8 biggest surprises and disappointments for Cowboys so far in 2022

When the Dallas Cowboys lost to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Week 1 and also lost Dak Prescott to a thumb injury, there was a sense of doom felt around the fan base. Three weeks later, optimism is prevalent as the Cowboys have reeled off three wins in a row.

Two of their wins were against divisional rivals and they also took out the Cincinnati Bengals who were the AFC representatives in the Super Bowl just a season ago. Now with four games behind us, it’s a good time to point out four of the biggest surprises and disappointments for Dallas thus far in 2022.

8 biggest surprises and disappointments for the Dallas Cowboys in 2022

Surprise: Tyler Smith, OT

When Tyron Smith was lost to a torn hamstring, the Cowboys seemed to be in a lot of trouble. After the reserves failed to impress the coaching staff, rookie Tyler Smith was asked to take the place of the veteran.

The younger Smith did play left tackle at Tulsa but Dallas spent the entire offseason working him at guard. Then, without reps at the position, he was asked to kick out wide and protect the blindside.

It hasn’t been perfect, as he’s been flagged a few times, but overall, he’s been very impressive. He’s held his own against power rushers as well as speed and even gets out in the run game and can clear the way for Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard. Not a bad start at all for the rookie and it seems this front office hit on another lineman in Round 1.

Disappointment: Josh Ball, OT

Ideally, Dallas wanted Smith to stay at left guard this year since that’s where he was working during camp and the preseason. But it became clear rather quickly that Josh Ball wasn’t up to the task.

A fourth-round pick with a checkered past, the Cowboys gambled on Ball last season but never got to see him take a snap. An injury cost him his rookie campaign and when they did finally get him on the field during the preseason, they realized it was better to see what Smith could do — and to go sign 40-year-old Jason Peters. This doesn’t mean they need to give up on Ball, but it was a disappointment they couldn’t rely on him just yet.

Surprise: Noah Brown, WR

Michael Gallup was out until Week 4 after tearing his ACL last season and James Washington has yet to make his debut. This means the Cowboys had to lean on Noah Brown more than expected and he’s risen to the challenge.

A seventh-round pick in 2017, Brown had 68 yards on five receptions in Week 1 and then put up 91 yards on another five catches while scoring his first career touchdown. Now after four games, he has 18 receptions for 274 yards, both of which are career-highs for him.

He’s not only running crisp routes, but he’s making clutch plays on third downs and was huge as they upset the Bengals in Week 2. On top of his talent as a receiver, he’s still one of the better blockers in the run game, making him an all-around threat.

Disappointment: Dalton Schultz, TE

It might not seem fair to call Dalton Schultz a disappointment since he was injured in Week 2 and missed Week 3 but he still has just nine receptions on the year — with seven coming in Week 1. He returned to the field in Week 4 but was clearly not at 100 percent, and finished with no receptions on three targets.

What really puts him on this list is the fact that he’s making roughly $10 million on the franchise tag, but when he was gone against the Giants, undrafted rookie Peyton Hendershot held things down with 43 yards on three receptions. With the pay discrepancy, Schultz should have been missed much more than he was.

Surprise: Brett Maher, K

It was an emotional roller coaster for fans when the Cowboys decided to move on from Greg Zuerlein. He missed far too many kicks in his Dallas career, so it wasn’t as if anyone was sad to get the news. Then, we all convinced ourselves Jonathan Garibay was the answer. Then the undrafted rookie missed one kick after another and was replaced with Brett Maher.

This shot hopes back down as Maher was remembered for an inconsistent stint in 2018 and 2019. He did perform much better for New Orleans last season and it appears that he’s turned a corner.

Maher missed an extra point in Week 4 but outside of that, his only miss was a 59-yarder at the end of the half in Week 3. That one had the distance but was just wide, which isn’t a major concern when kicking from that far.

What’s important is that he’s made the ones that really mattered, like the 50-yarder with no time on the clock to give the Cowboys a win in Week 2 over Cincy.

Disappointment: Kelvin Joseph, CB

A second-round pick in 2021 out of Kentucky, Kelvin Joseph was supposed to develop into the starter across from Trevon Diggs. So far, that hasn’t happened and he entered the Washington game with just one tackle.

He did record two more on Sunday but both of those were made on punt coverage. Not only has he not become a starter but he’s been unable to find snaps on the base defense, even being outshone by undrafted rookie DaRon Bland.

Surprise: Cooper Rush, QB

When the Cowboys turned to Cooper Rush on Halloween in 2021, no one really knew what to expect. He had thrown just three career passes at that point but he became an instant hero for Dallas when he led them to a win over the Vikings.

Now in 2022, he continues to deliver victories. He’s started three games so far and led the Cowboys to three wins. That also put him in the record books since he’s the first quarterback in franchise history to win his first four career starts.

There’s nothing flashy about Rush’s play but he just gets the job done. He’s never rattled and has shown a willingness to deliver the deep pass as well when it’s there.

Rush has thrown for 737 yards with four touchdown passes and no interceptions — although he did have a couple overturned against Washington. He’s kept Dallas on task while Prescott recovers and gives them no reason to rush No. 4 back onto the field.

Disappointment: Jalen Tolbert, WR

When the Cowboys traded Amari Cooper to the Browns, they did very little to replace him. Their only additions were James Washington, a free agent signing from Pittsburgh, and Jalen Tolbert, a rookie third-round pick from South Alabama.

Tolbert was an intriguing prospect that had a high ceiling but so far hasn’t done much of anything. He was inactive in Weeks 1 and 2 and had just one reception for four yards in Week 3. He had a shot at more but was unable to haul in a deep pass on third down during that game.

He was again missing in Week 4, meaning he has one catch for four yards. That’s far from what was expected.

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