporting News’ Super Bowl 54 pick throwing down a statement offensive performance with Dak Prescott? The Giants aren’t very good, but the Cowboys proved they have the explosive scoring potential to further raise the complementary football pop for their defense.

8. Dallas Cowboys (1-0, LW: 10)

Dak Prescott was great, Ezekiel Elliott will be back to his normal workload soon, Amari Cooper is still a big-play threat and Jason Witten can play a role. And offensive coordinator Kellen Moore seems to be a significant upgrade. But the biggest difference might be second-year receiver Michael Gallup. His seven-catch, 158-yard game was a continuation of an impressive preseason. His breakout is going to be massive for the Cowboys.

Jourdan Lewis, La’el Collins join Prescott among Cowboys PFF loved Week 1 - Tony Thompson, Cowboys Wire

Pro Football Focus released their team of the week on Tuesday morning and it featured two Cowboys whose impressive performances on Sunday went overlooked by the explosion from Dak Prescott and his receivers.

Right tackle La’el Collins came in as the highest rated offensive linemen in the entire league.

There is often talk about the heights the Dallas line is capable of reaching, but Collins is often left out of the discussion. His recent contract signing was a surprise to a lot of people, not only because of that ever shrinking pie owner Jerry Jones talks so much about, but also the recent draft picks along the line led most to believe that he would become a free agent after the 2019 season.

Lewis was the best defensive player on the field for the Cowboys in their win over the New York Giants, standing out in coverage in particular. On the field for 27 coverage snaps, he allowed just one reception that went for just six yards. To top it off, he added a pass breakup and finished the game having allowed an NFL passer rating of 56.3 on throws into his coverage.

Big Picture: 5 Storylines For Cowboys & Redskins - DallasCowboys.com Staff

As the celebration starts to die down from Sunday, it’s time for the Cowboys to start looking onward to their next matchup, which is another divisional foe in the Redskins. It’s also the Cowboys’ first road game of the season.

The Redskins were so excited about the return of Derrius Guice, who missed all of last season with a knee injury. But it didn’t last long as Guice suffered an injury to his other knee, resulting in further evaluations this week. His timetable for return is unclear but it won’t be this week against the Cowboys.

Future Hall of Famer Adrian Peterson is now expected to play more this week for the Redskins with Guice injured. Peterson wasn’t happy about being inactive for the Week 1 matchup against the Eagles. His teammates didn’t take it well either, as lineman Morgan Moses called it a “slap in the face” not to have a Canton-bound player on the field.

BTB Podcast

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