COWBOYS SQUAD SHOW: The Cowboys will closeout their disappointing season against the Giants.

Summary

Locked On Cowboys: Cowboys Squad Show – Season Finale Preview & Trayvon Diggs Fallout

Episode Date: December 31, 2025
Hosts: Marcus Mosher, Jeff (Host), Glenn 'Stretch' Smith
Context: After a tumultuous season, the Cowboys close out the year facing the New York Giants. The episode dives into the unexpected release of cornerback Trayvon Diggs, the search for a new defensive coordinator, roster needs for 2026, and a look ahead to the season finale.

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Episode Overview

This episode serves as a capstone for the Cowboys' disappointing 2025 campaign. The hosts dissect the stunning release of Trayvon Diggs, debate what it means for team culture and finances, and preview the squad's regular-season finale against the Giants. With Dallas out of playoff contention, focus shifts to offseason priorities: defense, coaching changes, and evaluating young talent in a "meaningless" Week 18.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Trayvon Diggs Released: The Story and Fallout

Timestamps: 04:06 – 20:35

• Surprise and Context:

  • Diggs (First-team All-Pro, 2021) was released after requesting to stay behind in Washington post-game—a violation of team rules.
  • "I'm not surprised because...we were shocked that he even was activated, that he was going to play the last couple games." (Marcus Mosher, 04:06)
  • Release seen less as a timing issue, more as an organizational decision to reinforce culture.

• Why Now?

  • Diggs asked after the game (not before) to stay in Washington; Schottenheimer (OC) said no; Diggs did not board the team plane.
  • "Once you start granting those requests, you’re going to get 15, 20 of them every single game. And it's just too much." (Mosher, 06:34)
  • Diggs’ refusal to comply was seen as a "business decision" to force a departure.

• Financial and Team Implications:

  • If designated as post-June 1 cut, cap savings could’ve been greater, but the team prioritized locker room integrity.
  • "There are multiple benefits from moving on from him post-June 1st... you can spread that thinner and make that look better." (Stretch Smith, 08:32)
  • "They just wanted to wash their hands and be done with it." (Mosher, 09:50)

• Trade Value and Future Prospects:

  • Diggs' performance and injury history tank his market value; estimate: a one-year, low-guarantee deal, maybe min salary if another team bites.
  • "I think he’s really torpedoed his value. Now, maybe he catches on to a team in the playoffs...I have my doubts." (Mosher, 12:08)
  • Debate whether playoff teams (Denver, Cleveland, Tampa, etc.) would pick him up despite suspect physical health and declining play.

• Cowboys’ Approach & PR:

  • Hosts praise Dallas for keeping details in-house and not publicly undermining Diggs, given how easily information leaks in today's NFL.
  • "To their credit, they kept that quiet and protected him...they kept that in-house." (Jeff, 19:39)

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2. Cowboys Defense: Problems, Priorities & The DC Search

Timestamps: 23:40 – 35:58

• Jerry Jones Promises Defensive Improvement:

  • "We will get better on defense. I promise you that." - Jerry Jones, cited by Jeff (23:41)
  • Hosts see this as a given considering current struggles: “They’re one of the worst defenses in the league—all-time bad.” (Mosher, 24:20)

• Defensive Coordinator Candidates:

  • Is it better to stick to a similar system for continuity or hire the most creative available (e.g., Brian Flores)?
  • System fit vs. player strengths: Should scheme adapt to current roster or overhaul the roster for a new philosophy?
  • "I want a guy that comes in, evaluates what we have, and says okay..." (Smith, 27:42)
  • Mosher pushes for drafting players to fit a clear defensive identity rather than retrofitting the scheme every year.

• Front Office & Internal Promotions:

  • Unlikely the Cowboys promote from within ("No."—Smith, 34:12), but the DC search will be broader and may proceed quickly post-season ("Black Monday").

• Urgency and Evaluation:

  • With Dak Prescott and CeeDee Lamb in peak years, momentum for a quick defensive turnaround is crucial.

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3. Offseason Wishlist: Defensive Upgrades and Max Crosby Rumors

Timestamps: 38:58 – 47:13

• Max Crosby Trade Scenario:

  • Speculation about whether the Cowboys could (or should) pursue a trade for Raiders DE Max Crosby.
  • Both hosts agree Crosby is an elite player but acquiring him would cost premium picks, which the Cowboys can’t afford given broader defensive needs.
  • "If you’re giving up a first round pick and a second as I’ve seen…that’s probably too much…they need five or six starters on defense." (Mosher, 41:52)
  • The coaching destination in Las Vegas could determine Crosby's fate.

• How Many Defensive Starters Needed?

  • For top-5 defense: “Six.” (Mosher, 46:27)
  • To win the division: “Three to four” (Smith, 46:30).
  • Key upgrades: linebacker, edge rusher, corner, and safety.

• Defensive Coordinator Impact:

  • Ideal candidate could be Jim Schwartz (if available), seen as someone who could make rapid improvements.
  • “If you bring in Jim Schwartz...that would be an easy transition.” (Mosher, 47:29)
  • Emphasis on not missing picks in the draft: "You cannot miss in the first three rounds...was Taco, Mozzie, Sam Williams—you cannot miss anymore." (Smith, 48:29)

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4. Week 18 vs. Giants: What Matters (and What Doesn’t)

Timestamps: 51:38 – 61:49

• Game Planning & Playing Time:

  • Dak Prescott wants to play, but how long? If the O-line can't protect, expect “quick hook.” Likely see backup Joe Milton in action.
  • "I can’t see a scenario where they’re going to play Dak very much." (Smith, 53:18)

• Draft Implications:

  • "If the Cowboys lose, they could be drafting as high as 11. If they win, they're at 17 or 18." (Mosher, 54:17)
  • Hosts openly root for a “competitive loss” to improve draft positioning but want to see young players take steps.

• Young Player Evaluation:

  • Priority is evaluating guys like Brevin Span-Ford, Jaden Blue, Savon Revelle, etc.
  • “It's a chance to evaluate these guys. You should take every opportunity to be doing that.” (Smith, 61:05)

• Backup QB Situation:

  • Doubts about Joe Milton as a long-term backup; hosts advocate for spending a late-round pick on a new option for 2026.

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Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On Locker Room Culture:

  • “This is a business trip. You're expected to dress in a business mode. It's all about a business format.” (Smith, 05:56)
  • “If you want to build a culture, how can you not cut him and move on?” (Mosher, 07:06)

• On Defensive Identity:

  • “You have to be able to fit a player in a system that helps his skill set...That’s why they call you a coach.” (Smith, 30:46)
  • “The teams that are really good on defense, they draft certain types of players year in and year out that fit their scheme.” (Mosher, 28:31)

• On the Season Finale Strategy:

  • “Does 8-8-1 feel any better than 7-9-1? ...Who gives a whiskey crap? Just get the best draft pick.” (Smith, 55:47)
  • “Think of it as a preseason game...the outcome doesn’t matter. We just want to see different players in the game.” (Mosher, 57:15)

• On Urgency with Dak:

  • “...I have a sense of urgency...Dak’s not getting any younger...They need to win and get into the playoffs. That’s the goal.” (Jeff, 46:21)

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Important Timestamps

• Trayvon Diggs Release Explained: 04:06 – 20:35
• Jerry’s 'We will get better' Comment & DC Future: 23:41 – 35:58
• Max Crosby Trade Rumors/Defensive Needs: 38:58 – 47:13
• Week 18 Strategy & Draft Implications: 51:38 – 57:25
• Backup QB & Jaden Blue Discussion: 57:34 – 62:41

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Episode Takeaways

• Cowboys cut ties with Trayvon Diggs, signaling a renewed focus on culture and accountability despite financial tradeoffs.
• The defense is in need of both a fresh coordinator and at least 3–6 new starters; this will define the 2026 offseason.
• Do not expect all starters to play in Week 18—evaluation of youth and protecting assets for next year are priorities.
• Improving draft position is openly favored over a meaningless win to close the season.
• Quarterback backup and running back depth will also be offseason focal points.

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Final Notes

The episode’s tone is blunt, realistic, and at times humorous, with a focus on candid evaluation and setting up for a critical offseason. The hosts combine cap insight with hard-nosed football culture, keeping things honest for the diehard Dallas audience.

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For continuous Cowboys analysis, check out the daily Locked On Cowboys Podcast, especially as the staff breaks down draft preparation and DC hiring in the coming weeks.

Transcript

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

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[Jeff]

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[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

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[Jeff]

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[Marcus Mosher]

Santa, did you get my letter?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

He's talking to you, Bridges. I'm not.

[Marcus Mosher]

Of course he did.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

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[Marcus Mosher]

He handles the nice list.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

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[Marcus Mosher]

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[Jeff]

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[Jeff]

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[Marcus Mosher]

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[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

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[Jeff]

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[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

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[Marcus Mosher]

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[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

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[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Check out 15 minutes or less per line.

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[Jeff]

Big host of the Cowboys squad show and I don't want the season to end. Come on. Want to keep it going? Let's go.

[Marcus Mosher]

I'm Marcus Mosher and I cannot wait for the season to end.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Glenn Stretch Smith. We still got lots of drama.

[Jeff]

Lots of drama to say the least.

[Locked On Podcast Announcer]

How about them Cowboys? It's the Cowboy squad. Everything Dallas Cowboys every week covering all the big hits and game changing plays from America's team the way only the locked on podcast network can get ready and start. Squad up. It's the Cowboys squad show starting now.

[Jeff]

Squad up. And here we go. Welcome to the Cowboys squad show. After the Christmas day W in Washington, the Cowboys will head back to the east coast again to wrap up the regular season. On Sunday on the road against the Giants minus corner Trayvon Diggs, who was released earlier today. We're going to get into that. Welcome to another edition of the Cowboys squad show as we get set for the final regular season Sunday in the NFL. As always, we start with a welcome to the co host of the daily Locked on Cowboys podcast, Marcus Moser. Marcus, good to see you. Belated Merry Christmas and early happy New Year. Landon may join us later on. Maybe he won't. It's okay. He's got an appointment today. We love Landon. He'll be back after the game on the weekend and then we'll do this again next week as we wrap everything up and keep it going at the same time. And we have former Cowboys coach Glenn Stretch Smith coming up on our show today. The very latest with the Cowboys, all kinds of news on and off the field. The season finale against the Giants, who's going to play? And the search for a new defensive coordinator already underway. We got to start with the big story. The breaking news story first went down this morning, the release of corner Trayvon Diggs, a first team All Pro in 2021, got the big contract ahead of the 2023 season and now gone, released, cut loose by the Cowboys. Marcus, I'll start with you. Are you surprised at all and why now?

[Marcus Mosher]

I'm not surprised because we talked about a couple weeks ago that we were shocked that he even was activated, that he was going to play the last couple games. I think it makes sense from a team building perspective. In week 18 he wasn't going to play probably anyways. Right. You want to evaluate some of your young corners. So that means Savon Revel, ready, Stewart Bridges, maybe Kaylin Carson, you know that he wasn't going to be part of your long term plans and this gives him an opportunity to maybe catch on with a playoff team. Having said that, Stretch can I want to go through some of the things that happened in the last couple days and I want your, your thoughts on this. So as soon as he was released, there was a report out that he requested to stay in the Washington area after the game because that's where his family was from. He was going to spend time with family over Christmas and then fly back by himself. The initial report is that Schottenheimer said no and that he was not happy with that. My first question to you for stretches, I mean you've been part of these plane rides back. Is it just a, is it, is it common for players not to fly back with the team?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

No. Okay.

[Marcus Mosher]

Is there a reason why, I mean, is There any exception to why a guy might not fly back with the.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Team if he's hurt or if you have to leave him behind? You know, maybe, you know, they haven't finished from a diagnosis standpoint that from an injury situation, that would be the only time that a player would not get back on the team flight and go home.

[Marcus Mosher]

Because the idea is that, hey, we fly together to the game, we're flying back together after the game, right?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Like, I mean, it's always been. I mean, in every scenario I was in, it was handled like it. This is a business trip. You're expected to dress in a business mode. It's all about a business format. And, and, and that's how, I mean, that's how it was always handled in a very formal, we're going there to take care of business, and we're going to get out of there, and we're going to get back home and we're going to take care of business on, you know, both ways. And it.

[Marcus Mosher]

I, I don't think Diggs request was unreasonable. However, once you start granting those requests, you're going to get 15, 20 of them every single game. And it's just too much. And that's why, I'm sure, Coach, you just make it a rule. We fly there together, we fly back together. It's simple as that, right?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

And if you want to, and if you want to, then fly out, then, you know, you're at the airport, take your car or get your driver or do what you need to do and go get yourself on a flight and get out of there. That's if that's, you know, if that's what you need to do.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right, so that's what was reported. Now, here's what's come out in the last couple hours after talking to some people. Trayvon did not put in this request before the game, the week of the game. He asked Brian Schottenheimer after the game if he could stay. Schottenheimer said no, Trayvon did not get on the plane. And when you have a player who is being disobedient and not listening to a coach saying, hey, you're flying back with us, I, I don't know what other choice you have but to suspend him for one game. I mean, you could do that, right? Or just outright cut him. I, I don't see what the. If you're trying to build a culture stretch, how can you not cut him and move on?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

No, that's that. And that's exactly what they're doing. I mean, because they could have, there were, there were, there were multiple, and are multiple benefits from moving on from him post June, what is it? June 1st?

[Marcus Mosher]

June one. Yep.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah. Yeah. So you, you're, you're forfeiting substantial ability to help me out now. Like cut.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, basically, like over a two year period.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Right.

[Marcus Mosher]

You can get more cap space in 2026. You make the cat pit spread over two years. There is more financial incentive to do that. Yes, right.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You can spread that thinner and, and make that look better to, to move on. So to me, this feels like, if, if that's true, then this feels like a guy who was trying to get himself out of the building. Now, right, right now he, he wants out of there. And whether it's, you know, you go back to the posture that he took with Jerry saying he was healthy, what, three weeks ago, four weeks ago, and could have played, Jerry said, no, he's not healthy. You know, and you go all the way back to the summer when he did not do his 85 or 80 of his rehab here. So there's, there, there's some conflict here that is, you know, obviously has come to a head and he, you know, he just decided to, to make probably what felt like a business decision in this situation to say, okay, I'm gonna, I'm, I'm gonna force my way out of here. Now, if he clears waivers, I mean, how's one of these playoff teams going to sign him? I, I will guarantee you that if he can pass the physical. There's no question.

[Marcus Mosher]

I think the Cowboys were just done, and this is what we talked about a couple weeks ago, like, it just felt like they were done with this whole situation. And this last stunt, if you want to call it a stunt by Diggs, I think they just wanted to wash their hands and be done with it. And whether it was a bad fit with Matt Eberfluss, a bad fit with Brian Schottenheimer, whether it was him just really declining after, as a player, after two major knee injuries, whatever it is, I think the Cowboys were ready just to move on. There was no chance he was going to be here in 2026. And frankly, stretch, like, if he was playing better, maybe you tolerate a little bit more of this, maybe you say, hey, okay, let's, let's figure out a solution. But with the way he's playing, I don't think this was a tough decision at all.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, I, I just, I mean, you know, there's a history here and I think it's not just the last month, you know, What, I mean, we haven't, we have, we have a big history and not a big, a long history with what's going on here. So my gut feeling is they just said, hey, it's from, from a management standpoint for the Cowboys. Hey, let's, let's move on here.

[Jeff]

So let me ask you this, Marcus. From a financial standpoint, right, The Cowboys had no guaranteed money left to pay him. Right. That, that was done. So is this, I guess for lack of a better term, an ideal time or a, a good time to let him go? What, what are the negatives?

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, I don't know if it's an ideal time to let him go because as Stretch mentioned, you could have designated him as a post June 1st cut this off season and actually spread out as dead cap a little bit more. But I also don't think it's necessarily a bad time to cut him either. Like you had one game left. He was going to earn. I think it was 400, 000 in a game check. It's, whatever. It's, it's, it's just the way that you do it on the books. The Cowboys can manipulate that money. The cap you is fungible as Jerry Jones likes to say. I think they're going to be okay here.

[Jeff]

And do you think, do you think he'll get, you know, brand new mega deal next off season? No. Okay.

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean Stretch and I, we've talked about this for a while now. I think considering how much time he's missed, the stages he, that he is at in his career in his tackling inconsistencies. Let's, let's, let's be nice inconsistencies that's going to limit your market right down to probably two or three teams. And you look at what some of these other corners got in free agency. I look at someone like Jair Alexander who signed with the Ravens this off season on a one year, four million dollar deal. I think that's probably what you're looking at with Trayvon Diggs is a one year deal, very low guaranteed money. I think he's really torpedoed his value. Now maybe he catches on to a team in the playoffs and plays awesome and he's able to parlay that in the big money. I have my doubts.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Let me, let me ask you that. I mean, again, you have your doubts. You're saying whether Diggs could catch on.

[Marcus Mosher]

And, and I think he's going to catch on. I, I have my doubts.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Let me just give you, let me just ask one example. What's the, what's the corner's name? Is it Moss that's having tons of trouble in Denver?

[Marcus Mosher]

Riley Moss? Correct. Yep.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Okay, I'm gonna ask you just, you watch a lot of film. Just yes or no, is he an upgrade in Denver for Moss going into the playoffs?

[Marcus Mosher]

It depends because I think Riley Moss gets a ton of passenger. Here's how. This is why I'm gonna say it, though. As a coverage guy, yes, he's an upgrade. But Vance Joseph wants corners that are going to tackle and they're going to set the edge in the run game. And that way you can't just run a bunch of tosses and screens out there.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

But don't you think, and I'm sorry to interrupt, but don't go ahead. Don't you think he's going to have some gas in his shiva getter, let's say, getting a new, a new fresh outlook?

[Marcus Mosher]

I would have thought he would have had that over the last couple games. Right. Like, he was clearly going, he was going to be a free agent after the year. I thought you would have put out some really good tape. Maybe. Here's what I'm concerned about from a Trayvon Diggs perspective. He might just not have it anymore. He might not have the long speed anymore. And we talk about this all the time. If you have a corner that can't run, you're dead meat in the NFL. And he's given up a perfect passer rating this year. Maybe the effort goes up a little bit, but if you can't run, I don't know what you can do.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I'm not disagreeing with you. I'm not. But what I'm saying is if I, if I just walk in with, to take all, take all hats off, just walk in, put, put a couple games on, pick whatever you want of, of Moss and put a couple games on of digs and, and, and give me, you know, tell me one way or the other. And, and I agree with you. I think, I think Moss gets, he gets picked on immensely. And I, I just think when you're in the position that Denver Zan. And that's just one example. I'm, I, I'm saying, I believe, I believe he will, he will have multiple takers for his service probably right now. Right.

[Marcus Mosher]

Because.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Well, because you could put him on.

[Marcus Mosher]

The practice squad, stretch like you can put them on the practice squad. You bring him in for.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah. Whatever the scenario is, whatever it is, it doesn't matter once he clears waivers and once the money's not an issue. Anymore, he will have multiple suitors for his skill set.

[Marcus Mosher]

I just don't know if he can play anymore.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I mean, I don't either. But, but what is it? What, what, what's it going to hurt? I mean, this is a guy that was coached by Nick Saban. He, he's, he understands the technique. I mean, there were a lot of people that questioned his speed coming out of Alabama. I mean, there were, there were people that thought he was a, he was a 4, 6 guy at Alabama. But he's long and he, and he's not afraid to, to undercut and he's certainly not afraid to gamble and go. And you know what, at this point, I just think that you're going to have multiple, and I do mean multiple, maybe, maybe as many as five teams say, we got to get him in here. We got to, we got to take a look at this guy. I guess we'll see when they start putting the claims in. Right? Because how does it work when you're all playoff teams? I mean, how does the claim process come down with.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, it's, it's right now by the, your current, current, like draft order right now. So theoretically, what could happen is a team like Cleveland could sign him and, you know, they bring him into their offseason workout and then they cut him in, you know, March or April because again, there's no guaranteed money left on that deal. I actually won't be surprised if a team like that does it because, hey.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I'm talking about, I'm talking about a playoff team. I'm talking about somebody.

[Marcus Mosher]

So.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You know, would Carolina, would, would Tampa would, you know.

[Marcus Mosher]

Right. So here's my guess as to what, what will happen. So he just hired David Mulagueda to be his agent. I'm sure he's going to tell every one of these non playoff teams, hey, don't claim Trayvon. He's not showing up. Right? Do not claim him. He will not show up for your team in week 18. He's not going to show up to the building. I honestly probably David wants him to clear waivers and then he can have his pick between three or four different situations. I think, I do think he'll eventually sign with somebody before the playoffs or during the playoffs. But to kind of answer Jeff's overall question, in the off season, in the 2026 offseason, I don't think he really has any market beyond basically a veteran minimum contract.

[Jeff]

Unless he heals and gets better and gets stronger and then comes back in better shape than he did. This Time around. We'll see. Let me ask you this. What, what, what will history show for this, for his contract and the big deal that he got with the Cowboys with. I mean, not their fault, the injuries.

[Marcus Mosher]

No, it's. I, I actually think Dallas signed into a pretty good deal. They, they tried to sign him early which is, which we've been wanting them to do. They got him to take a five year deal which is what the Cowboys always try to do. He played really well in 2022. He was awesome at the start of 2023 and then he tore his ACL between weeks two and week three. And from that point on he's really never been the same. And this is something we don't talk about a lot is, you know, these guys suffer big injuries all the time and they're able to come back. But it does take a toll on you. And a lot of times you can be healthy, but you maybe not be as confident as you were pre injury or maybe you don't fit in to the new locker room because if you're gone for eight, nine months rehabbing, it can be a different environment and a different vibe when you return. I can't blame. The Cowboys deserve a lot of blame for a lot of different things. I don't know if I, I blame them for this digs deal.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, I'm, I mean, I'm right there with you. I mean he, he, he, he, he pretty much forced his way out of here. Yeah, he didn't want to be here, out of here. Now, whether it again, whether he, you know, he didn't like how they had rehabbed him the previous time, whatever the scenario is, I mean, you know, he, he forced his self to, to, to, to get out of here. And I'm not going to be, I'm telling you, I'm not going to be surprised if, if he doesn't show up on one of these playoff teams, I'm really not.

[Marcus Mosher]

Jeff. 41 million for 19 games since signing his contract. Not bad.

[Jeff]

Not bad. That's a good gig if you can get it. One, one, one final note, then we'll move on and we'll take our break. I, I feel like the Cowboys need a little credit though because this whole thing that went down during the season, to their credit, I mean they could have, they could have leaked, they could have done a number of different things, but to their credit, they kept that in house. I mean we don't know what happened, we don't know all the details, but they, they kept that quiet and they protected Him. And in this day and age with, you know, social media and everything else and everybody trying to get. Get the news out, like I said, they probably could have benefited that probably would have helped them with some pr, you know, if. If he was the bad guy. But to their credit.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Coming.

[Marcus Mosher]

It's coming. I. I almost guarantee you we'll get the piece in about a week from some. From one of our guys. Almost guarantee it.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Exactly. You're. You're. You're gonna. We're gonna hear the story. It's just. Just a question. How many. What is it, four or five days? Every.

[Jeff]

Every.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

It'll all. It's like that clothesline. All the laundry will be hung out out there.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, yeah.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You'll have a clothesline up there in Erie, too.

[Marcus Mosher]

Cold clothes would freeze out there.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I'm talking about in the. In the middle of summer.

[Marcus Mosher]

Oh, we don't wear that many clothes out here the summer stretch.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

No, I guarantee you. I guarantee you if I lived in that weather, it'd be time to hop, skip, and get naked about the time, too. So I get it.

[Jeff]

Buck naked. Right?

[Marcus Mosher]

There you go.

[Jeff]

All right, when we come back, let's talk about this game a little bit, talk a little bit more about the defense. Got to talk about the D coordinator position. Whole lot to get to. And we're just getting started 20 minutes in. So great to be with you. This is the Cowboys squad show.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Locked On.

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[Jeff]

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[Marcus Mosher]

All right.

[Jeff]

Welcome back to the Cowboys squad show with Marcus Mosher and former Cowboys coach Glenn Stretch Smith. The Cowboys cut Trayvon Diggs today ahead of their season finale against the Giants and they will wrap up the regular season on Sunday. Just some, some thoughts on, on the defense and what we might see this week. And I was going to say Jerry Jones this morning before we got the news about Trayvon Diggs made a little bit of quote, made a quote, promising fans that, quote, we will get better on defense. I promise you that.

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, that's not really that big of a promise. They're one of the worst defenses in the league. They're all time bad.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

So I mean, my, how far is that sitting? What are you going to lombat under that bar right there, Jeff? I mean, that bar is about what is it just, just off the floor?

[Jeff]

No, I, I'm, I, I'm taking it as that means there's no, no way that eber flu is coming back. That's what I, Jeff, do you want.

[Marcus Mosher]

To know how you can know that eber flu isn't coming back? Jerry Jones said uber flu like five different times during that interview. So when he's not even getting your name right, pretty good idea that he's not going to be back. Just like when he was calling Micah Parsons, Michael Parsons. I think that's a good indicator.

[Jeff]

Nice.

[Marcus Mosher]

Did he ever call you the wrong name, Stretch?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

No, you know, I, it was, he was always very, I mean, he was always very, very good to me. I mean, I'm telling you, I, I, I'm, I mean, at the time I was in that building, I, I, that's why you hear me speak all the time. I speak the utmost respect for Jerry Jones. He was, he was very, very, very good to me. And so it's hard for me to ever be critical in that situation. But you know, I Went back today and just kind of. I flipped through that game again today, and it's hard to believe they had to go score 30 point. 30 points to beat Josh Johnson. I mean, I mean, that is. You talking about. You're. I'm talking about an aptness on defense at its finest.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, can I, I want to ask you something, Stretch, because we've had a bunch of listeners wanting to know whether the Cowboys should try to go after a, a defensive coordinator who's like Eber Floors, but better to maybe try to limit the learning curve here because I think there's a lot of fans that look at Dak Prescott's age, cd, Lamb, George Pickens and these contracts and feel like they, the next two years are kind of their window. I mean, go after a guy that's maybe a little bit more similar to Eber Fl. Or do you try to attract the best candidate, knowing that there could be a big learning curve? And I think that's, that's kind of the, the, the knock here is if you go after, let's say, a guy like Brian Flores, you got to completely change the types of guys you draft, the types of edge rushers you're going to get. They're going to have to completely change over your secondary. What is your thoughts on that?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I mean, let me ask you, how hard do you really think it is to play defense? And I'm not being ugly. I'm just saying how hard is it? You have one responsibility of one job and you go chase the football like it's the last piece of whatever you like. In my case, it's barbecue. Go chase the football like it's the last piece of barbecue on earth. But I guess, but I guess I know what you're saying, but at the end of the day, do you think the Cowboys are going to go out and, and look for a, a guy that plays a 34 front? No, they're in, in today's football, you're, you're in, you're in nickel personnel. I don't know what the percentage is. You could tell me that. It's got to be upwards of 80% of the time, doesn't it? Yeah.

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, it's extremely high. But are you gonna get, are you going to get a defensive coordinator that's going to run, you know, it's like a 4:2 look, and it's, you know, typical cover 2, Tampa 2? Or are you going to get the guys that are like, you know, I.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Want to go, look, I want a guy that comes in and evaluates what we have and then says, okay, right now let's just say for instance, how many, like just give me, just throw out a number. What do they draft? Let's say they draft two corners, okay? And then he's got to figure out are these guys better off playing man coverage, Are they better off playing zone coverage? Or we can we get there if we're playing zone coverage?

[Marcus Mosher]

I disagree with you on that one there because I think you should know going into the draft what kind of defense you're going to have. Because if we're going to run a, a zone heavy defense.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Well, now wait a minute. No, no, no. You're then, you're, then you shoehorning yourself into what you're going to draft. That's when you reach in the draft. Right?

[Marcus Mosher]

But I think like, I think one of the issues they had with Ravel, like I'm going to give you as an example, they drafted Ravel to be this man to man corner and now you have him playing zones 98 of the time and he's awful at it. I mean you watch him backpedal, he's got zero feel for it. So you're stunting the development. I, I think these teams that are really good on defense, they're drafting certain types of players year in and year out that fit their scheme rather than trying to adjust their scheme to fit the players. I think it's sometimes easier to do it that way.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I don't, I mean, I don't know what, I don't know if there's a bunch of long guys coming out in this draft. I don't know if you got a bunch of high cut guys come out, coming out in the street. I don't know. So, so I think you, I think you've got to be, you've got to have, you've got to understand multiple schemes. If, if you're going to be the defensive core, if you're going to be a defensive coordinator in the NFL. I think you have to, I think you have to understand that. Now that doesn't mean that over a couple years you may not move some guys in and out or you may not be able to fit certain characteristics of what you want. Yeah, I think everybody goes in and says, hey, you know what I want, I want, I want, you know, I want this type of corners, I want this type of safeties, I want this. I mean, you think everybody walks in and goes, man, you know what? I want a short safety who wears about a size eight shoe and, and about a six and A half inch stride, dying for that guy.

[Marcus Mosher]

Judge. I'm going to give you an example from our Steelers, right? Not really, but the Steelers, Mike Tomlin and the Pittsburgh front office, they will not draft cornerbacks that don't tackle, right? They'll live with guys that don't get a lot of interceptions who ball skills are a little bit up and down. But the number one thing is we want you to be aggressive, physical and tackle. The Cowboys have not prioritized that. Will mlay in the front office is prioritized. We want long, athletic ball guys, right? That's why they got Trayvon Diggs. That's why they got Deron Bland. I think you do need to have some general idea of what you want to be on defense because it makes drafting a whole lot easier rather than trying to figure out, okay, this guy's a man to man corner, but he's going to play zone all the time in our scheme.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

And I hear what you're saying, but what I'm saying is do you think they walk in and go, man, I want a guy who's just, just a cover guy, can't tackle crap. No, no, no, they don't. Now, now do they want a more. I mean, does everybody want that physical safety who can run the alley and hit. Hell yeah. Does everybody want a, A Derwin James? Yes, but, but how many of those guys are there? And so you have to, and so my point is you have to be able, that's why they call you a coach. You have to be able to fit a player in, in a system that can, that, that helps his skill set. And, and you're not going to, it isn't like you're going to be able to go in there and take your exact knife and start carving out glamour characters of exactly what you want. I mean you, it doesn't work that way. So you have to at least say, okay, this is what in theory we want to do. And right now, if you look at this team, I mean they're, they're built around some really good defensive tackles. That's one of the hardest things to get. You ought to be able to, you ought to be able to jump start this thing in a hurry. That's why, I mean my gut feeling is this guy's not done a good job. And that's why, that's why he's going to be out of here.

[Marcus Mosher]

I guess I'm just looking at it like, hey, if you. Again, I'm going to keep mentioning Brian Flores because he's the, the flavor of the week. If you bring in Brian Flores, he's not going to like the 6 foot 5, 275 def pound defensive end that's, you know, speed to power. Because what he wants is these guys that can move all around and they can drop into zone coverage when they're sending three guys on the other side or through the A gap. Right. And that's why like, a guy like Andrew van Ginkel, who's 6 foot 2, 240 pounds, is a much better fit in your, in your defense. So I do think it's going to matter who they bring in. I'm just curious if they're going to bring in somebody who is more exotic like that or do they bring in somebody who's going to have maybe a more simple defense that they can easily plug guys in and have them play right away?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I mean, it'll be interesting to see who they talk to and how they go about it. I mean, I, there's no question. I mean, Flores has done an unbelievable job, but it's also taken him, what, three years to get it done.

[Marcus Mosher]

They've been pretty good the last couple years, but yeah, it's, it's, it hasn't been an immediate thing. Correct.

[Jeff]

Where do we stand with him, by the way? I know he, the Buzz was last week.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Slim and none and Slim's out in Butte, Montana, hunting pheasants.

[Marcus Mosher]

It's like the homecoming queen in high school. Probably not, right?

[Jeff]

Any, any chance, at least for me.

[Marcus Mosher]

I don't know about you, Stretch. I don't know.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, I mean, I, you know, I, I, I don't like to speak out of turn about that kind of stuff. I just think he's got it, he's in a good place. He's got his defense where he wants them to. Does he look around and say, you know what, man, I don't have, we don't have a quarterback here and maybe I could win faster if I go there. I, you know, there's, I mean, it's the saying the grass is greener.

[Marcus Mosher]

But he also might be using the Cowboys as a leverage playing. He's, he wouldn't be the first coach.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

He didn't. If he didn't have a, he didn't have that lawsuit. He might be a head coach. I mean, he might be a candidate be a head coach.

[Jeff]

Any chance they, the Cowboys promote within. Any chance, like White Cotton gets the job? No. Okay. No. All right.

[Marcus Mosher]

I, I would be.

[Jeff]

Hey, I mean, look, you know, everybody tries to reinvent the wheel and, and pick the New.

[Marcus Mosher]

Here's the only way that happens, Jeff, is if they strike out on all these other candidates, right, and they get to February and they can't get a candidate to say yes, that's the only way. But that's not going to happen.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Do you think you're going to have. There's going to be too many right now, Marcus and I talk about that. I. I probably aggravate him daily. There's going to be too many head coaching jobs out there, and so you're going to have a. A big market of. Of candidates. I mean, we could. We could sit here and go through all that. But I mean, that exercise is. Is probably for one of these offseason shows where we can just start, you know, start. Start getting the flavor of the. Of the week and the. Because, no, I think it's going to happen fast, too, because you got, you know, Monday is. Is. Is. Is. It's Black Monday. And. And I mean, I believe. I believe you'll see. You know, I think there'll be. I think there'll be seven to nine head coaching openings. That's five more than what you have now. Five to seven.

[Jeff]

And you guys know the front office better than I do. How much say will Shotty have, do you think, in the pick?

[Marcus Mosher]

More so than last time? I think it's going to be the thing.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I think. Which was zero.

[Jeff]

Yeah.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Which is zero, right?

[Marcus Mosher]

I think. I think. Yes. We'll just leave it at that. Yes. He's gonna have more to say than he had last time. Yes.

[Jeff]

All right. I want to stick. When we come back, stick with the defense. I want to run something else by you. Another big rumor that's going out there. It's been a lot of Cowboy Buz for such a weird time in the season and the fact that they're not going to the playoffs. But what else is new, right? We'll do that. This is the Cowboys squad show.

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[Jeff]

It's also that time of the year for our friends at Prizepix because this episode is brought to you by Prize Picks. And whether you're starting a new routine or jumping into player projections for the first time trying something new can feel like a challenge, but with Prize Picks it always feels good to be right now with high pressure football matchups every weekend and elite hoops action now almost every night, the action never slows down and Prize Picks lets you stay in control. Prizepix is the daily fantasy app that makes watching sports even more exciting by letting you build lineups based on player projections. No drafts, no waiting, just pick more or less and play your way. And getting started on Prize Picks really quick and simple. The app is super easy to navigate. It's made watching games more engaging, especially when you're following individual player performances. And the new early Payouts feature really is a game changer. If a player starts hot, you can cash out before the game ends. So download the Prize Picks app today. Use code locked on NFL to get $50 in lineups after you play your first $5 lineup. That's code locked on NFL to get $50in lineups after your first $5 lineup price picks it's good to be right. And it's good to be on the Cowboy squad show with Marcus Mosher and the coach Glenn Stretch Smith. Landon will be back with us next week and we've got the season regular season season finale for the Cowboys Sunday against the Giants. All right, Max Crosby is not going to play in the season finale for the Raiders, but I know there's a lot of fans that are hoping he might find a way to play for the Cowboys next season. What do you think of a possible Max Crosby trade and could it really happen?

[Marcus Mosher]

Judge, why don't you go first?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I'm going to say that this is. If I had to, if I had to handicap this and you guys know I love betting the horses and all that things about 20 to one shot. I mean, I don't think it's very likely. I think a lot of it depends on the dynamic of the direction that the Raiders decide to go. In fact, does Pete Carroll come back next year? And then I'll ask this, I'll just throw this out since we're just kind of trying to pave the road. What if. What does this say, Pete Carroll decides not to come back? And what if Patrick Graham gets hired as the defensive coordinator of the Cowboys? That's the defense. Current defense coordinator, the Raiders. Who has coached him this year? Mike? Man, I don't know. I'm just, I'm simply piecemealing this thing together. But I mean, I think if you have something like that happen, you know, I wouldn't, I wouldn't rule it out. But I think the cost of acquisition for Max Crosby is going to exceed what the Cowboys need to do, which is, I believe, Javante Williams, George Pickens, I mean, those kind of things. They're going to have to get some guys that can produce on some rookie deals and they have enough draft picks right now to go get that done.

[Marcus Mosher]

I have a lot of thoughts on, on Crosby. First of all, just as the player, he's a phenomenal player. I mean he is, Miles Garrett and Michael Parsons are better players full stop. But he might be more of a complete player than both those guys because he is a way better run defender than either of them. He is an awesome, awesome player. And if he's available, you absolutely have to call. His contract is very manageable. It's 35 million a year, which is what, $12 billion a year less than what Micah Parsons is getting. I think there's only one year of guaranteed money left on the contract. So it's, it's a very manageable contract. The, the only issue that I have for the Cowboys is they need a lot of help on defense. So if you're giving up a first round pick and let's say like a second round pick next year or two first round picks as I've seen some people suggest, that's probably too much, right? Like they need five or six new starters on defense and Max Crosby would help a lot. But if you have Max Crosby and Quinn and Williams and Oso Diggy Auba on the defensive line, you've got the most expensive defensive line in the NFL by far. You're also paying Tray or not Trayvon Duron Bland a lot of money and your whole secondary needs replaced outside of him. So I could see the, the reasons not to do it. He's an awesome player though. So I do think I, I think there's going to be a lot of teams interested in him. I don't know if the Cowboys will ultimately be the team that goes out and get him. I think if they would have done this, you know, pre Quinn and Williams traded for him makes total sense, but they've kind of made their big veteran acquisition here.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Let me ask you this. If, if, let's just, I mean, it's just I, I, I just play the game. If, if Carol decides not to come back, steps aside, who do you think the Raiders hire?

[Marcus Mosher]

My guess is it'll be an offensive minded coach to pair with their new quarterback. They get. So let's go with Clint Kubiak.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Okay, so that's going to be the first question he's going to have to answer when he walks in the building. Right. What are we. What. What is the value? What do you place as your value on. On keeping Max Crosby? And I can tell you, all you have to do is turn the film on. He plays. He plays the game like you want to have a guy play the game. And so I don't. And I don't believe it'll be an offensive guy. I think they go with the defensive guy and. And I think that's even less of a chance of him getting out of the building.

[Marcus Mosher]

Here's the only knock on Max Crosby. I covered him for a couple years when he was in Oakland. Vegas. Yeah, he. He's got a lot of. No, I like the tattoos. Tattoos look great.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You have any?

[Marcus Mosher]

I. No, I don't like needles, man. I don't think I could do it.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Jeff, you have any tattoos?

[Marcus Mosher]

Do I have tattoos? You're Jeff. I can see Jeff being a big tattoo guy.

[Jeff]

I do not. No. Not a fan.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I mean, I don't either. And I don't have any piercings, so, I mean, we're three of a kind looking for two more.

[Jeff]

I used to have a pierced ear.

[Marcus Mosher]

No way. I don't believe it.

[Jeff]

Real quick, hold on. Real. You'll love this. It's a Philly angle. I was in. In the. It was a Clippers home game and I was in the Sixers locker room and I was getting some post game interviews and Charles Barkley and Rick Mahorn. Charles just mid, mid, mid scrum points at my ear. And he and Rick Mahorin, because it was a little diamond and can. Proceeded to make fun of me for how small the diamond was. But it was. It was a good. It was a good moment. He caught it, though.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right, back on topic there. Max Crozzi plays almost every snap, but he's also very beat up. I mean, he's had so many different surgeries. He turns 29 this off season and he's an old 29. And that's my only fear, is he plays so hard and he's so violent that I wonder if we're getting to the point where you're going to start seeing a declining player. I hope that doesn't happen because I love watching him play and. But this is a guy whose body has been through a ton.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, I think that's. That. That's certainly the first thing that anybody's going to do is, you know, they're going to take a hard look at where he's at. Health wise.

[Jeff]

So final thought and again, I'm not trying to get into Cowboys off season and we're going to have time, like you guys said, to break all this down. I'm just trying to kind of look at where things stand and I think the big thing for me is, you know, can we, we see this defense improve and kind of take the next step because something you guys hit on and I sometimes feel like I'm the only one that, that has a sense of urgency and that is like, hey Dax, not getting any younger and like you have a season like this where they're, you know, one of the top offenses in the NFL in an offensive driven league and you don't make the playoffs. I mean to me it's just, it's a wasted year. I mean I'm all for culture development and everything else, but we don't need to learn, you know, we don't need Dak to, to get another season under his belt or I mean they, they need to win and get into the playoffs. That's the goal.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, well, how many, how many? So how many. I mean, you're saying that. So how many guys you think they need?

[Marcus Mosher]

Six?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

No, I'm not. I'm talking about, I'm talking about. See, I, I think if you go, if you want a top five defense, six. I think if you want to win the division three, four.

[Marcus Mosher]

It paired with, we should mention it.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Could be done this year. Yes, that absolutely can be done. So to answer your question and to get, if you want to, if you're concerned about where Dak is, which that's, I mean that's a legitimate concern, then, then, then I believe if Bland is healthy and, and, and Overshone is healthy, you, you are, you are three, four guys away from being a pretty good defense and, and contending for the NFC east in 20, 26, period.

[Marcus Mosher]

100 agree with you. Now I do think those three or four guys need to be paired with the right defensive coordinators. And we laid out this example unlock on Cowboys a couple weeks.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Well, who is it then? Quit telling me that.

[Marcus Mosher]

I think, I think someone like Jim Schwartz, if Cleveland moves on, I think that would be an easy transition. You bring in a linebacker, you draft the defensive end, you sign a veteran corner, you find a safety, there you go. That's how you get. Is your defense going to be elite? Probably not. But can you be the 18th ranked them to be?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

If you're, if you're gonna go right. If you, if you're where you're at offensively, you don't need them to be.

[Marcus Mosher]

Do you think Jim Schwartz can get.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

This to be back and Javante comes back, Ferguson's healthy. You don't need him to be.

[Marcus Mosher]

I think Jim Schwartz is somebody that could get them to play at a acceptable level pretty quickly like that.

[Jeff]

Let me ask you this, coach. I mean, isn't. When you have a unit, isn't there also though kind of a goal? I mean, aren't you hoping to, to improve week by week over the course of the season? Right. Isn't that the goal to kind of start out training camp and everything else? But you hope that as the season goes on, you get better, you get better as a unit, you learn from your mistakes and, and hopefully improve.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Of course. But, but, but what I'm saying is, I mean, you're going to, you're going to get, you're going to get an upgrade with a coordinator. Now. I want him to hire the right, you know, I want him to hire the right guys with him too. And then immediately the emphasis. And I believe the pressure goes to Will McClay and this scouting staff because guess what? You cannot miss in the first three rounds. Cannot miss. There's no, You've already, you've already had your misses. We can, we can go, we can go back over it. I mean, Taco and Mozzie and we can go over the list of second rounders and Sam Williams, you cannot miss anymore. No, no misses. So if that happens, I mean, you're, you're, you're, you're right in contention for what I believe would be in the, in the middle of, of doing anything you want to in the nfc. I really do believe that because I think if you, if you, if you're realistic with, with where guys are, I mean, who right now, and we'll have an opportunity to talk about this all off season, but I mean, are you really. Or if you had three guys right now, let's just say a corner and end and another safety, would you be afraid to go tee it up with Seattle?

[Marcus Mosher]

I wouldn't, I would because of the linebackers, but yes. But the point remains. I think you're not that far away on defense.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Hey, yeah, you're not. It's not like you're. Again, it's not like you're, you're miles away. You've got one side of the football that is really, really good. You've got an offensive line that can play. You got a quarterback who if stays healthy, can be in his prime. You got, I mean, you're, you're you're loaded for bear on that side of the football. Just go be competitive and get us a few critical stops on the other side. You don't have to. I mean, it's not like we're looking at to make this an 85 bears situation. Just go be, just, just go be competitive and get us a couple turnovers and a few critical stops.

[Jeff]

That's it.

[Marcus Mosher]

All right.

[Jeff]

Love it. Good stuff. We'll leave it there for now. When we come back, I want to talk about the offense a little bit in our final segment and what what we're looking for in Sunday's finale against the Giants. We'll do that really quickly coming up. This is the Cowboys squad show.

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[Jeff]

We're back Cowboy squad Show Marcus Moer Coach Glennon Stretch Smith before we we dive into that, Marcus, what do we got coming up the rest of the week on the daily Lockdown Cowboys podcast?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, we've got a crossover show coming on Thursday with Patricia Trainer from Locked on Giants, and we both talk about how miserable this season has been, what we're, you know, expecting to see in week 18, and how both of these teams can get back into contending. And then on Friday, Landon and I are going to preview the show. We're going to do it from a little bit of a different angle rather than talking about how they can win this game. The the players that we're excited to watch because you're going to see some new guys out on the field this week. Maybe Jaden Blue plays. I think Brevin Span Ford's going to get more looks in this game. We'll see on defense who's in and who's out. So make sure you guys pay attention to that.

[Jeff]

All right? Well, Dak has said he wants to play. I think the plan is to play him, at least at the beginning. But the question is, how long do you think we'll see some of the regulars? And really, do we need to.

[Marcus Mosher]

I think it depends on how the game goes, right. If they can't block Dak and he's getting hit a bunch in the first quarter, maybe you only see him for the first quarter. But if they're moving the ball pretty well, they get a lead and Dak can just, you know, hand the ball off, check into the right plays, get rid of the ball quickly. Maybe we do see him go late into the second half. I do think we'll see Joe Milton at some point in this game. The Cowboys want to win. Brian Schottenheimer wants to get to 500. But I don't necessarily think that they're going to go all out to win with Dak and CD and Pickens and all these guys getting a bunch of snaps.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, I mean, I agree. I think. I think. I really think this is going to be a scenario here where we're going to get right up to the game time. And if, and from all indications, Javante probably can't go, I can't see a scenario where they're going to play Dak very much at all in this football game. And I think that kind of gives them. That kind of gives you the out. I mean, that kind of eases you into saying, hey, you know, we're beat up here, we're beat up here, and we're not going to get beat up there. So let's go, you know, let's go. Let's go attack and play the football game. So I think this may be one of those deals that, that works out in the Cowboys favor where you have injuries and you want to see some other faces and you're going to get an opportunity to do that maybe as much as three quarters of football.

[Marcus Mosher]

Stretch, I got a question for you. Is it. Is it bad as a fan of this team to root for them to lose on Sunday? Because, and we talked about this on our Tuesday show, if the Cowboys were to lose on Sunday, they could be drafting as high as 11. If they win, they're probably going to be drafting at 17 or even 18. And if you were to happen to lose this game, the Giants would slide down from pick two to pick seven, which would dramatically hurt them. Considering how much help the Cowboys need on defense, is it wrong to root for them to play well but loose?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

No, no. Hell no, it's not. You know, you know the answer to that. You tried to. You, you, you. This is where little Liam's gonna get on the golf course here in about three years, and you're gonna bend over and you're gonna tee it up for him. You're gonna go, okay, now draw it back and give it a rip, little man. No, I mean, this is a scenario where, you know, in fact, to, let's just say if you're 18 and you want to move back up to number 12 in the draft, probably a two.

[Marcus Mosher]

It'S a second round pick.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, right. So, so, so really, that's what we're talking about here. We're talking about a football game here. It's going to be, that's going to be involving or could involve as much value as the second round pick. Does 8, 8 and 1 feel any better than 7, 9 and 1? Does 5 and 1 sound any better than 4 and 2?

[Marcus Mosher]

Only the Mike Tomlin. Mike Tomlin's the only one that cares about that.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

That's about it. Gives up. I mean, who gives a whiskey crap? Just get to try to get the best draft pick. We just got through saying how this team can get to where they need to be in 2026. In my mind, 2026 starts Sunday at noon. And it'd be nice if you could just ease out of there with a little, with a little seven, nine and one hickey. Right?

[Marcus Mosher]

What you want to watch, you're watching for certain players to play well. Like for me, I want to see Brevin spin four, be used more as a receiver. I want to see Donovan as a raku, have a sack. I would like to see, you know, Savon Revelle play better football. That's what you're rooting for. The final outcome does not matter. In fact, we're actually hoping that they probably lose this game. But we also don't want to see crap football. And we've seen that over the last couple weeks with, you know, non cowboy games where these teams are just playing awful. And I know people are going to be saying, Herm Edwards, you play to win the game. I get it. But also the goal is to win championships, right?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

You are, you're playing to win a game.

[Marcus Mosher]

Players on the field are going to.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Play to win, but that doesn't mean that. That doesn't mean that you can't put that you can't put other guys in the game. You don't tell them, go out there and hey, no flop around on the ground. And you, you know what? They hit you too hard. Throw the ball up there like you used to do when they played tackle in the backyard. You don't want the other guy to hit you. You said, I'll hell with it.

[Marcus Mosher]

It's like Preseason. Think of it as a, a preseason game where yet the outcome doesn't matter. We just want to see different players in the game 100%.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

And you want to evaluate those guys because guess what? We're talking about 2026. We're talking about springboarding this thing into 2026.

[Jeff]

Let me ask you this. Where are they? Is Joe Milton under contract for next season as well?

[Marcus Mosher]

The next two seasons?

[Jeff]

So, I mean, so he, I mean, is he set? I mean is he, is he going to be their backup? Is he the guy and do you think they've made that decision?

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I hope not.

[Jeff]

Okay. I'm just trying to, if it's, I'm.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Just saying, I mean, I, I, I, I, I've, I've seen enough of him to, to, I mean to, to feel like that. I, I want to see, I want to see, I need to, I need to see better, I need to see better than that. I mean, I, I just, I, I just do. And maybe if, if he's given this opportunity right here, maybe if he goes out and shows you that he's got quick decision making ability, you know, maybe that changes. But right now, I mean, I, I, I don't see enough out of him to say, boy, I feel comfortable with him in 2026 being the two.

[Marcus Mosher]

Stretch. The Cowboys have three fifth round picks this year and I'm looking at guys, I don't know. Have you seen Sawyer Robinson from, from, Absolutely.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

I love him. Baylor.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I, I, I know, I was joking. I'm wondering if they could use one of these day three picks back because I'm not so sure Joe Milton's going to be the backup next year.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

And I think that's, I mean think about, think about how San Francisco did what they did because they, they had a really good backup quarterback who went in, played his ass off and functioned and got them wins. And now look, look where they're at. That, I mean that should be in, in a plagiarism business that should be absolutely. Your blueprint is to get you somebody that can, you know, not only get you through a game, but can, can win some games for you. I mean, I thought, and that's why I thought Cooper Rush did a hell of a job. I'm not, I'm not advocating for him at all. I mean he did a great job for the Cowboys and what they were asking him to do. And you need somebody who can come in and maybe play three or four, get five games a year and you can get, you can get, you know, you can Win some games with him. It's not just like you're throwing out there, somebody that, you know, you have no chance with.

[Jeff]

All right, well, I, I'm. I'm curious because we haven't really seen him play much in a while. And. Yeah, I mean, to my point is, you know, you hope that maybe he's picked some things up over all these weeks during the season and see what he can do. It's such a. Like you said, I mean, it's become a critical. It's always been, but I think it's even more so now. A critical position. You want to have the right guy that can not only back up, but winning games.

[Marcus Mosher]

I think if Joe Milton was making big strides, we would hear about it. We hear him lighting up practice or, you know, crushing the scout team. The fact that we haven't really heard anything makes me wonder what these practices are like. And I. Listen, I, I understand that Joe Milton is incredibly talented. I just won't be surprised if the Cowboys are looking for maybe a different style of backup quarterback at 2026. But again, if he plays really well against the Giants in the second half, maybe that earns him another year.

[Glenn 'Stretch' Smith]

Yeah, I mean, that. And certainly. I mean, if you're a Cowboys fan, certainly want to see that. You want to see that. I mean, I. I want. I want. I want to see him get in the game. I want. I want to see him get some. Get some. I mean, real playing time. Because I want to evaluate him. I want to know. I want to know, can he do it? Not. Not. I haven't seen anything right now. Like you said, you don't hear anything. And so, you know, go. Go show me something different. And I. And I certainly would, you know, I certainly would welcome that, but it's. It's a very important position and, and you got to have that guy. And that's why I've said this for two weeks. I said it last week, and I'm going to say it this week. It's a chance to get to evaluate these guys. You should take every opportunity to be doing that.

[Jeff]

And what if they don't play Jaden Blue Sunday? Does that mean anything or is it just you get to camp next season and it's a fresh start and you hope that he's ready to go.

[Marcus Mosher]

Will be he beyond this camp roster next year?

[Jeff]

Jeff, you. You would think, but I guess stranger things have happened, right?

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, the fact that he hasn't played since what's the Denver game makes me think maybe this coaching staff doesn't really believe in him. I, I think we're gonna see the Cowboys bring back a veteran running back, draft the running back at some point, and then maybe they bring back Malik Davis. Maybe they, you know, find somebody else. But they need Jaden Blue to grow up quite a bit. And by, by every comment that Schottenheimer has made all season long, it doesn't sound. Sound like it's happening fast enough.

[Jeff]

All right, well, we'll, we'll find out on Sunday. Malik Davis will look great. I hope he gets to start. I'm sure he will. Hope he has a big game. Look forward, Marcus, to your show coming up. Kind of breaking down. Some of the guys you and Landon will be looking for. Coach, we'll, we'll speak after the game on Sunday and then we'll all get together and I'm sure we'll have a lot to talk about next week as we get into 2026.

[Marcus Mosher]

It'll be a lot of fun.

[Jeff]

All right, guys. Hey, Happy new Year. It's been been a great year. Tough year for the Cowboys, but it's been a great year personally for me getting to work with the two of you and with Landon and Aisha and Marcus. Landon, you guys crush it. You guys do a great job. So we're looking forward to that. Coach. Thank you, buddy. We'll talk on Sunday and everybody watching tonight and listening later on, we appreciate you as well. Happy New year. This has been the Cowboys squad show.

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