Cowboys news: Dallas will have a new-look running game in 2023

Tony Pollard and the running game will be more focused on touches than carries - Jermaine Arvie, Inside the Star

Back when Ezekiel Elliott was with the Cowboys and the team was coached by Jason Garrett, Dallas used a high volume of carries for Ezekiel Elliot to help grind out wins. Now with Tony Pollard and a slew of new faces at running back, times have changed.

Last year, Elliott ended the year with more touches than Tony Pollard. He tilted the scale in carries and ended up winning by a hair. Tony will receive most of the carries this season, but Deuce Vaughn and Hunter Luepke will get their chance.

In Mike McCarthy’s Green Bay tenure, running backs in his West Coast system needed to be able to catch the ball. The screen game played a large part in the offense in addition to the quarterback throwing to the check releases. In 2011, specifically, which was the year after Green Bay won the Super Bowl, they went 15–1 under McCarthy. They had a balanced attack conducive to what Aaron Rodgers wanted to do.

The running backs, led by Ryan Grant and James Starks, split carries almost evenly. More importantly, they knew how to run routes. For Grant, he hauled in 19 receptions on 24 targets, and Starks 29 receptions on 37 targets. That’s an additional 48 touches in 16 games. It doesn’t sound like much in a vacuum; throwing in the extra 15 receptions on 18 targets for James Kuhn makes for a very accurate quarterback.

WE CAN ARGUE THAT DALLAS’ RUNNING BACKS ARE MUCH MORE PASS FRIENDLY THAN 2011 GREEN BAY GROUP

I’m not going to tell you anything you don’t already know. Tony Pollard is the former receiver turned full-time running back. This comparison could be a stretch, but Roger Craig is written all over him. He’s agile, and most importantly, he can catch the rock.

According to Pro Football Focus, Pollard lined up 24 snaps in the slot and 36 out wide. Ideally, if McCarthy and Schottenheimer use TP20 right, 15 – 18 carries and six targets would make for a healthy day.That’s shy of 25 total touches to stay involved in the offense. But what about the rookies Luepke and Vaughn?

Michael Irvin reaches settlement in Marriott lawsuit, returns to NFL Network today - Michael Gehlken, DMN

Michael Irvin reached a settlement with Marriott in his $100 million defamation lawsuit against the hotel chain, and he is expected to appear on NFL Network on Sunday morning for the first time since a woman accused him in February of making lewd comments in an Arizona hotel lobby, a person familiar with the situation told TheDallas Morning News.

Defensive approaches in Cowboys-Giants might be polar opposites - Reid Hanson, Cowboys Wire

They often say that styles make fights and in the competitive NFC East, that rings especially true. Tonight’s game should be a slugfest. However, the men at the helm for each defense should present a different challenge to the opposing offenses.

Cowboys’ defensive weaknesses

It’s hard to find any weaknesses on the Cowboys’ sideline. Considered one of, if not the, best defensive units in the NFL this season, Dallas looks to be deep and dominant in 2023. But if one area could be identified as a weakness on Dan Quinn’s unit, it’s the run defense. Aside from the veteran Johnathan Hankins, the Cowboys don’t have much proven stoutness in the middle.

The rookie 1-tech, Mazi Smith, has flashed both good and bad. Fourth-year DT Neville Gallimore took a surprising step in his development but he would be a deep rotational option at best. The majority of the players at DT look more like undersized gap-shooters than traditional run-stuffers. The LB corps is equally short on depth, with only three true off-ball LBs on the roster.

The Cowboys have some well-rounded DEs on the roster, but they traditionally struggle with containing mobile QBs like Daniel Jones. The Giants running game, led by Saquon Barkley, could be in store for a big day against Dallas if Quinn gives them the right looks. Too much off coverage and thinly-populated boxes would be ideal for Barkley and the Giants running game.

Giants’ defensive weaknesses

New York has dedicated many resources to fixing their defense. They’ve improved across the board and appear to be a formidable force in 2023. But with two rookie CBs slated to start on the outside, their secondary looks to be abnormally inexperienced and rife for potential mistakes.

That sets an interesting stage for the game because the Cowboys have some of the more intriguing WRs in the NFL this season. Gone are the days of Noah Brown being the WR2 in Dallas. The Cowboys now have an explosive unit that runs four-deep.

Updates: Malik Hooker questionable, two elevated- Dallas Cowboys Staff Writers, dallascowboys.com

Ahead of Sunday’s game, the Cowboys made a few roster moves and announced Malik Hooker is questionable..

September 9 Updates

Malik Hooker has been added to the Week 1 injury report against the Giants with an illness, just ahead of the team’s departure for New York.

It’s being described as procedural and the expectation is that the veteran safety will take the field on Sunday night.

The Cowboys also elevated two players from the practice squad — C.J. Goodwin and Brock Hoffman — to the gameday roster this week.

Goodwin is the resident special teams ace and Hoffman provides insurance in the event Tyler Smith, who is nursing a hamstring strain, is deemed unavailable against the Giants.

September 8 Updates

Head coach Mike McCarthy said on his Friday conference call with the media that Tyler Smith (hamstring) and Tyron Smith (ankle) both participated in the team’s mock game on Friday morning, and that he hopes to get both along with Donovan Wilson (calf) back on the practice field for Saturday.

“They were both part of the mock game [on Friday],” McCarthy said. “Tomorrow, as of right now, they’re scheduled to be limited [for the team’s walk-through], both Tyron and Tyler as well as Dono. Dono is gonna do more than he did yesterday. We’re making progress. The reality of it is if they don’t take the necessary reps in tomorrow’s practice, that’ll probably tell us the story for Sunday night.”

Cowboys or Giants could easily be NFC East’s only 0-1 team after Sunday-Jess Haynie, Blogging the Boys

Misery loves company. Of course, the hope is the Cowboys win against the New York Giants tonight. Yet, should they lose they are likely the only winless team in the NFC East after the first week.

The Washington Commanders have one of the better matchups of the entire Week 1 schedule, hosting the Arizona Cardinals in what is already looking like a lost season for them. All signs are that Arizona is in tank mode for 2023, giving the Commanders a very soft entry into their regular-season schedule.

The Eagles will have a tougher test, traveling to New England to open against the Patriots. But the reigning NFC Champions are still favored in this one; Philadelphia is generally seen as the best in their conference while the Patriots aren’t even expected to make the AFC playoffs.

Of course, projections early in the season aren’t always trustworthy. While the Cardinals’ perceived issues are hard to deny, the Patriots are still coached by Bill Belichick and were only 8-9 in a rare losing season in 2022. With some time in the lab and offseason moves, New England could be more competitive than most expect.

That said, if the consensus opinions hold, the Commanders and Eagles should both be 1-0 to start the season. That means when the Cowboys and Giants kick off on Sunday night, they’ll be looking to match their rivals and avoid being the only losing team in the NFC East.

Sure, it’s a small thing in the grand scheme. The loser could win their next three or four and soon be the division leader. By the end of Week 2, the entire division could be tied at 1-1. There’s going to be a whole lot of season left after Sunday night for things to balance out and for the cream to rise to the top.

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