Cowboys news: Jerry Jones believes Dallas is in ‘upper echelon’ of the NFL

Jerry Jones says Cowboys in “upper echelon” of NFL - Charean Williams, Pro Football Talk

After some tough losses this season, it hasn’t shaken the owner’s confidence in his Dallas Cowboys

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones thinks it puts them right in the thick of the NFC race.

“Well, we belong in the upper echelons,” Jones said on his weekly radio on 105.3 The Fan. “I’m not going to say we belong on the field with San Fran, and we haven’t played Philly, but we’ve anticipated Philadelphia being what they look like. I don’t want to go that far, but we’re in the upper echelon.”

The Cowboys’ victories are over the Giants, Jets, Patriots and Chargers, teams with a combined 9-17 record. The Cowboys’ losses were blowouts to the Cardinals (28-16) — Arizona’s only victory in seven games — and the 49ers (42-10).

Jones, though, was appeased by San Francisco’s back-to-back losses to Cleveland and Minnesota.

“I would’ve liked to have played better against the 49ers,” Jones said. “I, of course, watched with interest in this entire weekend’s games, but certainly that one last night. You see a team step up and play like Minnesota did, and their quarterback did, they can be had, the 49ers. Then, you also see a Minnesota team that needs to be reckoned with down the road.”

Brandin Cooks looking to build on breakout game - Nick Harris, DallasCowboys.com

The Cowboys need to continue the momentum with Brandin Cooks.

Since his arrival, Cooks has always preached a personal philosophy of trusting the process, and that continues to ring true as he finds his footing in the Cowboys offense.

“I think it was just one of those things that the opportunity showed its hand,” Cooks said. “Like I’ve always said, I’m just gonna trust the process and when the opportunity comes, I’m gonna try to take advantage of it. It just happened to be on Monday night.”

The offense found a bit of a stride against the Chargers despite the point total not completely reflecting that, as Cooks hopes to find more consistency with the entire group.

“I just hope we can continue to build on that for many reasons,” Cooks said. “To help guys around me, to help CeeDee [Lamb] stay open or [Michael Gallup], whatever the case may be. I look at it as continuing to trust the process and when your number is called, be there to make the play.”

Cooks will look to continue to make plays starting with this week’s matchup against a former team of his in the Los Angeles Rams. While that would be a significant game for some, Cooks’ entire career has consisted of sporadic matchups against former teams.

“I’ve been able to play former teams – pretty much all of my former teams – in years past,” he said. “I think now I’m so far removed. Like this week, I look at it as another opportunity to go out and do what I can to help my team win and to keep the momentum going from the week before the bye.”

NFL Teams That Would Regret Being Idle at the 2023 Trade Deadline - Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report

The Cowboys could look to improve a few places on their roster.

The Dallas Cowboys got back on track to a degree in last Monday’s win over the Los Angeles Chargers. While the Cowboys look like a playoff team, however, they don’t look like an elite NFC contender.

Blowout losses to the lowly Cardinals and the high-powered San Francisco 49ers have left Dallas looking more like a team destined for another early playoff exit. Red-zone efficiency remains a massive issue—the Cowboys have converted just 39.1 percent of their red-zone trips into touchdowns—while run defense has left something to be desired.

Dallas is allowing an average of 4.2 yards per carry this season.

Offensively, the Cowboys could target a power back like Henry or perhaps a complementary tight end like Tonyan. Defensively, they might consider a defensive lineman like Billings or a linebacker like the Minnesota Vikings’ Jordan Hicks.

It could also make sense for Dallas to target a cornerback like Johnson, given Trevon Diggs’ season-ending ACL tear.

First Look: Rams travel to Dallas to take on Cowboys in Week 8 - Stu Jackson, TheRams.com

It’s good to take a look at how opposing teams view the upcoming match in Dallas.

A great nugget from Voice of the Rams J.B. Long in his game preview last Friday: Beginning with Week 7, four of Los Angeles’ remaining 11 opponents will be coming off of a bye. The first of those opponents was the Steelers in Week 7; the second will be the Cowboys in Week 8.

So, the Rams will be getting a well-rested Cowboys team playing at home in Dallas.

The Cowboys are also coming off of a complementary performance in their Week 6 win over the Chargers, having played a mostly-clean game offensively (one turnover) and getting timely plays from defense and special teams between Aubrey’s go-ahead field goal and the game-clinching interception by Gilmore.

Collectively, those are all positive signs for Dallas that L.A. will have to contend with on Sunday.

Meanwhile, the Rams’ offensive line will face another big pass-rush test in Cowboys linebacker Micah Parsons, who is once again playing like a Defensive Player of the Year candidate.

This is also a homecoming game for Rams offensive lineman Steve Avila, a native of Arlington.

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