The three-5-1 Dallas Cowboys received’t be again on the sector till November seventeenth, yet one more Monday Evening Soccer recreation on the Las Vegas Raiders, however after this Monday’s loss at residence to the Arizona Cardinals, the sense of constructive anticipation for this recreation, or any of the a lot more durable ones that comply with it, is woefully low. By dropping back-to-back video games with hardly a lot competitiveness in both loss on the Broncos or versus the Cardinals, there’s little doubt the complete tenor of this 2025 Cowboys season has shifted fairly dramatically during the last two weeks.
The group was energetic on Tuesday’s commerce deadline to attempt to change this down outlook on the rest of this yr, addressing the protection that’s struggled in each single loss – and even among the wins – this season. The Cowboys loss to the Cardinals additionally revealed work to be carried out on offense too. It put a staff underneath a first-year head coach in Brian Schottenheimer who’s prioritized tradition in a highlight the place their greatest gamers made unforced errors and the general accountability in a lackluster 27-17 loss felt subpar. The Cowboys seemed misplaced, and the Cardinals seemed higher than that they had all season, snapping a five-game dropping streak in emphatic style. This robust scene throughout for a Cowboys staff properly behind the Philadelphia Eagles within the NFC East has prompted a extra long-term view within the reactions to the Cowboys protection including LB Logan Wilson and DT Quinnen Williams.
Relating to the latter, a transfer that consisted of buying and selling Mazi Smith, a 2026 second-round choose, and one in all their two 2017 first-round picks to the Jets for Williams, the Cowboys lastly landed a participant they’ve had curiosity in for a very long time to shake up the defensive deal with depth chart but once more. A place group the place Dallas would notoriously scrape the underside of the barrel in free company and perhaps spend a day three choose on, additionally swinging and lacking on a number of ill-advised first-round picks over time, will now function this offseason’s FA addition Solomon Thomas, Kenny Clark who came visiting within the Micah Parsons commerce, the homegrown Osa Odighizuwa, Williams, and rookie Jay Toia. It’s as drastic of a change in philosophy and expertise acquisition in the direction of one place group that the Cowboys have been by in a few years, which on the floor is an effective factor in and of itself. Nonetheless, it additionally exhibits the Cowboys are nonetheless throwing darts at establishing an identification they’ve talked about wanting for a while now, and even with Williams within the fold have work to do elsewhere.
Whether or not or not the Cowboys took a large enough step away from the tendencies underneath Mike McCarthy by hiring the offensive coordinator that labored underneath him in Schottenheimer, and if doing so would even be a superb factor or not, is likely one of the issues this 2025 season that’s been unable to get off the bottom is answering. McCarthy talked advert nauseum about wanting a bodily staff that would stand as much as playoff caliber groups that beforehand dominated the Cowboys within the trenches on each side of the ball. Throughout his total tenure, the Cowboys fell properly quick on this aim. Schottenheimer has picked up the place McCarthy left off on this identical want, however to some extent it took the Cowboys getting pushed round and bullied by the Cardinals each on offense and protection to do one thing about it – doubtlessly after the season has already been misplaced.
Make no mistake, it’s nonetheless encouraging to see the Cowboys utilizing all avenues of roster constructing to attempt to get nearer and nearer to supporting this ongoing aim for Schottenheimer. The long-term outlook for the Cowboys to lastly flip a nook on dominating the road of scrimmage on each side of the ball is trying a complete lot higher with the 27-year outdated, three-time Professional Bowler Williams added to the line of defense. The Cowboys nonetheless have first-round picks on an ascending trajectory on the offensive line with Tyler Guyton at left deal with, Tyler Smith at left guard, and this yr’s high choose Tyler Booker at proper guard. Middle Cooper Beebe was again within the beginning lineup in opposition to the Cardinals. The Cowboys are dedicated to a imaginative and prescient of seeing this by, and the very actual menace of consecutive seasons on the surface trying in for the playoffs shouldn’t be deterring them from pondering that is the best strategy.
The Cowboys including Williams additionally offers them one other defensive lineman that performed underneath former Jets and present Cowboys line of defense coach Aaron Whitecotton. Predicting the long-term way forward for any place coach on Schottenheimer’s defensive employees could be very laborious proper now, however having each Solomon Thomas and Williams paired with Whitecotton is an effective factor for the second. Dallas sticking with Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator to determine any of this continuity additional wouldn’t be properly obtained by the fanbase, however it could be the highway they go down in comparison with yet one more scheme change for the fourth yr in a row. Dallas’ different commerce deadline pickup in Logan Wilson is an Eberflus type linebacker along with his skill to play zone protection and browse performs downhill.
The very fact these constructive trades for the Cowboys don’t really feel like sufficient to raise a staff in turmoil on their bye week is irritating. The naked minimal influence they’ll have for the rest of the 2025 season helps the Cowboys protection be viable sufficient to get an actual analysis of a roster that’s been an extended and ongoing work in progress. The offense couldn’t follow the run recreation in both of their latest losses on account of how effortlessly their opponents have been scoring on this protection. The route tree accessible to both CeeDee Lamb or George Pickens has been restricted when the Cowboys really feel boxed into needing large chunk performs each drop again. Rookie edge rusher Donovan Ezeiruaku has gotten higher with every rep this season, and additional rookie assistance is on the way in which within the secondary with CB Shavon Revel Jr. The general setting these younger defenders will play in is hopefully extra secure now with Williams and Wilson getting on the sector, in addition to Demarvion Overshown. Veteran Jadeveon Clowney has additionally proved midseason pickups could make an instantaneous influence, having his greatest recreation as a Cowboy in opposition to the Cardinals.
Going by a tradition and identification change is not any simple job within the NFL, and having it’s conducive to quick success when sharing a division with the reigning Tremendous Bowl champions in addition to the NFC runner up Washington Commanders is even tougher. The Commanders have regressed on account of accidents and different components underneath former Cowboys DC Dan Quinn, with the Cowboys having their greatest residence efficiency of the season in opposition to them, however the Cowboys division standing forward of them remains to be tenuous at greatest. They solely lead the final place New York Giants within the win column by one recreation.
The pattern of the Cowboys being loyal to coaches for much longer than the quickly declining NFL common shouldn’t be going anyplace anytime quickly, it actually seems. This leaves altering how the Cowboys churn their roster to herald the varieties of gamers these coaches can work with as the one stone left to show for enchancment, and in desperation mode after a primetime embarrassment, the Cowboys did simply that. They now have a defensive deal with group that may go a really great distance in serving to any of their defensive ends get constant one-on-one matchups, not essentially needing a Parsons-level move rusher to get manufacturing on the sting due to this.
Each Williams and Wilson are gamers the Cowboys can consider 2026 plans, and each have been acquired whereas conserving future belongings to construct up for ‘26 and past in hand. The Cowboys can’t merely be praised anymore for simply wheeling and dealing, as they have been this offseason. Lots of these strikes have contributed to placing them within the gap they’re now.
The time for strikes like this to turn out to be much more widespread, but additionally truly hit and provides the staff gamers that may be put in the perfect place to win, is approaching quick because the weeks tick down on this curler coaster season. We could also be seeing the Cowboys turn out to be a much less draft-dependent staff proper in entrance of our eyes, whereas additionally nonetheless holding very priceless draft capital within the quick future.
The Cowboys protection will look fairly a bit completely different after they play once more in Week 11 at a Raiders staff that has been dreadful on offense. With the entire “cleaning soap opera” kind causes to maintain tuning into this staff exhausted, good on the Cowboys to get gamers that add intrigue to watching a protection that was probably the most unwatchable within the league previous to this.
If a greatest case situation performs out and the Cowboys aren’t truly pressured into serious about the long run with every passing recreation week, they are going to have the ability to fan among the flames across the large contracts they’ve handed out by seeing these gamers assist produce wins. If this time does predictably come although, the identification and tradition the Cowboys are aiming to have on this future is crystal clear, they usually used this yr’s commerce deadline to hopefully begin constructing a greater basis for it – each within the entrance seven with Logan Wilson and Quinnen Williams.
