Dallas Cowboys 2024: What to Expect? | Exclusive Preview with RJ Ochoa

all right we're talking Dallas Cowboys football on the RADS football network and the RADS football YouTube channel and that means RJ AOA is joining us the editorinchief for bloggingtheboys.com how's it going RJ going well G great to be with you um I love seeing your face because it means football season is here and around the corner um so you know like Pavlov you're associated with well not like Pavlov I guess unlike him you're associated with very good things in my mind so uh very nice I like to I like to you know that's that's great and I have nothing else to say uh all right so let's go ahead and get into this then RJ uh before we do I want to remind everybody about bloggingtheboys.com so if you're a Cowboy fan out there you have no idea what I'm talking about shame on you uh but uh tell us a little bit about it and also uh tell us a little bit about the videos that you put out uh which I'm assuming are are streaming and also available on YouTube yeah so um bloging the boy ESP nation's home for Dallas Cowboys content has been since 2005 um you know we don't sleep we're we consume ourselves with this team because we're masochists at heart um and uh we've got articles that come out all the time obviously and our YouTube channel um is um is the most subscribed to individual team Channel across all of SP Nation um and so you know I I'm incredibly narcissistic so it's my face that you see on there and uh talking about the latest events obviously with the team all the time 247 365 although 366 in this leap and um yeah I mean we have postgame stuff obviously we have stuff looking forward to every game now that it's the kind of Rhymes and rhythms of the season um our most popular thing by far which is a testament to today's youth is our Madden simulations that we do every week it's no commentary whatsoever it's literally just a Madden simulation and uh people care about that so those are coming around the bend soon enough uh but uh yeah it's um it's that time of year and I couldn't be uh more grateful to do it again this I've been doing this for blogging the boy since 2018 and uh all the time has flown by yeah uh and covering a team like to Dallas Cowboys there's a lot of responsibility with that so I'm sure you're happy about that too and pleased to uh be the one that is the uh at your editor and chief man you're the boss so stops with you all right let's and it starts with you so let's go ahead and start this preview of the upcoming season for the Cowboys and start first of all start off with any any major injuries out there that we need to keep an eye on players that are potentially not going to start the season uh you know on the regular lineup in the regular roster I would say that the most notable ones so far um through half half of August have been same Williams obviously towards ACL he was the cowboy second round draft pick uh in two years ago um so that kind of vaulted this year's second round draft pick Marshon nean up the dep chart which our Liv does a great job of obviously letting everybody know um and as far as the current current moment and and the way things kind of project into the immediate future uh Marshon was the second round draft pick this year Tyler gon was the first round draft pick and I think it was presumed that he would ultimately be the starting left tackle at the very least for the majority of the Season maybe not initially you know how those things tend to go uh but chuma adoga who was the only real other candidate to start at left tackle uh suffered a toe injury in the first preseason game and is expected to miss four to six weeks so um again if you didn't think that the Tyler giden era would begin right away that idea kind of went out the window um I don't know if chuma is somebody who they'll want to IR stash they want to carry on the initial 53 whatever the case may be just because the timeline kind of works to where he could come back sooner rather than later relative to the regular season but those are the main ones as things stand right now all right and then let's talk about Mr did not report so what's going on with uh CD of course we've got to talk about this but and we don't we're not GNA go totally in depth uh you can check out uh bloging the boys for that but what's what's the latest yeah I mean apologize for you know the same things being true and obvious and redundant but I mean he didn't report um for what it's worth um so August 14th of last year was the day that the team restructured Zack Martin steel and he got what he wanted um so we're we're Farther Along here right we we're deeper down the rabbit hole um than things got with Zach we're not quite to the place that things reached with Zeke Elliott 5 years ago that went all the way into September um just a couple of days but still um so this isn't unprecedented these aren't quite uncharted waters but this is this is real this is serious um now for people who don't know the Cowboys kind of split training camp it's not quite 50-50 but um they have their Oxnard portion and then after they wrap up they're kind of West Coast prees in activity they return home to the star and Frisco and and conclude Camp locally obviously a lot of teams do it locally for the whole thing um they're very close to to wrapping up the Oxnard portion and I would assume at this point that CD is not going to touch the field there in in California and so that's notable that's significant I mean no matter how you want to look at it and I mean he has the term leverage has been the most used one obviously as far as all content we've created all offseason because of everything um I don't know that CD has the leverage that Dak Prescott has but he has an enormous amount he is coming off of for anyone who's unaware the most statistically successful season that any wide receiver has ever had in franchise history and he achieved all of the important marks in six regular season games that Saturday night game against the Detroit Lions with the crazy speaking of did not report um on the two-point conversion attempt um that that was you know that was when he surpassed all important measures uh so this is I mean it's a very simple thing they let the Justin Jefferson deal get done people can whine and complain about how Jefferson is better this is a supply and demand world this is the market I mean we've equated it to houses and cars and all sorts of things to try to get people to understand but some people still won't um it seems like it's just a matter of getting it done in fact earlier this week Adam shefer said on NFL live that everybody knows what the number should be it's just a matter of getting it done so this this seems I'm not gonna be presumptuous enough to say that a almost $200 million contract would be easy to to sort of orchestrate but it does kind of seem easy relative to the way everybody else tends to handle these things so it's pretty much well what do you think the strategy then is on the Dallas Cowboy side on Jerry Jones side I think that they still think that playing for the Cowboys holds an inherent level of value that isn't obtainable anywhere else despite the fact that the most marketable player in the league plays in Kansas City Missouri and half half the people in the world think that that's in Kansas not in Missouri um and you know we see teams in Cleveland you know that are are Baker Mayfield when he was on the Browns was a worldwide household name some of that that he you know won the Heisman Trophy and things like that but I mean still I mean Baker obviously play with CD I mean you know you it isn't that world anymore right like the people aren't taking less to play for the Cowboys and yes there are amenities and there are Pros that come along with it in terms of Fame and adoration but there are cons in that respect too I mean do a Twitter search for Dak Prescott's name and you will see the cons um and so I I I think that they really think that despite 100% of History they can quote unquote win this negotiation it's worth mentioning that they have lost these over and over and over again Dak Prescott is a prime example they pushed him to the Limit and he shattered his ankle and still got the richest contract in franchise history Demarcus Lawrence is somebody who a lot of people think is overpaid and he might be relative to what he offers I think he's a very good player but he got the contract that he did because they placed the franchise tag on him he had a remarkable season he obtained all this Leverage The Dez Bryant deal that happened nine years ago took until the 11th Hour on the franchise tag deadline in the middle of July he was on the on the tag that year I mean over and over and over again Zack Martin a year ago I mean the Cowboys think that they can outwit Outlast outplay like it's Jeff probes on Survivor these guys and they can't they lose and they're going to lose with cidi eventually they're going to lose with Dak eventually and the amazing thing is that they're on the verge of going down this not even slippery this like outright soaking wet slope with Micah Parsons as well and allowing him to head into year four obviously without an extension himself so is it just do you think it's one of those things where it's like well like you said everybody knows what the number is they're probably they're going to have to pay him that they're like well let's just wait and make sure that I don't know nothing happens like something weird happens like I don't know he slips and Falls somewhere and I don't know I don't know what else because why else not do this unless you just well we know what the we know what the line is we know we can get to here so let's just wait it out and make sure that nothing weird happens in his Camp before we give him all this money if I had to come up with a level of logic that is behind this because I I have a difficult time finding it true to be that there's any but if there is a you know a metronome beating of logic so to speak it's that they like the attention that that's the most logical conclusion to me is that they you know I mean how many times like how many times have you seen you know Josh Allen and Keon Coleman highlights this this training camp period none you know you know like how many times do that you know first take or whatever but how many times have people discussed this subject at nauseum and so I I don't you know a lot of people think that the Cowboys are are that attention Seekers and and I don't you know I don't think that they're that way the way I would think a lot of national perception is um but they are that way in some senses you know that they they they are a horse or a zebra I guess that can't change all of their stripes and so there's no question that they enjoy this and the LOL thing you know a few weeks ago now or whatever 10 days ago whatever was um I think that they like this and and I think that they're Frugal I think that they're cheap and I I think that they also if you want to give them the smallest sense of Defense um the long-term deals that they have done early have burned them now that was with a running back in Zeke Elliott that was with an offall linebacker in Jaylen Smith that was with a right tackle in Terence steel last year that was with Trayvon dicks which was smart and we we patted them on the back hey well done you know look at your star Corner coming off his third year you pay him you did the smart thing and then he tore his ACL you know so I do think there's a little bit of like man Every Time We Touch This stove we burn our hands you know but again you're you're touching the stove we're not asking you to touch the stove we're asking you to you know touch the the parts of the oven that that aren't hot um so they're using this weird warped logic to justify their lack of activity all right well I mean and look it's not it's not like these uh agents don't know the track record either so they know that they have all the control at this point or at least it would appear so and then Dak speaking of Dak will Dak be here for the long term do you think he gets that his next biggest and maybe the last biggest contract I don't think it'll be last um at the very least in terms of his time in the NFL maybe the third extension won't be with Dallas I mean just given everything to this point but um I mean he's only 31 years old and and I would offer that this next one will probably be you know the the reports from a few months ago where that it might be in the three-year variety which would certainly set him up for another potential you know kind of bite at the Apple um but I do think this ultimately gets done I think that the Cowboys beyond their incompetence here are extraordinarily fortunate that CD is the only one holding out because Dak could totally hold out if he wanted to Micah could hold out if he wanted to it it is an incredibly fortuitous thing for Dallas that CD is the only one choosing not to be at training camp right now and they have already benefited from the grace of d Prescott and that he's this is the third time at least the third you know middle of August that they are pushing Dak into a contract D they did it in 2019 the final year of his rookie deal they obviously sent him into his franchise tag season in 2020 the one where he was injured and they were on the verge of doing it in 2021 before the July 15th deadline when they negotiated the deal that he's currently on so you're talking about three times now that they have sent him into the summer on the final year of a of his contract with the team and not just this isn't you know no disrespect to Kyler Murray but to use him as an example this isn't a number one overall pick that has disappointed relative to expectation this is a a fourth round lotto ticket that has been a dream Ambassador for you off of the field is is a remarkable human being on top of being a highly productive player who finished second in MVP voting last year and and again he's coming off of his best statistical individual season as well so it is extremely difficult to justify their positioning here maybe you put some level of St into well you can't get it done to the playoffs if you're somebody like that but I would offer can Josh Allen get it done in the playoffs can Justin Herbert get it done in the playoffs can true you know whatever the case may be we can go round and round and round here so I do think this ultimately gets done I think that they they still believe they can win whether it's it's years whether it's guaranteed money whether it's whatever but it's also worth mentioning and I I'm sorry to be long-winded on these things that they lost in every single capacity when it came to the last extension they lost on the time length they wanted they lost on the guaranteed money they lost on the annual average value and the the lesson that they can't understand is people say things like you can't give Dak $60 million a year you just can't do it whatever the the verbiage was you can't give him $40 million three years ago and I mean now $40 million like that is chump change for for a franchise quarterback and that's that's what this will ultimately become and there's they're so unwilling to trust that that that at some point you have to be the one to set the market and that soon enough everybody will fall on line behind you yeah because isn't he I believe isn't he like the last quarterback waiting for a contract I'm not sure there might be another one out there but they let everybody beat him this this offseason and now preseason period Jared Goff obviously got his bag from Detroit Trevor Lawrence got it from Jacksonville Jordan love and Green Bay and even two obviously in Miami so and and at wide receiver they've let everybody beat them now some of those were maybe a tier below the Devonte Smith the Jaylen wand those deals you know those were never price points that CD was going to agree to um but they let the Justin Jefferson deal get done the only one that's lingering that they could beat still is the Jamar Chase deal but and I suppose Brandon iuk if you think that he's ultimately gonna touch CD L money okay all right well lot going on big surprise and maybe like you said does make a lot of sense that this is just what Jerry wants so us talking about this for the first 15 minutes instead of just talking about the rest of the team but uh anyway and and you would think that at some point that if they weren't satisfied or they were questioning whether or not doc might not be here that they would have drafted a quarterback at some point in the second round third round fourth round just in case and there's nobody they don't have I mean I don't think they think Cooper Rush is the answer so Trey Lance I would I would offer the people think and suggest that Tre Lance is the answer at least they did before Sunday's preseason outing against the Rams um but the difficulty even if you want to to wander down that that trepid path is that this is the final year of tre Lance's rookie contract so even if you presume that they go through the whole season and that Dak walks in free agency to the Raiders of the giant the Titans or whoever now you've sat down with Trey Lance who understands and knows that he's your only option now he's got Lage yeah it's not quite the same leverage but it's it's the same level of stupidity in assigning it which is what they're guilty of over and over and over again whether it's Dak and cidi now Micah in the future Demarcus Lawrence in the past um Zeke Elliot when he forced it Zack Bon a year ago when he forced it they they just have an inability to get ahead of these things the way that other font offices are well uh and that kind of coincides with the fact that they still have this bad playoff record going on now for a long time and eventually you would hope that it's going toh come to an end uh do they have the right guy did did the fan base feel that Mike McCarthy is the right guy you know a year ago um I'm very fortunate to have people like you asked me to kind of preview the Cowboys season and and the question I got a lot was and I still get is does Mike McCarthy have to reach the NFC Championship Game to keep his job and the answer I gave a lot last year that I won't give this year is well how does he miss it right like is you know is it a is it a a game-winning field goal that like clangs off the upright do they get blown out like you know like the context of what of what happens or do if they get there do they get there because of a weird penalty or something like that like because then we would we would call it Hollow um so the context really mattered and all as the season went on I really just kind of became I I would offer maybe Mike's biggest Defender um in case anyone isn't aware the Cowboys have won double digit games three years in a row that hasn't happened since the Heyday of the 90s they've been a playoff team three years in a row that hasn't happened since the Heyday of the 90s um you know those aren't things that you hang banners for and and those are things that if they happen to other franchises I think they would be regarded as you know being among the better teams in the NFL if that were the case but this team lives in an extraordinarily large Shadow and is fighting the past and and obviously nobody will let them forget that um that being said the way they I I always said as we kind of went down the stretch that McCarthy had to return unless things went truly you know off script in the playoffs and they did and so my position after they lost was you got to move on at this point in time now they didn't and that is what it is he's also entering a contract year so you've got this added level of drama I mean this added level of unnecessary drama uh his whole staff is in a contract year including Mike Zimmer who's a brand new addition to it um but that being said there's only a single team in the NFL that has won more regular season games than them over the last three years and that isn't meant to be like you know cherry-picking he's been the coach for four years and that first year Dak Prescott broke his ankle so I mean I think we're you know if we're willing to kind of understand that's a bit of a mulligan um so in terms of time he's had Dak for the majority of the time he is one of the best coaches in the NFL in the regular season and I know that the jokes write themselves in that sense and you're trailing only Kansas City they're better than Buffalo they're better than Philadelphia they're better than Baltimore than Cincinnati than the Rams and all these teams and they can't get it done in the playoffs and it's amazing I mean it it truly is confounding and even within that they've lost to two teams in the playoffs one of them is the quarter or is quarterbacked by the dude who we all think is now like the Future Truth and Jordan love but we're not willing to give them any leniency for losing to this guy that we're anointing to be incredibly good for the foreseeable future and the other is this would be Dynasty if not for the Kansas City Chiefs but we act like well they're these losers because they lost to the Mighty San Francisco 49ers um which is kind of amazing you know when you break it down that way I do think that there's you know people look at like the bills and they give them this this pass of like well they just keep running into the Chiefs and like that's okay well these are their Chiefs you know they're just not winning the Super Bowl um and so I mean I say all that to say I I trust Mike McCarthy and and my last part of this diet tribe is and I would ask you if you agree if any other if Nick serani said you know what I'm going to take over play calling and the Eagles offense sword the exposes that would be written in the offseason would be insane it'd be Nick serani identified a problem he you know attacked it and and he was correct Mike McCarthy said you know what this offense that was very very very good I mean in fact it was the best in the NFL in many metrics under Kell Moore's supervision um he said I think this can be better and he dismissed Kell Moore and everybody said you know what Kellen he's going to light the world on fire with the Chargers and I know that they had injuries and things like that but that did not happen and on beyond that what happened was Mike was right you know CI had the best individual season of his career Dak had the best individual season of his career they were on fire on offense and have you seen anyone give him any semblance of credit for that I I understand he's an easy target because he lost a PR battle to Aaron roggers many moons ago but he deserves an enormous amount of credit for that in my mind we magnify his mistakes does anybody talk about the fact that Dan Campbell blew a 17-point lead in the NFC championship game no does anybody talk about that Kyle Shanahan quite literally did not know the way that overtime rules worked in the Super Bowl no but people talk about the fact that Mike McCarthy lost at home as a two- seed to the Green Bay Packers in the Wild Card round like that's the most criminal offense that anybody can ever have um so I think it's it's such a weird Jer position um and and and if it's not obvious these things have gotten you know really contested over the season because of how volatile things have been I would offer that I think Mike's said the answer for the job or the right guy for the job um to answer your you know kind of original question in in in something that he said in their first press conference after they lost to the Packers he was asked about the history that this team is fighting and and everything that they're kind of dealing with and he said we offer no apologies for the draft that this team is in he said we are responsible for our time here we will totally take responsibility for that but I mean he didn't outright say this but he's not responsible for the fact that Jason Garrett failed for a DE or that Tony Romo bobbled a snap in Seattle or that Patrick kraton ran the wrong route against the Giants in the division around or that Romo and Whitten went to Cabo the week before that game but you know I I think that disposition has been necessary because so many people are concerned with the legacy of this franchise and the history of this drought and all the failures that they've become associated with and that Yukon has more playoff wins in their building than they do I mean it's just a wild time to kind of be here and he's the right guy for that job that doesn't necessarily mean though that he is going to finish the job because it's the most difficult thing to do and all of this uh pressure that's really the biggest obstacle to get over come playoff time isn't it you could say all you want about what Mike McCarthy yeah he's got a Super Bowl but he still he's lost a lot of big playoff games Dak can't win the big one but it's it's just exasperated so much more with the fact that there's this big monkey hanging all over the franchise when it comes to playoffs at this point in time yeah I mean they're they're only only playoff win under Mike McCarthy was over the Buccaneers and anytime you bring that up it's well they were the below 500 bucks who cares I mean does anybody you know that and that is true but you know okay well again just to keep it in division Nick sani's two playoff wins were over the you know awful Daniel Jones Brian dble Giants and the literally quarterback list 49ers I understand that they almost won the Super Bowl but they didn't I mean if we look at it you know the bills had a playoff win last year against the Steelers and we sit here and act like it's this you know this like skin on the wall you know wow they they beat the Steelers even the bills a year ago before they got waxed by the Bengals they beat the Dolphins and they almost lost and not the two of dolphins not not even you know anybody else's Dolphins the Skyler Thompson Dolphins they barely hung on to beat them and we act like well they've got five playoff wins over the last whatever year so it's it's super impressive um but we bag on this because of and you're right like and look there are a lot of Pros that come with wearing the logo of the franchise on your polos and your caps and your helmets and a lot of opportunities uh but there's a lot of context that goes out the window as well and my job is just to kind of apply that I mean they deserve their criticism don't get me wrong um but the idea that they're these these Oaths and these losers and that they're just accomplishing nothing and that their schedule's weak or whatever like again people will in the same breath say oh well they play nobody in the regular season and then hoist up the Eagles like they're this you know like amazing superpower of a team it's just an amazing time well uh that's a good uh time for us to uh take a look at this year's team because there's I think there the one team one top team that when we look at all of these contenders and what kind of offseason they've had it's like did the Cowboys know there was an offseason uh that's what the outside perspective is is what what are they doing I mean have they they made little moves here and there but this is the Cowboys we're talking about what's was that the strategy what what happened to them this offseason what was it they didn't have any money uh even the draft what do they do in a running back you know there's a lot of questions I mean I've already been incredibly long-winded and it's it's it's not possible to explain now I I do think it was exacerbated by the all-in thing that just has not gone away and you know and I will say I mean for for what my opinion is worth this is probably the most uh this is probably the lowest stock that they've held nationally as far people's perception of their football operation everybody recognizes they're a worldwide brand the other day Mike Greenberg was on McAfee calling them cheap you know what I mean like like like those things H haven't happened um and and and I do think that they were magnified ironically by the all-in comment right like you say we're going to be all in and then you do nothing and and you know you set yourself up to be this easy target um and and it it's quite frankly stupid because you talk about did they have any money of course they had money and they could have generated money by extending Dak or CD or Micah even and they chose not to do those things the running back thing I am so grateful to Zeke Elliott for the good times we've all had a blast you know throughout the course of his career but this is kind of a I I think people think of of Jerry Jones as this Maverick as this he'll go sign anybody when that hasn't been the case for a very long time the last notable free agent who the Cowboys signed at the opening of the window was Brandon Carr in 2012 and they felt like that burned them even though he was a really productive player for them he just wasn't Prime Deion Sanders and that was a problem for them um and so ever since then they have shied away from the initial Windows of free agency but even then you know they weren't all too active in the secondary Market or the third Market because their main they're primary they're like notable if you put a poster boy on who they signed in free agency was Eric Kendricks which a was incredibly predictable based on his history with Mike Zimmer but B he agreed to terms with the 49ers before he agreed to terms with the Cowboys and ultimately signed with Dallas so yeah he he Dallas over them eventually I don't know state income tax whatever silly thing was a part of that but I mean it wasn't even a player who they negotiated with originally and and you know with full Integrity by themselves it took having a deal with somebody else um and so I I I have a very difficult it it feels lazy and it feels comfortable the Zeke Elliot thing feels along those lines um I I think it's important context that they were talking about Zeke and not just like in Hidden reporting or things like that like in press conferences before the draft they obviously didn't have a fourth round draft pick because they had sent it for Trey Lance a year ago and that was kind of the target range and we did ultimately see that in the draft that was where the run on on the running backs went outside of the top dudes obviously um but so it was understood if you want a guy they had two third round picks after the trade down in the first round you're gonna have to take one on Friday night because you don't have a fourth round draft pick they took Maris Leu foul the linebacker out of Notre Dame and the moment quite literally that they could they brought Zeke back it was before 68 M the Monday after the draft the day that players brought in no longer impacted the compensatory formula that it was reported by ESPN and NFL Network that what they had been basically saying was a fact was indeed finally true and of course they bring him back and he wears 15 they could sell all these Brand New Jers he's like again the jokes just right themselves but I would offer that same level of comfortability has kind of existed at all levels of their operation this year the Mike Zimmer thing appears to be taking and players seem to be gravitating towards him and I'm grateful for that but the only other two reported candidates who they interviewed in the year 2024 for the vacant defensive coordinator position were Rex Ryan and Ron Rivera that was it like those are the three names like and it just seemed like this joke to me like and for what it's worth Mike Zimmer was the first supported name that they were interested in and initially there was this kind of blowback from people like what are you doing this is crazy and then it was well we also want to talk to ronera and Rex Ryan and then people were like oh my gosh Mike Zimmer's a God Like You better get this Zimmer thing done now and again and and this may work it it may be fine may be legitimate that does not justify the process it does seem like a he's a name we know he's he's already in the HR System we don't have to have him fill out the the new repy paperwork and the same goes for Zeke Elliott the Zeke thing completely and totally looks like they wanted him back the moment they cut him but they obviously had to let the natural course of things play itself out so they brought him back again as noted the very second that they could um so they like their points of comfort and that's kind of what the offseason was about and matter of fact let's take a look give you some time to catch your breath which I love uh let's take a look at the depth chart we'll start on offense so all right see because here's the thing too and it's a deep running back feeli so so give me I mean this idea of Rico da being the starting running back for the Cowboys and I know that's probably not the case I mean Zeke why else get him right I mean when it's all said and done if they don't make any moves is it gonna be a shared backfield between D and Elliott I have a difficult time believing that personally now two years ago was Zeke's last season on the team uh was the I don't know if you had any shares of Tony Pard in fantasy football that year but that was the Tony Pard year obviously yeah um and he was maybe outside of Christian mcaffrey the most explosive running back in the NFL in 2022 and the Cowboys still Justified over 200 carries for Zeke like think like think about if if like think about giving a non-Christian mcaffrey Niners running back 200 carries it's just impossible it's impossibly dumb to to say out loud but they did it um and so I say that to say if that version of Tony Pard could not force Zeke off of the field all due respect to Rico D or to Malik Davis or Duce vaugh or Royce Freeman they don't stand a snowballs chance in hell uh maybe the number isn't 200 maybe they are willing to to slice a little bit off of Zeke's plate but I I fully expect him to touch the ball 150 times year I just they wouldn't they this idea that they're bringing him back to just you know be a a pass protector goal line dude just again if you if you you know find these things to be notable they gave him the Superstar treatment in the first preseason game no shoulder pads no nothing just Jersey over uh Natural Body and and sitting alongside Dak Prescott on the sidein well uh I guess the the interesting thing though is is how old is he is he's 28 he is I believe 28 but this is his ninth NFL season so I mean he touch the ball a lot yeah he's like mixing in a way is that they're right around the same age and yet you think that they're old older because they have been around in the league so much but the key is is the wear and tear that's what it is um so but last couple years he really hasn't I mean the last yeah last I mean in his time away from the Cowboys he just he hasn't really had much much uh production so maybe that's a good thing maybe he's kind of got a second wind maybe at least he's a football player that can help their team like I I don't mean to to say like this is a worthless type of thing but the idea that he can be your lead back is is yeah that's different it's Preposterous to me now they you know drafting him forth overall giving him a $90 million contract extension that's one end of the spectrum like that's way too far you know that you need to be go as far as investing in the running back position now people love to talk about running backs don't matter blah BL blah there's definitely a happy medium here but we've gone to the other end of the spectrum now like you you can't have nobody there like you can't truly have just random people random human beings there's happy medium there yeah um that that they just seem you know to have an aversion to right now well do you think I mean has think about running backs though there's so many uh good running backs that seem like they're in bad situations in the NFL they're second string third string if they were on another team I mean as a Jet fan uh I I can just look at the Jets and I say well wait a second they just drafted two running backs they have pre Hall and they got a kid AB aanda who's not bad for a young you know young Prospect ECT that's a pretty deep backfield and I and I'm just talking about my team so there are running backs out there that might be a third or a fourth on on another team that could easily be a number two on the Cowboys so do you think that's possible that that that number two guy is probably or maybe even the shared number one guy probably isn't even on the Cowboys yet yeah I think so you know a name that everybody talks about a lot is Damen Pierce in Houston you mentioned Joe Mixon obviously that backfield you know little more crowded now obviously like you know maybe there is a a roster cut roster casualty somewhere else or or a guy that is going to be a roster Casualty that they work out some sort of trade for um you know obviously watching hard knocks this time of year you remember khil herberts in in Chicago right like any one of these dudes you know are are guys who you could see coming in that's a good one yeah I mean a andaconda I mean like pick your Jets running back at this point I mean like honestly any one of them and that's where like I do I mentioned fantasy but like had the Cowboys walked away with I know he's a bit banged up at the moment but like marshan just to pick one of the rookies okay he would be like the like rb10 in fantasy drafts right because of the like the perceived opportunity and if they had that they had that guy like that arbitrary name that we could assign some legitimacy to I think we would feel a lot better about this but because they have this just kind of you know shakery Board of options instead of like a an actual meal that they ordered um it feels a little bit wonky all right uh is there out of all those uh no name running backs is there someone there that you say I think he deserves a shot I mean maybe Rico would be that guy um be that guy I suppose I mean but he's a bit long in the tooth relatively speaking here and just you it feels like if it was going to happen for him it would have happened already um and so maybe if zek Wen on the team maybe I could you know really kind of squint my eyes and and see it happening but um it's just difficult to see him having enough opportunities to kind of get enough momentum going all right and right now there's no rumors out there about a specific player no I mean um this it was always Zeke you know that's and I I have a I personally have a difficult time seeing them bring in somebody that is going to threaten that because yeah they love him a lot all right wide receiver now uh this is also uh important of course we got the lamb stuff out of the way Cooks oh he's he's he's just a at this point in time he's he's really he's a consant professional receiver he's just nice veteran guy may not be this the the the game breaker he once was but solid tolber the key here isn't he isn't it yeah I mean um he's had a great camp but I I was skeptical of this just because he you know his third season he really kind of failed to live up to their proper expectations in 2022 now to be fair to him that was the year that they traded Amari um so they kind of forced these massive expectations on him and he he just didn't live up to them and you know it's difficult to do that as a rookie um but yeah I mean they're they're kind of counting on him to take a step and it seems like he has uh it seems like he's really modeled himself after Brandon Cooks and that professionalism you talked about and and so he seems to have the the highest level of chemistry with Dak Prescott right now in the sense that like anytime Dak goes anywhere to throw Tolbert is is on that trip to Tolbert is is doing I mean you know he's he's your dream of a of a work ethic and so um he's great it's difficult to to nail who wide receiver four right now if I had to pick a guy with the inside track it's probably Jaylen Brooks um you know he's he's popped and he's had Great Moments saw some action last year as a rookie he was a seventh round draft pick out of South Carolina um but other than that I mean I think they'll probably carry six and I think that one of them is kavante Turpin because of what they think he offers in the return game obviously we have no total idea of what that's going to be maybe maybe you know the offering is different than it's been in the past that's part of what's exciting about this new world and if I have to pick one more Tyron Billy Johnson has had his moments um you know David Duran has had some some times as well but I think I'd probably if I had to pick a different name go with Jaylen Cropper um he's just kind of had the most consistency so far throughout Camp so that would be my six but uh I would not be opposed as well to bringing in another body to be number six with Jaylen Tolbert and and kavante Turpin as fourth and sixth yeah and that just happens to be another position that is usually pretty uh deep on other teams uh and you just mentioned one of them Houston I mean if Dallas wanted to make a deal with Houston they could just go all right Pierce and one of your receivers let's make a move because Houston's got like I just finished talking to Cole Thompson about Houston they got like eight or nine guys they got to worry about trying to figure out how they all gonna fit on the team Cowboys have three and maybe my my prediction along those lines is that there is a Texans receiver that will be playing for the Cowboys next year in Stefan digs uh who's obviously in the final year of his current deal um if I mean do a quick Google search if you'd like he the digs Brothers have been extraordinarily vocal about wanting to play together at some point in their careers and from a from a timeline perspective the the most logical outcome is Stefan playing with Trayvon in Dallas especially if you know if Brandon Cooks walks after this year or whatever the case may be like you could totally see you know things kind of working that way um and so that's that's where I think things are probably headed in the the future because Trayvon are going to be around poor the foreseeable future and so it just kind of makes natural sense um you know because cidi will you know hopefully have that extension done by then uh and be the established Alpha and Stefan can kind of come be what Brandon Cooks has been you know he's just a little bit behind Cooks as far as that kind of timeline goes okay the and Ferguson of course is in good shape uh is Schumacher is he ready do you think to take to to live up to that second round uh status he's been incredibly disappointing he's had injury after injury after injury um and so I mean he's obviously making the team because of his his draft status from just a year ago um but he complicates the position because you have to carry him and Payton henders shot's kind of been the reliable secondary option outside of Jake Ferguson uh but John Stevens Jr is just incredible vertical threat incredible Red Zone threat that was really taking off last year uh in the preseason but he tore his ACL in the same game that Demarion overshown did and so Dallas is really really high on him um maybe those are your four maybe they feel like carrying pton shot maybe they're comfortable with three I I can't imagine that especially if they do want to try to run the ball a little bit differently this year um but yeah Luke schumaker's been disappointing to say the least so Stephens sounds like Stevens is a little bit of a sleeper I mean I don't know that I would say that in like a fantasy sense like this isn't like Julius Thomas popping off out of nowhere or anything like that but um but he's he's a name that has had success it hasn't been quite the same to Camp or in Camp to this point as it was last year like last year was like every day he was making the play but but they were very very excited about him entering this year given that they lost him a year ago to the Tor ACL okay well I mean maybe it's not surprising that he's getting off to a slow start this year due to that injury so uh maybe next year's the year okay uh offensive line so you he talked about gon and they look like they're set there on the left side uh and Martin's at Right Guard but the other two spots so the big one is at Center well Brock Hoffman is he definitely the starter lately they've been given rster Cooper BB who's their third round rookie um now he's the pick that they netted in the trade down in the first round with Detroit um they picked up an extra third round to the became Cooper BB played guard at Kansas State primarily but they liked him as a center and they've been giving him first team reps and it does kind of feel like they're ripping the bandaid off I'm 100% confident that gon will be the starter week one I'm 100% confident that Cooper BB will start the majority of games at Center I don't know if they'll be you know willing to go out to Cleveland week one with that being the case maybe that takes about a month or something to kind of hold but the fact that they're giving him first team opportunities now is is really significant so that could happen as well I think a lot of fans are excuse me kind of ready to see that just go ahead throw the rookies of the Wolves let see both gon and BB you know starting week one okay and then uh steel he seems to be you know a solid depth guy uh is he definitely the right tackle and talk about any other guys on the bench that are worth uh mentioning yeah um I mean he's he's the starting right tackle and I think he's probably better than his his kind of Internet reputation would suggest okay um he's you know he's an undrafted free agent in 2020 like he's been a well over positive return on investment in terms of what they've done but they did give him a massive extension a year ago um you know he might be playing for his 2025 job but but he's definitely the starter you know at right tackle in 2024 in in the aftermath of the truma adoga injury they don't really have a true and proper swing tackle option now I think you could you could be really skeptical about offensive line depth for maybe every team um but but chuma was supposed to be that guy and may very well be that guy when he returns from this tow situation and on top of that Earl Bostic um who's obviously here as well uh flew back to Dallas on Thursday to have surgery for his own injury so um the Cowboys did sign uh Cole cabal um in the aftermath of the adoga injury that's kind of one goes up one comes down but they might need another body presuming ear Bostic is is going to miss some time which would stand to be the case given that he's about to have surgery so um I would imagine they'll bring it another tackle option Matt wetco is uh has not been very good um he was the player that they got in the fifth round or with the fifth round pick they got in the Amari Cooper trade and he's just been you know kind of a dude um that's kind of who everybody else is here as far as options are concerned is just a bunch of dudes and so it's difficult to feel like they have that six man Off the Bench so while the starting unit might be solid uh if there's any sort of injury issues there they could be a big trouble exactly okay um and by the way adga again as a Jet fan I always thought there was something else there with him myself I mean I always felt that he deserved a shot um and he's now bouncing around a little bit so I I hope he's uh hope he gets healthy and um and maybe he finds a team at a latch on to and maybe this is it so any chance that he could be the 2025 right tackle I really doubt it I think at that point you know they they'd be entering kind of a new era with you know Tyler Smith would be kind of your Elder Statesman you know Tyler gon would be in his second year in Cooper BB right you have you know three of your five set um maybe Zack Martin walks that might be the most important priority you he retires and you've got to find a new Right Guard but they might be looking at reshaping the entire right side of the offensive line next year and and before you move on to the defensive side uh floro and Thomas the other two draft picks on this side you haven't mentioned so I guess yeah Thomas is hasn't popped at all um maybe a practice squad guy and floro you know every receiver you aside from the major ones has kind of had a day like there's been like a Tyron Billy Johnson day a Jaylen Cropper day floro uh had an injury at the beginning of camp but he hasn't really had a day yet um now for the most part receivers at the Cowboys draft make the 53 man roster Jaylen Brooks was seventh round draft pick last year um I I mean maybe floro is practice squad guy he's just he's had a slower ramp up than than most draft picks do on this team and and by the way Richards being he was a fifth round draft pick last year that's just another guy that just hasn't developed yeah he's just been F maybe fifth I guess I'm misremembering that but obviously I trust you all but I mean he um he's just been a guy you know that's you know they've and they've been fortunate that they they kind of have obvious you know supplements whenever they do have injuries or things like that um but you know he hasn't had any real opportunities I mean he could be a candidate I suppose to be that that proper swing tackler maybe that right guard of the future in a Zach Martin this world um but but to the date you know he's just kind of been hanging out okay uh let's move on over to the defensive side and uh upfront talked about Williams that's a big loss so yeah neand uh how ready do you think he is at this point in time to be the because at this point is he like the number guy the first guy uh the first Edge rusher Off the Bench yeah especially in the aftermath of the same Williams injury I I think Marshon nean is probably the best new addition on the team now I recognize that's not a long list um you know as we we've talked about uh but he has just I mean it's it is so clear that this dude is gonna play at a high level for a long time I mean he he really kind of feels like Demarcus lawen in that respect um so he's been awesome and I would offer that if the Cowboys are going to play Micah Parson's off the ball a little bit more or at all that obviously you know involves nean playing at a high level and so he's he's the last point of I think of comfortability that people have from a pass rushing standpoint although with Carl Lawson now on the team that conversation changes a little bit Yeah Lawson's a real tough one to figure out because uh he he didn't really get a chance last year with the Jets and and I understand why because he was coming back from the injury and they were deep at that position um so maybe this is again another another situation where he's another year removed from an injury and then maybe this is the year that he gets back to being more like the guy he was because he's not old but because he's right now he's in the prime of his career so the Cowboys feel like or do you feel like it's possible that maybe they get something maybe they're lucky here and and they get a little juice from Carl Lawson this season in a weird way they've caught lightning in a bottle several times here you know when they signed as an example Dante Fowler I I just thought like oh this is just I mean Dan Quinn knew him in Florida like just because they go back to Gainesville this is going to work out and it kind of did like he was a great rotational piece for them um I mean if you want to get real off off the wall when they signed Alden Smith that and that happened on April Fool today that was just that felt like there's no way that this actually could have some legitimacy and it did um now it's a new defensive coordinator and whatnot but uh but I'm with you I kind of like the buying low a year removed from the chaos so to speak um I I I would assume that they they look at it and say oh I would totally rather have Carl Lawson at this price point than Bryce huff at what the Eagles paid and that might be true I mean you know a in a you know literal sense if things kind of work out that way so um I'm willing to give them the benefit of the doubt here I mean if they had signed Carl Lawson in April I think we we do back flips it's just the how we got here that kind of muddies the perception of everything yeah that's great Point uh by the way speaking of uh uh Zimmer as we talk about the interior a big a big hope is right is that they can fix what was a weakness the run defense and the middle of the defense is that really the priority one of the major uh issues that they need to try to fix if they're going to be a legitimate defense yeah I mean they've been talking about that since they lost to the 49ers in the playoffs the first time in the wildcard round at AT&T Stadium they just have have not been able to to stop the run um and it was you know a real problem for them down the stretch last year we all remember the Green Bay game but they got waxed by Miami they got waxed by Buffalo especially Buffalo James Cook ran all over them they're just not a tough team in that respect and so a lot of it is kind of relying upon Mazy Smith taking a step in year two but that I would say that the expectation there is is really low um and some of it is is not mazy's fault some of it is Taco charlton's fault right like people are just convinced that that a Michigan Wolverine can't you know hit for the Cowboys up front but Mazi has been disappointing and if he doesn't take a leap in his second season it's just going to be more of the same now some of it I think is mitigated by the fact that you know Dan Quinn was was so light defensively playing all these linebackers or safeties at linebacker and just having no beef to be able to stop any of the run I mean go back to that Packers playoff game and look how often the Packers are in 12 Personnel I mean they're just pushing everybody around because they can um so they're a little bit heavier obviously and I think that they think that that's going to help things out but it does ultimately start an end with you know up front and mzy Smith and then uh Rogers being a seventh round pick and they just traded for Jordan Phillips so uh any hope there that that that's going to help them out depthwise I think that Phillips is probably the name that they're hanging their hat on the most um just because he's the Cowboys had a great option over the last two years in Jonathan henkins who was also a trade acquisition uh for them but he followed Aiden dirty to the Seattle Seahawks this year they just they need that veteran leadership they need that veteran depth oizo is a great defensive tackle he playing in a contract year for what it's worth um and you can kind of trust him to handle things but you still need that run stuer you still need that dude and um I think a lot of people think that the Jordan Phillips trade is indicative of a lack of faith in where mazy's at en camped to this point I think it's more about just raising the floor I mean they really need more bodies and they really need people they can trust and and Jordan Phillips definitely checks that box especially for the low cost that it was to get here you know as a uh Michigan fan uh I'll say this about Mazy I I don't know I just I I wonder whether or not it's about making sure he's in the right defensive scheme too I I don't know if this is the right fit for him to tell you the truth is he's difficult player to read sometimes and um I don't know that's just me I'm I never looked at him as oh yeah Mazy Mazy is one of those hey put put him in put him in the middle of the defense and he's gonna plug up that running running game for you I never looked at him like that to tell you the truth I mean Bruce Feldman came out with this freaks list um a couple weeks ago and um and Bruce is awesome like know obviously I I I read all of his work and support it but I almost was like I really don't care about this list anymore like Mazi has kind of ruined it for me uh from the perspective of I do think he's wildly talented and wildly athletic but you're right like I don't I don't think that he fits this specific requirement but to be clear I don't know that anybody fits this specific requirement like what you know hey come come be Aaron Donald like you know that's that's the job come be not even that come be Fletcher Cox like which is a very difficult thing in of itself um come be you know hodata whatever but he just can't do that and you know because it's a very very difficult thing to do yeah and just maybe also he might maybe he was overdrafted you know it's that first round deal that I mean again the Cowboys Shadow they had not drafted a defensive tackle in the first round since 1991 and it was Russell M and so like you know you're you're the guy that they broke the seal for you know what I mean like so again a lot of it isn't and again the taco charlon thing really soured and despite the fact that Jordan Lewis is a wonderful player for the Cowboys um but a lot of people just feel like oh another defensive lineman from Michigan not going to work whatever blah blah I hear you I know how that feels I talk about it a lot around draft time about that stigma of the Jersey from the college and how sometimes and really it just happens it does not necessarily on on a specific team in the NFL but hey man those those those offensive linemen from that school they never turn out in the NFL so I that's real so I hear what the fans are saying saying all right uh talk about the linebacking core now uh so you talk about Kendricks is in uh overshown uh how's he looking and of course you mentioned the Third Run draft pick that they got uh in return for that for that move uh and of course Clark CL was always a player we talked about him last last time I believe or last last uh last year that he is someone that I always kind of liked especially for a fifth round draft pick yeah well he was coming off the kind of injury situation when they took him also in the fifth round um and he's really overd delivered um and he's really kind of become a great leader for them which isn't shocking given that he wore 18 at LSU and all that jazz um but um but Eric Kendricks has been great obviously knows Mike Zimmer well and what he wants to do and is kind of the you know central nervous system of the defense now um so those are kind of your options overshown is is somebody who they were very high on um now I mentioned that they were that they are moving away from playing safeties up at linebacker it is worth acknowledging that overon was a converted safety at the University of Texas playing linebacker so he's a little bit slighter in frame you know compared to some of these other dudes uh but that being said he's so athletic and I think they had such great and high hopes for him last year um obviously before he tore his ACL and so he's been great um so far kind of on on track to be that dude I feel better about the linebacker core than I have in some time there's no more Leon vanderish obviously retired over the offseason I don't feel like Maris Leu Val has really pop Chip he's a third round pick I mean you know whatever um for the most part it's just kind of a ho home proposition there in the middle of Mike Zimmer's defense but if you add michah Parsons to the you know linebacker mix obviously the conversation changes all right that's true and then then secondary not sure donon bland is going to be able to equal uh what happened last year but it was uh quite a season for him and of course Diggs it's really having both of those guys back there healthy uh that's got a couple couple really interesting Playmakers in that secondary yeah I mean I think that people I know you're not doing this but people try to explain away what donon Blain did the way they tried to explain away what what Trayvon Diggs did and and try to you know pick it apart whatever since 2021 that same you know kind of point of demarcation that we've used Trayvon digs leads the NFL on interceptions despite the fact that he only played two games last year Duron bland is tied with razul Douglas for second on that list despite the fact that he wasn't in the NFL until 2022 that's not pick is you know obviously was kind of known this just outright interceptions um now some of that is circumstantial some of that is crazy and some of that is impossible to explain but it's also kind of it's it's kind of like um I'm sure you're aware that that no NFC East Champion has repeated since 2004 and every time I bring that up every year I I say the same thing and that like this means nothing but it kind of doesn't mean nothing right like like I recognize that the 2005 Giants have nothing to do with the 2024 commanders but it's 20 years of of History like it it clearly is is somewhat relevant yeah like it's it's it's a nonzero level of value and in a similar sense that's how I look at this like you have two absolute ball Hawks and we were so excited last year to watch Trayvon play with Stefan Gilmore in all due respect to maybe a future Hall of Famer this might be a better version of that um and we just had no idea what it was I mean this is I I mentioned Brandon Carr this is what the Cowboys Invision when they signed him and traded up to get Morris Clayborn like this is the the best outside corner Duo the Cowboys have had in a very very very long time um the fact that they have a stable Savvy veteran you know running nickoll slot uh and Jordan Lewis a fellow Michigan man is obviously a great thing kayin Carson their fifth round draft pick this year out of Wake Forest has been awesome and he appears to be another guy another cut from the same cloth that donon bland is and I don't think it's a coincidence that Al Harris is kind of overseeing this entire operation helping out he got a promotion this past off season he is kind of the the magic you know sort of Elixir here uh in many people's eyes they did trade for Andrew Booth very recently I would imagine he makes the roster um but Carson is that fourth guy right away I think or not right away he's played into that role he's earned it absolutely so this is probably the place on the roster that I feel the highest level of comfortability by the way uh I'm sure you're aware uh you follow PFF of course they they don't seem to really agree with you with Jordan Lewis very much they don't like Jordan Lewis do they I mean he's um I've compared him to and this is not a popular comparison um but Orlando Scandrick and that he just will not go away like he will not die like he is just and and he's so football smart like he has he is one of the more underrated players in the NFL on on the subject of of Michigan uh Aman R st Brown um I think it was on the pivot uh was asked about trash talkers and things like that and he he brought up Jordan Lewis again Aman I'm not accusing amanra of anything but plays in Detroit well aware of the college football landscape and he said yeah uh that corner for Dallas uh I think his name's Lewis it's like you know his name like relax like you know Jordan Lewis is somebody who just gets under people's skin and and will not go away he has fought so hard and been such a great player for this team um I mean he was a 2017 third round draft pick I mean the fact that he's still hanging around is really really impressive and so um I know that metricks may be what they are but I I trust him with my life I mean like that's how highly I think yeah that's more important that's why yeah I I like using PFF as a tool I always say that it's just a tool and it's not the be all endall and I trust more is someone like yourself that actually watches every snap of every game and have been doing it since Jordan Lewis is probably been a cowboy so that's more important um anybody else Carson by the way the fifth round draft pick is he uh somebody that yeah's he's the new guy that's kind of rising the ranks donon BL obviously had the last year but he led the team in interceptions his rookie year as a fifth round pick and Carson feels again very similar to that um I I know the way things work uh but CJ Goodwin for anybody who uses y'all site um is a corner in name but he's he's a special teams Gunner that's his thing like he's he I mean I think he's played like five snaps a quarter in his entire career um so um you know overall though um again I feel very very very good about the state of the Cowboys cornerback situation Eric Scott Jr was was obviously a player they drafted last year who they traded up to get in the sixth round but it's kind of fallen behind Carson in the pecking order um it's difficult I I it's very very difficult to be underrated as a cowboy but I think that Trayvon Diggs and Don Bland have managed to do it by the way uh yeah we maybe a good suggestion I I'll give them is uh maybe add like a a section here and special teams for special team players yeah like um Matthew is not a wide receiver you know what I mean or was an wi receiver like something like that uh oh and by the way you want see great great example of of how important it is to not only intercept passes but uh pick sixes a nice too the top 100 list coming out and having Bland actually ahead of SCE Garder now and again I'm a Jet fan but I know why that's done and it's because that is the one thing that to me and I think this sauce is holding him back he does not get a lot of interceptions and that yeah it is he he's he's awesome but he's never gonna be looked at as a really e you know like that marbly Elite guy unless he starts picking off passes no it's it's the way things go yeah and Blen has that so all right uh and by the way special teams I do have to I don't talk too much about special teams have someone on but the Cowboys have like I mean the the kicking game situation it's just really really good so I mean Brandon Aubrey set the world on fire last year and has provided stability at the position in a way that hasn't been felt since the kind of Heyday of Dan Bailey and having him around is pretty awesome deal yeah and uh and then tpin this could be a big uh deal too with the uh new rule I'm sure um this is something the caliber are probably hope is going to really uh give them a leg up to have someone like that back there because because it's it's it is something everybody I haven't seen it yet in the preseason and maybe they're holding back for some interesting designs for when the regular season starts but everybody seems to think it's GNA help uh if you have a good returner or two back there so it's worth mentioning that John fossil cway special teams coordinator was among the group that that pitch this and and and would seemingly have a more intimate you know understanding of it than anybody else and I I trust him as well so if they they they believe in kavante Turpin and I'm I'm anxious to see it in actuality RJ uh thanks a lot as always it was great talking to you about the Cowboys even before the season prediction they'll be in the mix it it'll be it'll be interesting yeah I mean I I trust them to be a playoff team I think they're among the short list of teams what did Aaron Rogers say eight teams or whatever they can win the Super Bowl they're on that list whether they pull it off remains to be seen but history would suggest that it probably won't happen well uh it's got to happen sometime so we'll see whether or not it happens this year RJ we look forward to talking to you during the regular season at some point and uh again want to thank you uh don't forget to check out bloggingtheboys.com and also uh of course the podcasts the videos and so forth that we talked about the beginning of the video and we'll talk to you sometime soon thanks for having me you got it