Cowboys news: Taking inventory of Dallas’ roster during the bye week

STATE OF THE COWBOYS: BYE WEEK IMPROVEMENTS WE NEED TO SEE - Mario Herrera Jr, Inside The Star

Despite being 4-2, a lot of work can be done to improve this team.

RED ZONE EFFICIENCY

Red Zone TD %: 39.1

NFL Rank: 26th

Another area where Cowboys fans are used to better efficiency is the red zone.

From 20 to 20, Dallas is one of the best offenses in the league when it comes to moving the football.

Once they get inside the 20 yard line, the offense is much less effective.

Dallas has converted only 39.1% of their red zone trips into touchdowns, down from a league leading 71.4% in 2022.

It’s difficult to determine exactly what the issue is, and why the offense has been so ineffective in the red area.

With a gauntlet of a schedule after the bye week, red zone touchdowns instead of field goals will be the difference between wins and losses.

Dallas Cowboys Fined for Violent Hits on Chargers; NFL To Crack Down on Fights - Mike Fisher, Sports Illustrated

The league was not a fan of Dallas’ pregame skirmish last week.

A trio of Dallas Cowboys have been punished for their involvement in a variety of incidents in the team’s Week 6 win at the Los Angeles Chargers ... with more punishment to come for future behaviors across the league when it comes to fighting.

Taking a financial hit for their “unnecessary roughness’’ hits in the 20-17 win on Monday night are defensive end Dorance Armstrong, safety Markquese Bell and safety Jayron Kearse.

Armstrong and Kearse will each pay a fine of $21,855 while Bell will owe $4,681.

The second-quarter hit involving Kearse is one the Cowboys (and Kearse himself) consider a tricky one. He was fined for a helmet-to-helmet tackle of L.A. quarterback Justin Herbert ... a play that also drew a 15-yard penalty flag during the game. ... and a subject of debate because Herbert began the process of a slide while Kearse was already lined up to make a tackle.

Kearse’s hit also drew a 15-yard penalty during the game.

But arguably the biggest issue going forward in the NFL announcing on Sunday its plan to crack down on the sort of brawls that took place before a handful of games last week, including one at L.A. in which Dallas defensive end Dante Fowler took a swing at the head of Chargers running back Austin Ekeler, the blow fully knocking Ekeler’s helmet off his head.

Predicting every game remaining on Cowboys schedule after 4-2 start- Randy Gurzi, The Landry Hat

How do you expect this season to end?

Week 8 Dallas Cowboys vs. Los Angeles Rams

They were in Los Angeles before the bye and after, they will host the other franchise from the City of Angels. The Rams were Super Bowl winners following the 2021 season but haven’t been the same since. Dallas beat them with Cooper Rush last year and while the Rams are improved from the team we saw then, they’re still not going to be able to handle the Cowboys defense — especially if Micah Parsons continues to play with the fire he’s shown so far this year.

Prediction: Cowboys 24, Rams 17

Record: 5-2

Week 9 Dallas Cowboys at Philadelphia Eagles

At 5-2, the Cowboys face the Philadelphia Eagles for the first time as they head to the City of Brotherly Love. Dallas often struggles with the Eagles and this prediction has them dropping a game by more than one score. They have the talent to beat Philly but their offense is still a work in progress and traveling to a hostile crowd impacts them.

Prediction: Eagles 28, Cowboys 16

Record: 5-3

4 Areas Cowboys desperately need to improve in after the bye - Ben Grimaldi, Cowboys Wire

Hopefully, McCarthy has spent the off week focusing on these four things.

Get CeeDee Lamb more involved

Although the Cowboys are finding it difficult to work their way into rhythm on offense, it’s not from their lack of skill players. The team has some elite weapons that need to be used more and put in better position to succeed.

Lamb is an All-Pro WR who must be more involved in the offense. The Prescott-Lamb connection is one of the best in the league, connecting 81% of the time. The issue is that Lamb only has 42 targets through six weeks, and just one game with more than seven targets. Those 42 passes going his way is tied for 28th in the league, which is woefully short on opportunities for Lamb.

It’s no surprise that when Lamb is involved, the offense has success. The Cowboys are 2-0 when Lamb has 100 yards or more receiving and 3-0 when the receiver has over 77 yards. In the win over the Chargers, Prescott was perfect when targeting Lamb.

NFL Rumors: 3 low-key trades Cowboys can make at deadline - Cody Williams, FanSided

A few names that would assist an up-and-down Dallas team.

3. Hunter Renfrow, WR, Las Vegas Raiders

Dallas Cowboys

RECEIVE

WR Hunter Renfrow

Las Vegas Raiders

RECEIVE

2025 Fifth-Round Pick

2024 Seventh-Round Pick

Hunter Renfrow, the dimunutive slot receiver for the Las Vegas Raiders, has enjoyed plenty of success in the NFL despite coming into the league as a fifth-round pick back in 2019. He made a Pro Bowl in 2021 with a 103-catch, 1,038-yard seasonw ith nine touchdowns. In the two years prior, he also had at least 49 catches with 600+ yards.

Over the past two seasons, though, Renfrow’s role has been severely diminished after the arrival of Davante Adams. No, the two players aren’t that similar, but Adams commands such a role in the offense that Renfrow’s target share and general looks in the Raiders offense have been almost nonexistent. He’s played in six games this season and has just six catches on nine targets for 59 yards.

As the Raiders look to reshape and add more pieces to the roster, they could view Renfrow as more valuable as a trade asset than as someone who can help the team. His usage thus far in the 2023 campaign indicates as much.

The Cowboys, meanwhile, could use a slot possession receiver in the worst way. CeeDee Lamb is a do-it-all threat, but the likes of Michael Gallup and Brandin Cooks haven’t filled a true role in the current offense. Renfrow could help open up the field for everyone if he can get back to his previous form, which seems like a worthwhile bet as he might only cost a Day 3 pick from this year and next year’s draft.

Report: Cowboys aim to extend Dak Prescott this offseason - Brandon Loree, Blogging The Boys

It seems that QB1 will be sticking around.

On his current deal, Prescott will have almost a $60 million hit against the 2024 salary cap. NFL Insider Diana Russini of The Athletic says the Cowboys see a new contract extension with their franchise signal-caller could be the solution.

Through the ups and downs, Prescott has consistently had the organization’s support. With that in mind, when will the Cowboys extend Prescott’s contract?

Cowboys executive Stephen Jones told me while walking out of the Omni Hotel this week, “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.”

Russini also points out the $60 million cap hit would be on the wrong side of an NFL record, and Prescott has a no-trade, no-tag clause in his contract.

Prescott has been highly productive in Dallas during the regular season, leading the team to a 65-38 record, but with a 2-4 playoff record. The two playoff wins have never gotten the Cowboys to an NFC Championship season, a long-running problem for the franchise. Hopefully, that will change in 2023.

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