Cowboys stock up, stock down Week 6: Malik Hooker quietly dominates

Sunday night was tough for the Dallas Cowboys as they suffered a defeat at the hands of the Philadelphia Eagles, which always stings. However, there were some positives from the game.

Even without Dak Prescott, they overcame several turnovers and a 20-0 deficit to turn it into a contest. Dallas got it as close as 20-17 but couldn’t complete the comeback and lost 26-17. Here, we look back over the game and see which players have seen their stock change heading into Week 7.

Cowboys stock up, stock down after Week 6 loss to Eagles

Stock up: Jake Ferguson, TE

With Dalton Schultz dealing with a knee injury, rookie Jake Ferguson got the start for Dallas and he didn’t disappoint. A fourth-round pick out of Wisconsin, Ferguson had just three receptions going into the Week 6 outing. He had mostly been overshadowed by undrafted rookie Peyton Hendershot but then had his best game against Philly.

Ferguson caught four passes for 40 yards while also scoring his first touchdown of the season. It might not seem like a huge day but given how bad the Cowboys were at tight end until Schultz broke out, it’s promising to see a young player step up when needed.

Stock down: Mike McCarthy, Head Coach

Heading into Week 6, Mike McCarthy was earning some good grace. Not only was he riding a four-game winning streak with a backup quarterback, but he also started to show some fire when speaking to the media. The best example was when he reminded them that his team was “nobody’s underdog.”

On Sunday, however, he took a step in the wrong direction. One terrible decision stands out as McCarthy elected not to challenge a catch by CeeDee Lamb that looked to be a clear first down. Instead, he rushed his team out there and they ran a terrible fourth-down play that failed and gave the Eagles the ball in scoring range.

The defense held but Philly still went up 17-0 since they started the drive in field goal range. Those points would have been huge later and perhaps Dallas scores themselves if Lamb gets the first down on a challenge.

Stock up: Malik Hooker, S

Last season, the Cowboys added three safeties in free agency and Malik Hooker and Jayron Kearse did enough to earn two-year extensions in the offseason. During the 2021 campaign, Kearse was the star as he was all over the field making plays. Hooker, who was coming off an Achilles injury, was solid but really started to come along as the season ended.

Now in 2022, Hooker has been the best player in the secondary for Dallas. PFF has him graded as the third-highest safety in the entire NFL. He’s been great in coverage but even better in run support.

He had 12 tackles on Sunday night, giving him 34 on the season to go along with one interception. He’s not making splash plays but he’s been integral to the success this defense has had in 2022 and deserves praise for that.

Stock down: Michael Gallup, WR

When Michael Gallup returned against Washington, he had quite the impact. He had just two receptions but scored a touchdown in his 2022 debut.

He then added four receptions for 44 yards against the Rams, looking as though he was ready to do even more going forward. That’s not what happened in Week 6 though as he caught just two of seven targets for 18 yards.

While not every pass was accurate, he was also unable to create much separation at all. Considering he’s the wideout that was given the long extension, they need more from Gallup going forward.

Stock up: KaVontae Turpin, Returner

The former USFL MVP, KaVontae Turpin, was added to do one thing — run back kicks. He has yet to score any touchdowns in the regular season but he’s still shown his worth.

Turpin has 110 yards on nine punt returns and 197 on kickoff returns. He nearly took one back on a kickoff this past weekend and then had a 34-yard punt return that was called back thanks to a penalty on Kelvin Joseph.

Eventually, Turpin should be able to take one to the house but even without that happening, he’s proven he can provide a spark.

Stock down: Cooper Rush, QB

Even though his stock has come down some, there’s no reason to bash Cooper Rush. The former undrafted free agent from Central Michigan came in and won four games in a row, keeping the Cowboys season from going into the sewer.

His job was to make sure they stayed in the race, and he did exactly that. Having said that, his three-interception performance against the Eagles was not his best moment.

Credit to the Eagles for a strong game but Rush was off throughout the night. He finished 18-of-38 and while it’s good Dak Prescott might be back in Week 7, it’s a shame this could be the final start for Rush since it’s not indicative of how well he played overall.

Despite the Week 6 loss, the Cowboys’ NFC chances are still high

Despite losing to the Eagles, the Dallas Cowboys have an excellent path moving forward in a surprisingly weak NFC conference.