The Dallas Cowboys have to pick themselves up after an embarrassing loss to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers last Thursday. Between the trip to Rio, a road game in Houston, and a quick turnaround for Thursday night, it's fair to wonder if the brutal stretch finally caught up with them.
If nothing else, the mini bye came at the perfect time. Hopefully, the extra rest gave Dallas a chance to hit the reset button and get their ducks in a row.
Speaking of which, the team has used the extra preparation to instill changes to the defensive side of the ball ahead of a Sunday night matchup against the 3-2 Green Bay Packers.
A lot is going on in Dallas after a noisy loss on a national stage, so let's not waste any more time and get into this mid-week edition of the Cowboys Pulse.
Your latest Dallas Cowboys news
- Christian Parker moving from the sideline to the coaching booth
- Jerry Jones on the Mike Pettine hire
- Brian Schottenheimer confirms personnel changes on defense
- RB Emari Demercado is back on the 53
- This day in Cowboys history
Christian Parker moving from the sideline to the coaching booth
A first-year coach changing positions is rarely a good omen. Christian Parker's defense has struggled so badly out of the gate that he's moving from the sideline to the coaching booth, as Jerry Jones announced Tuesday on 105.3 The Fan.
Moving to the booth could help Parker. Having a full view of the field should make it easier to diagnose what is going wrong with his defense and make quicker adjustments when something isn't working.
Things are moving too quickly for Parker right now. Whether it's identifying what offenses are doing or finding an answer when teams keep attacking the same weakness, he's been overmatched. A move upstairs could help slow the game down and give him a clearer picture and headspace.
Of course, this will require one of Parker's assistants to remain on the sideline to relay any potential schematic or personnel changes.
Matt Eberflus was moved to the booth last season after a similar loss: allowing J.J. McCarthy, who had been the worst starting quarterback in the NFL to that point, to throw for 250 yards and two touchdowns in a must-win game at AT&T Stadium.
The parallels are undeniable, though the jury is still out on whether Parker can right the ship. Eberflus' fate was seemingly already decided when he moved to the booth.
Jerry Jones on the Mike Pettine hire
Hopefully, the addition of Mike Pettine makes a difference. The Cowboys announced they brought in Pettine in a senior defensive assistant role. Jerry Jones was asked by 105.3 The Fan if the decision boiled down to Christian Parker being "overwhelmed." His answer:
"I don't look at it that way. (Matt ) Eberflus, our defensive coordinator last year, serves in this same role for San Francisco right now ... It's one that is commonly used. You can take advantage, yet not be directly involved with positions, and has more to do with scheme than it does coaching technique.
I don't think that's the right word. I think he's covering a lot of ground. I had mentioned when the season started that I have never been involved in this much change on the defensive side of the ball or the offensive side of the ball, either. ..."
It's hard to look at this as anything but a good move.
Pettine coached alongside Brian Schottenheimer with the Jets and worked with Parker in Green Bay, so there shouldn't be much of an adjustment period. And with Parker struggling to find answers through five games, having an experienced defensive mind like Pettine around as a sounding board can only help.
If Parker continues to flounder, the Cowboys now have a potential in-season replacement to turn to if they're forced to move on from the 34-year-old. Hopefully, it doesn't come to that.
Brian Schottenheimer confirms personnel changes on defense
Schottenheimer hinted after last week's loss that personnel changes were coming. While he didn't get into specifics since that would give Green Bay an obvious competitive advantage, he did confirm that things will look different.
“I’m not going to get to a bunch of them," Schottenheimer said, via Tommy Yarrish. "Obviously, there’s a competitive advantage. But there’ll be some roster adjustments you guys will see. Some will be more noticeable than others, and some will be subtle as you look at it. ..."
Schottenheimer said he and his staff looked at "everything from all three units," so changes could be coming on offense, defense, and special teams. If I had any say, here are some tweaks I would consider:
- Reduce DaRon Bland’s playing time
- More Malachi Lawrence, less Rashan Gary
- Take Dee Winters out of the starting lineup if DeMarvion Overshown is healthy
- Move Caleb Downs back to the nickel
- Don’t take Cobie Durant off the field
- Activate James Houston, demote Von Miller
These don't need much explaining.
DaRon Bland looks like the 2025 version of Trevon Diggs. Malachi Lawrence has been your best pass rusher. Dee Winters looks lost. Caleb Downs needs to be closer to the ball and isn't polished enough yet in coverage as an NFL player to be a full-time safety. Cobie Durant may be your best cornerback, and Von Miller is giving you nothing.
We'd better see some of these against the Packers.
RB Emari Demercado is back on the 53
The Cowboys have re-signed running back Emari Demercado to the 53-man roster after waiving offensive lineman Nick Leverett, who has since rejoined the practice squad.
Demercado was waived last week, which seemed to cement Tyler Goodson as RB2 behind Javonte Williams. Goodson has made more of his opportunities than Demercado, but Demercado's return suggests Dallas will continue to ride the "hot hand."
I put quotes around "hot hand" because Brian Schottenheimer hasn't given Demercado or Goodson a proper runway to build a rhythm.
Goodson saw six carries against the Ravens in Week 3, followed by five against the Texans. He didn't receive a carry against the Bucs. He was only on the field for five offensive snaps.
Active for the first two weeks, Demercado received two carries in Week 1, followed by three carries against the Commanders. It's easier said than done to come off the bench and provide an immediate spark. Both backs deserve a longer leash than a few carries.
That's at the bottom of the list of Dallas' concerns, but it couldn't hurt to use Goodson and Demercado more involved between the 20s.
This day in Cowboys history
October 14, 2018: Cowboys clobber the Jaguars, 40-7
Remember when wins came easy? The Cowboys could certainly use a wire-to-wire victory, but those might be hard to come by if the defense continues to be toothless.
In Week 6 of the 2018 campaign, Dallas completely steamrolled a then 3-2 Jacksonville Jaguars squad. The season spiraled completely out of control for the Jags from that point, as they finished with a 5-11 record. Some (myself) are saying that the Cowboys destroyed their will.
Dallas jumped out to a 24-0 halftime lead on the back of three Dak Prescott touchdowns (two passing, one running). The offense leaned on Ezekiel Elliott in the second half. Zeke finished with 24 carries for 106 yards and a TD. Brett Maher added four field goals, while Cole Beasley led all receivers with nine catches for 101 yards and two scores.
And how about the defense? The Cowboys allowed just 10 first downs, 204 total yards, and 4.3 yards per play. Randy Gregory and Maliek Collins had a sack apiece, and Jeff Heath intercepted Blake Bortles.
Oh, to have a defense that only allowed seven points. We'd be looking at America's Team as a Super Bowl contender.
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