Dallas Cowboys' Depth TESTED as Injuries Mount | Can They Weather the STORM?

Summary

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Locked On Cowboys – Depth Tested as Injuries Mount: Can They Weather the Storm?

Hosts: Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool
Episode Date: September 23, 2025

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Episode Overview

This episode centers on the mounting injury crisis facing the Dallas Cowboys after their Week 3 loss to the Bears, particularly injuries to key starters CeeDee Lamb and rookie guard Tyler Booker. Hosts Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool break down the immediate and long-term impacts on both sides of the ball, discuss the shifting team outlook, and explore whether there’s any room for optimism amidst the adversity.

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Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Major Injury Updates and Immediate Impacts

Timestamps: 01:16 – 08:33

• CeeDee Lamb’s High Ankle Sprain

  • Out for at least 2 games; possibly 2–4 weeks (“He was seen in a walking boot and on a scooter during Monday’s open session with the media. Not great news.” – Landon McCool, 01:39)
  • Team debating whether to place him on IR.
  • Passing attack dramatically changes without him:
    • Air yards per attempt plummeted from 32% of attempts targeting 15+ yards downfield to 7.5% after Lamb left vs. Bears.
    • Offense "p ndered in the second half, specifically when they had to throw the ball and Chicago knew they had to throw the ball, so it was a tough loss." (Marcus Mosher, 02:44)
  • Caution urged—don’t rush Lam b back:
    • “It’s better off just to give him the four weeks to get ready and then kind of evaluate…” (Landon McCool, 04:07)

• Opportunity for George Pickens

  • “This is a huge opportunity for him to show… that he can carry the offense.” (Landon McCool, 05:18)
  • Hosts note Pickens’ performance was mixed, but this stretch is pivotal in evaluating his future with the team.

• Offensive Line Devastated

  • Tyler Booker (rookie RG): Out 4–6 weeks with a high ankle sprain
    • Severity is unusual for OL, who often return quicker.
    • Already missing Cooper Bibi (starting LG) 6–8 weeks (lower leg injury).
    • Depth tested, as Rob Jones (swing guard) is gone for the season (neck).
    • “You’re already without two of those three guys [interior starters] going into week four.” (Landon McCool, 07:20)
    • Booker finished the previous game while injured, showing “the kind of level of toughness that we’re talking about.” (Marcus Mosher, 07:26)
  • Positives: Run game had success early, showing young line potential.

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2. Depth, Roster Construction, and Areas of Concern

Timestamps: 08:33 – 11:38

• Interior OL depth is being severely tested
  • TJ Bass (RG), Brock Hoffman (C) stepping in, but less margin for error now.
  • Injuries have also hit CB (last year) and now OL in waves, reminiscent of the 2024 DE crisis.
  • “It feels a lot like last year with the defensive end position… a whole bunch of concentration of players in one spot.” (Marcus Mosher, 09:19)
• Coaching staff must elevate redundant or green players through scheme and support
• Necessity for optimism amidst struggle leads into next segment

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3. Searching for Long-Term Optimism

Timestamps: 11:38 – 16:54

• Run game and OL development stand out
  • “When you look specifically at this young offensive line… the ability to be able to run the football and the schemes that’s been installed… the Cowboys have something there.” (Marcus Mosher, 11:59)
  • Despite being forced off-script due to defensive collapse, run game showed life in first half vs. Bears.
• Future team build and philosophy
  • Cowboys may be lining up for a significant team reset – “As they rebuild the defense, even if Dak’s prime starts to fade… you will have like a run game and then as you build the defense, a run game and defense combo…” (Marcus Mosher, 14:10)
  • “At least you’re on a timeline where your team makes sense.” (Marcus Mosher, 15:23)
• Prediction on 2025 season outcome
  • “If I had to ask you how many games you… think they win, what would you say right now going into week four?” (Landon McCool, 15:33)
  • “It’s hard to project anything less than a couple games under .500 at this point.” (Marcus Mosher, 15:52)
  • Both anticipate a 6–7 win season, but see long-term benefit to a rough year that enables bolder rebuild (“For the long term future, going 6 and 11 is what you want to see.” – Landon McCool, 17:43)

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4. Leaning into Youth and a Transition Year

Timestamps: 16:54 – 21:06

• Shift from veteran placeholders to youth movement

  • Expect to “lean into playing not less talented but less reliable players that need to learn on the NFL dime.” (Marcus Mosher, 17:46)
  • Specific calls for more snaps for Wanye Thomas (S), Marist Liufau, and less for veterans like Kenneth Murray, Jack Sanborn, Donovan Wilson, and even rotating CBs like Trevon Diggs if not fully healthy.
    • “Let’s play Liufau out there and then Overshown will be back… let’s get him on the field.” (Marcus Mosher, 18:44)
    • “Some of the older pieces that are frankly not playing well, like, what are we doing?” (Marcus Mosher, 20:40)
  • Suggestion that struggling vets will cede time to prospects for on-field development.

• Anticipate heavy lineup and succession changes

  • “Maybe we see Nate Thomas at right tackle instead of Terence Steele and they try to work a succession plan that way.” (Landon McCool, 21:06)

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5. Why Has the Defense Fallen So Far, So Fast?

Timestamps: 23:50 – 29:13

• Personnel loss and scheme transitions at the root

  • Eberflus’ new zone-heavy scheme requires cohesion and familiarity; current roster is a patchwork of “his guys” and older holdovers.
  • “When you watch the tape, there are guys running open in zones and no one’s reacting to it… and it feels like guys like Murray are just not comfortable in the defense.” (Marcus Mosher, 24:34)
  • Communication breakdowns, schematic misalignment—e.g., Diggs in zone while others in man.
  • Bad luck: Injuries to key players (e.g., Trevon Diggs, DaRon Bland, DeMarvion Overshown, Sam Williams).
  • “A lot of bad luck, but also bad drafting… all of these little things add up to being a really bad defense.” (Landon McCool, 27:41)

• Questionable personnel decisions compound problems

  • Letting solid values like Dorance Armstrong walk, then spending assets to backfill with lesser results (Martian Neyland).
  • Drafting defensive tackles and edge rushers who don’t contribute.
  • The Micah Parsons trade, while controversial, exposed the lack of high-end defensive playmaking and pass rushers.
    • “You trade away the most talented… defensive player that you’ve got… you’re hoping to backfill things and maybe you’ve fixed the run defense in some ways but… everyone knows pass defense is more valuable.” (Marcus Mosher, 28:20)

• Long-term hope: hit on draft picks, let young players emerge

  • “Hoping that a couple guys pop this year… we’ll fill through the draft and free agency in the next couple years.” (Landon McCool, 29:13)

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Notable Quotes & Moments

• “The smart thing to do is probably to, you know, err on the side of caution and be careful with [CeeDee Lamb] and give him more time than he really needs.” – Marcus Mosher, 04:32
• “It feels a lot like last year with the defensive end position… and it really sunk your chances pretty early on. I’m hopeful it’s not going to be like that this season.” – Marcus Mosher, 09:19
• “I actually think for the long term future of this team, going 6 and 11 is what you want to see.” – Landon McCool, 17:43
• “[The defense] just feels like it’s a combination of just a lack of talent, guys who aren’t even… well versed in the defense, and then… all you’re playing is cover two and cover three… [while] teams like Ben Johnson’s [Lions] have boutique coverage beaters.” – Marcus Mosher, 24:34

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Segment Guide / Timestamps

• 01:16 – Cowboys’ injuries: Lamb and Booker
• 05:14 – Opportunity for Pickens, outlook without Lamb
• 06:36 – Booker’s injury, offensive line depth in crisis
• 08:33 – The aggregated impact of injuries, testing depth
• 11:38 – Run game, offensive positives, and rebuild philosophy
• 15:33 – Predicting season record and arguing for youth movement
• 18:15 – Calls for more snaps for young players (Liufau, Thomas, Overshown)
• 21:06 – Anticipating more rotational/succession changes, specifically on OL
• 23:50 – Deep dive: Why has the defense regressed?
• 27:41 – Bad luck and bad draft decisions on defense
• 29:13 – Hope lies in youth, the draft, and a long-term rebuild

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Tone & Style

The episode is frank, somber, and reflective, with an undercurrent of “realism” about the state of the team. Both Marcus and Landon are unflinching in addressing negative trends but manage to highlight developmental bright spots and take a pragmatic view of how a down year might ultimately benefit the long-term outlook for Dallas.

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Transcript

[Marcus Mosher]

Foreign Podcast network your team every day.

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[Landon McCool]

The Dallas Cowboys lost two key starters to high ankle sprains this week. What does that mean for their future this year? We'll get to that next. You are Locked On Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast network Your team every day. Welcome back to the Locked On Cowboys Podcast, part of the Locked On Podcast network. Your team every day. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day. Today's episode is brought to you by FanDuel. Right now, new customers can bet just $5, and if your bet wins, you'll get $300 in bonus bets to use across the app. Welcome back. I am your host Marcus Mosher. He is Landon McCool, and on today's show, we're going to look for any reasons of optimism for the Cowboys moving forward. We're going to talk about why their defense has gotten to be so bad outside of just trading Micah Parsons, obviously. But let's start with some big injury news. We were already bummed out Lenon because the Cowboys lost to the Bears in Week three. And then we get the news that CD Lamb is going to miss at least two games. It sounds like. Sounds like it's more of two to four games with a high ankle injury. He was seen in a walking boot and on a scooter during Monday's open session with the media. Not great news.

[Marcus Mosher]

No. I mean, there's even been talk like, I guess maybe he stayed off the injured reserve at this point But, I mean, I don't think that they've completely ruled that out. And, you know, look, I mean, it was. It was apparent how much of an effect he had on the Cowboys offense. Immediately, I. I pulled the numbers from the weeks one through three on their average attempts of air yards, and it plummeted after. After CD Lamb left the game. You know, the first few weeks, they were attempting the ball down the field at a higher than, you know, 15. 15 yards down the field at a higher than 32 rate, like. And now it went down to 7.5%. They basically went back to what we saw in the 2024 offense where they were operating. And. And it was tough. Even with Pickens, who was, I think, able to pull up together some things that you didn't have last season with. With the ability to kind of score in the red zone and. And produce a little bit. He also had the key, you know, drop that turned into an interception. And the offense kind of puttered in the second half, specifically when they had to throw the ball and. And Chicago knew they had to throw the ball, so it was a tough loss.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And I know CD Lamb said after the game on Sunday that he was going to try to play against the Packers. Players are notorious for.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah.

[Landon McCool]

Overestimating their ability to get back on the field. And I think the Cowboys have got to protect CD from himself a little bit. And that's why I won't be surprised if they put him on the injured reserve list, because high ankle injuries, even mild ones, can really linger. And for the most part, players aren't the same all season long. So you're better off just to give him the four weeks to get ready and then kind of evaluate. Unfortunately. I hate that we're already in this part of the season, but evaluate where the team is a month from now and then go from there.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I mean, it's. It's tough for us to sit here and say this, but the smart thing to do is probably to, you know, air on the side of caution and be careful with him and give him more time than he really needs. They are, you know, gonna have the warrior mentality that these guys usually have, and they're going to be rushing back to kind of get back in, you know, the good news is that the Cowboys training staff will at least get him to a point where he won't hurt himself, hopefully. I mean, he already went out there and tried it on immediately and just was clearly able to even do the motion across the formation without, you know, wincing in pain. So hopefully they, they take the time that they need to make sure that he gets healthy again. Because you can't lose CD Lamb long term. You can't have negative effects that linger with him beyond just these few weeks.

[Landon McCool]

Well, and I will say one of the things that we're going to know kind of coming out of this next month is whether or not the Cowboys should pay George Pickens this offseason. This is a huge opportunity for him to show not only that he can be a valuable point in this, a person in this offense, but he's somebody that can carry the offense. Right. We know he's incredibly talented. We know the big plays he can make. But now it's time for him to become the focal point of the offense and be the guy that can handle 8, 9, 10 targets a game. It's a really big opportunity for Pickens, and I'm curious to see how he handles it.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, Pickens has got, you know, the whole world in front of him right now, and he had the opportunity of the lifetime. Obviously, it was kind of an up and down showing in this game. And I, and I think that that's, you know, what's going to happen, I think initially as things kind of, you know, play out in the course of the game. And I think this is similar to what we saw when, when CD went against the Dennis Allen defense, you know, and facing the kind of brackets being the focal point. It's, it's a, it's a tough life. We'll see if life gets any easier this week against the Packers. I can't imagine that it will. But the other thing that, that you would hope that they would be able to lean on is a run game that had a lot of success. And, and I think that that's a huge part of what was positive about the game early on. Unfortunately for the Cowboys, they got a double dose of bad news.

[Landon McCool]

Yes.

[Marcus Mosher]

Today. Give them, give them the other shot.

[Landon McCool]

Well, and that's the other one. And this is the one that really bums me out. I mean, CDs so, so much fun, but Tyler Booker is going to miss for the reports four to six weeks. So this is a much more severe injury for a high ankle sprain. And usually with offensive linemen, they can get back on the field quicker than other positions. And I think that the fact that we're already, already hearing four to six weeks means this is probably a pretty severe high ankle injury for Tyler Booker. Such a bummer because you're already without Cooper Bibi for the next six to eight weeks with a lower leg injury. And now you're losing Tyler Booker. We thought the Cowboys offensive line could be the strength of their team and really their interior three, right, Tyler Smith.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah.

[Landon McCool]

Specifically Tyler Booker. Now you're already without two of those three guys going into week four.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. And it's really unfortunate Tyler Brook was able to finish the game with that injury. That's going to give about four to six weeks just to show the kind of level of toughness that we're talking about. But you're right, like with CD Lamb, it's. It's like this feels sort of like, you know, we're drifting closer and closer to a lost season sort of situation. And if CD Lamb misses a few weeks here and there in this situation, it's not the worst case scenario of everything that could happen. But Tyler Booker, a rookie, you want to be out there with his teammates getting these snaps. He needs these snaps to get better and to improve and just to kind of grow over the next few weeks. The fact that he's going to be on the sideline obviously is upsetting and I guess even more especially because I, I think in the run game especially, you saw a lot of really positive things about the. From the Cowboys offensive line. And I think, you know, in a, In a situation, like we said, where it's, it's. It doesn't feel like it's going the Cowboys way this season with the injuries piling up and everything. Looking for some positives on film. I think that the run game is one area where you felt like you were getting a lot of positives from a young part of your team and you were hopeful about the future there.

[Landon McCool]

And one of the things that we talked about this off season is that the Cowboys have a lot of depth on their interior offensive line. So you do feel good about TJ Bass being your right guard. You've got Brock Hoffman at center. You do have some options. But it's not just BB And Booker that they've lost. It's someone like Rob Jones, who the Cowboys signed this off season to kind of be that swing guard. He's out for the season with a neck injury. You know, they've just had all of these injuries concentrated, it seems like at the cornerback spot and now at the center, you know, the interior offensive line spot. It's just really unfortunate for a team that really didn't have much of a margin of error to already have this many devastating injuries coming out of the third game of the year.

[Marcus Mosher]

It feels a lot like last year with the defensive end position right where we just lost a whole bunch of concentration of players in one spot, and the cornerback honestly too last year as well. And, and, and it really sunk your chances pretty early on. I'm hopeful it's not going to be like that this season.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean it's going to be really tough. This is why we need to see the coaching staff really elevate the players, help with the scheme, put them in good positions because if they just go out and try to win based on talent, probably not going to happen. I know. Let's talk about some reasons though to be optimistic because we've been nothing but negative for the last couple days and rightfully so. Are there any reasons to be hopeful about this team long term? We will get to that next this episode is brought to you by five hour energy caffeine just got a flavor upgrade five hour energy shots deliver tasty caffeine and 17 bold flavors. Each two ounce shot packs the caffeine of a premium 12 ounce cup of coffee plus B vitamins and nutrients with zero sugar and zero crashes. What I love the most is how portable they are. Big taste, tiny shot that you can put anywhere that you need it. When you need a boost, like for me, I throw it in my truck or in my golf bag and I'm ready to go. It's absolutely fantastic. You don't get that crash at the end of the day. It gives you the energy to power through your day. Enough with boring, flavorless caffeine. It's time to give your caffeine a flavor upgrade with 5 hour energy shots. Get the favorites you love or be bold and try something new in store and online at www.5hourenergy.com or Amazon today.

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[Landon McCool]

Welcome back to the Lots on Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day. L let's be optimistic because you know, again it's been a little bit rough. Are there some long term things here that you've seen from the Cowboys through the first three games that do give you a little bit of hope that they're heading in the right direction.

[Marcus Mosher]

You know, I, I think that obviously would be the offensive side of the ball. Right. And, and I think when you look specifically at this young offensive line like we talked about a little bit in the last segment, the, the ability to be able to run the football and the schemes that's been installed, the Cowboys have something there. And I think the real travesty of the, of the Chicago game to me is that the defense was so poor that it threw the Cowboys game script out of balance and forced them to throw the football to try to catch up with the Bears. Because in the first half the Cowboys were absolutely pummeling the Bears front, defensive front in the run game. You know, I mean, I think the first two carries, despite the, the fumble, I mean they tell you the tale. Like they basically carried. I think it was like a 15 or a 7 yard carry and then a 15 yard carry and it's just they were able to like mix it up with the power and, and outside toss schemes and zone stuff. Like it's just the combination of things that they are able to accomplish. And, and it was, and it was multiple guys too. Guyton was able to clear people out. You, you saw, you saw obviously Booker with some success even after he was injured apparently. I'm still not even sure where I think he got injured because I, I watched, I re. Watched the tape on the film and you don't necessarily see it in the film and I, I think maybe we saw it in the game. I don't and I missed it, but.

[Landon McCool]

It was one of the last plays. I think Miles Sanders rolled up on him a little bit. His leg got caught like. I think it might have been like the second to last play on offense.

[Marcus Mosher]

Defense, but I think even Hoffman like, you know, looked good and didn't look like you. They lost a, a step. They looked, you know, like people are ready to fight a lot more. But I think that, you know, Hoffman did his job for sure. Tyler Smith was moving folks in, you know, off the ball. So I do think that the good, you know, if you're, if you're looking for something positive to build on is that I do think the Cowboys offensive line and, and Clayton Adams, what he's installed so far, they do have something moving forward in the run game. And I think that that's, you know, long term. Like let's, let's look past the season and maybe even past a couple seasons. Like while the Cowboys are gonna have to rebuild their defense that Much is clear like they're gonna need to re rebuild the talent there. They're gonna have lots of opportunity to with with the extra first round picks, you know, Michael Parson may be maybe available. So I, I, I think as they rebuild the defense, even if like Dax prime does, you know, which I feel like you're in right now, even if Dax prime starts to fade a little bit and he's getting older, that certainly could happen. You will have like a run game and then as you build the defense, a run game and a defense combo which can support an older quarterback, which can support potentially a rookie quarterback if it becomes that point down the road. And now suddenly, at least you're on a timeline where your team makes sense. Right? Because it feels like that's always been out of kilter as the Cowboys try to chase efficiency in the run game and just have inability to do it. And it just feels like their pass heavy, their offense heavy. You know, they can't seem to get their defense together to finally rebuild like the right way. Even if it's with your quarterback that's making $60 million while you're doing it. I think that they're at least taking the first few steps towards long term building towards having a solid team where it's not just, just you know, the hot players on the edges that are making the most money and just kind of a hollow team in the middle.

[Landon McCool]

I agree with you. I mean, I'm really having a hard time not trying to crack some dumb jokes here, but like, real quick, just do you see this? What do you see is like the, the kind of overall outcome for the Cowboys this year? Like I, I'm being serious right now. Like. Yeah, if I had to ask you how many games you, you think they win, what would you say right now going into week four?

[Marcus Mosher]

I mean, honestly, it's hard to like project anything less than a couple games under.500 at this point, like based on what we saw.

[Landon McCool]

So you're thinking like six wins, right?

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I think that that's fair. Right.

[Landon McCool]

So I, I'm with you, by the way. I think it's in that range, give or take a game, either direction. Right. Like that's kind of where I think they're at. I wonder if, if they have another season like they had last year where it's six, seven wins, then you can really start to, to tear down and rebuild and kind of just move on from guys and on both sides of the ball. And I, this is where my long term hope comes, where I think if they were to go 8, 9, 9 and 8 and sneak into the playoffs or be one game out. Maybe that wouldn't be enough for Jerry Jones and Steven Jones to feel like, hey, we're just one guy away from getting into that tournament. But if they have another really bad season where they're drafting inside the top 12, I honestly think that's better for the long term health of this team than scraping by and getting to 9 and 8. Honestly, I do.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah. I mean, I think that makes sense. I mean, because you're at a point where assets are more important to you. Right. Like, you know, those draft picks are more important to you than they ever were. Right.

[Landon McCool]

But I also think it's going to be a lot easier to move on from players that you need to move on from if you're a 6 and 11 team. And I know that sounds crazy, but like, I'll give you an example. I actually thought Dante Fowler played pretty well on Sunday. I mean, relatively well.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah.

[Landon McCool]

But there's no sense in bringing back someone like Dante Fowler next year. Right. Like, there's just, he's kind of a blockage, you know, with some of the other defensive ends you have. We'll get to that in a little bit. I think they're going to lean into playing a lot of young players and I like what they're doing on offense. I like the coaching staff. I think Clayton Adams is really good. I actually think for the long term future of this team, going 6 and 11 is what you want to see.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, we're not trying to. Look, we talked about this before. You don't tank in the NFL. No one tanks. It's just not a thing that you do. But you can also lean into playing not less talented but less reliable players that need to learn on, on the NFL dime. Right. And I think, you know, look, this position I would look at is, man, they played Wanye Thomas a lot on, on, on, on Sunday. Let's see him play some more. And you know what, like that's what.

[Landon McCool]

I was gonna say. Like they're going to lean into the youth on this team and that's honestly what they need to do anyways. But when you're, when you're, in a playoff battle or playoff race, sometimes you don't try to develop young guys like Maris. LeoFow. Yeah, I just think we're going to get to a point where it's not even a question about who should be out on the field anymore.

[Marcus Mosher]

Let's stop that immediately. Leopold needs to be playing a lot and and, and. And they need to, like, who but Murray needs to be off the field. I, I'm not doing this week to week with Murray, man. Like, you know what I'm saying?

[Landon McCool]

Same with Sandborn. I thought Sanborn was atrocious.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, well, Samuel's just been bad, like, you know what I'm saying? But, but Murray, it's like, you know, Murray is, I think, actually a blocker because they got to play one of these. Those two guys. And, and I let. Look, I mean, let's play Leo out there and then Overshadow will be back. Let's give over, shown an extra two weeks, three weeks, but, like, let's get him on the field. Let's see what those two guys look like. Man. Diggs, you know, like, you don't seem healthy, buddy. You seem hurt. Why don't you sit on the bench for a little while and let's let Bridges play.

[Landon McCool]

I, I know that one's tricky because I think I, I have to double check, but I think there's a guarantee. Well, I don't.

[Marcus Mosher]

Do you think that. I don't think there is any guaranteed money left on his contract. And I think that.

[Landon McCool]

I think it's injury guaranteed.

[Marcus Mosher]

Well, I'm not trying to cut him, but I'm trying to say that, like, he's not injured like that.

[Landon McCool]

No, no, but I'm saying, like, if he's saying, hey, I need to get surgery on my shoulder that I banged up in week three, you got to guarantee me X amount of money. Now my salary is guaranteed for 20, 26. It doesn't matter. Like, that's besides the point. You're. You're right, though.

[Marcus Mosher]

We already made $500,000 by, you know, for him not showing up at the, to the. So, look, I mean. Yeah, I mean, my point being, like, you know, there are some guys on this, on this team, especially specifically the defense, and frankly, I mean, I just listened. Let's go ahead and put Wilson in there as well. List three of the four, you know, candidates in, In. In the defensive backfill, where veteran guys that, you know, that are not young and don't need to develop that, that could sit down a little bit. And, you know, Elam could just sit down.

[Landon McCool]

Well, and I wouldn't be surprised if. I wouldn't be surprised if you sp. You start to pull some of those snaps from the older players like Donovan, Wilson, Kenneth Murray, and then, you know, maybe it's really rough for a game or two, but in a month you actually improve. But I just don't think when you're in a playoff race that you, you want to give up those couple games mid season. I just don't think the Cowboys are going to care.

[Marcus Mosher]

No, I mean, they should lean into being a young. They are a young team still and, and they should lean into it. And some of the older pieces that are frankly not playing well, like, what are we doing? Like, well, you know what I'm saying, Like, what's the point? Like, you're not in really in the race or, I mean, a couple more of these losses that you're probably gonna have. If you play like you think you're gonna play against the packers and some of these coming teams, you're out of the race. Let's go ahead and serve youth at.

[Landon McCool]

This point, and that's what's going to be exciting. Like, I mean, I'm not excited to have them lose, obviously, but I think it's going to be exciting to watch the development of some of these young guys. And I think the guy like, maybe we see Nate Thomas at right tackle instead of Terence Steele and they try to work a succession plan that way. I think we're going to see a lot of personnel changes over the next month. That's at least. It's different. It's a change. It's something to get excited about. All right, let's talk about the defense and why it's gotten so bad. I mean, yes, the Michael Parsons trade made a difference, but why is it this bad? We will get to that next. This episode is brought to you by FanDuel. The NFL season is here and FanDuel is making sure that you are ready for kickoff with a can't miss offer. Right now, new customers can bet just $5, and if your bet wins, you'll get 300 in bonus bets to use across the app. I love using Vandual because it fits however you like to bet, whether that's player props building a same game parlay or even jumping in in live as the action's unfolding. Like for me on a Tuesday morning, I want to get up and see who is the favorite now to win the mvp. Who's going to win some of these bad divisions like the AFC north where the Ravens just lost to the Lions. Like, that's, that's what I want to check out. And FanDuel makes it so easy to use. It's quick. It is the best way to add just a little bit more energy and juice to your Sundays. So are you ready to play? Download the FanDuel app now by visiting FanDuel.com to get started. That is FanDuel.com to place your first five dollar bet.

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[Landon McCool]

Welcome back to the Laton Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day. For your second listen, check out the Lockdown NFL podcast. Two shows every single day. One in the morning with Tyler Roland, one in the afternoon with Tony Wiggins. Find lot NFL on YouTube or wherever you get your podcasts. All right, Lana, let's talk about the defense.

[Marcus Mosher]

No.

[Landon McCool]

Okay, there we go. That's the end of today's show.

[Marcus Mosher]

Thanks, guys.

[Landon McCool]

How has it gotten this bad, this quickly? Because 2023, this was a defense that was flying around, they were making a bunch of plays. Then they got exposed in that Packer game. And it seems like since that Packer wild card loss, it's been nothing but awful.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, I mean, yeah, I, I mean I think it's hard to tie this unit to that unit. This, this unit is like so different at this point. And I think that's the pro part of the problem, right, is that you've got guys who are new in the linebacker spot and you know, because each defensive coordinator successively has kind of brought in their guys. Right. And in this case, Kenneth Murray and Eva Flu have no familiarity. Right? Sanborn does, obviously. Yeah. But like, I just feel like you Know, that's kind of just an example, but, but my point is that, that you have a situation where Eber flus plays a lot of zone, right? And you've got a group of guys that have to act as one unit in a zone to kind of, you know, make sure there's no holes to kind of pass players off as they pass through zones, right. To communicate and to make sure that, that everyone is, is getting covered. And it just feels like when you watch the tape, there are guys like running open in zones and, and no one's reacting to it. Like, and it feels like guys like Murray are just not comfortable in the, in the defense. They aren't instinctual in zone coverage. The guys like Diggs, you know, like for instance, on that 35 yard touchdown that Diggs played, Diggs was playing like cover three coverage, right? He had his butt to the, to the sideline and he was like side saddling. But every other corner in that, in that snap was playing, man. And it was like one of the three, like cover one snaps that the Cowboys had according to pff And Trayvon Diggs was playing playing zone and he slipped on top of that. Like he, he slipped and fell down. So it's like, it just feels like it's a combination of just a lack of talent. Guys who aren't even like well versed in the defense and, and, and then you're playing, you know, teams like that are coached by guys like Ben Johnson who have, you know, these boutique coverage beaters for cover two and cover three. They've got a volume of COVID two and cover three beaters and all you're playing is, is cover two and cover three with some cover four snaps mixed in, which he's got tons of those beaters too.

[Landon McCool]

So a couple things, they've done a bad job of letting guys walk in free agency that were I think actually pretty decent values and then replacing them. Like a perfect example, Dorance Armstrong left for a pretty cheap amount of money. Endorse has actually played really well in Washington. The Cowboys used a second round pick in 2024 because they lost Armstrong that year on Martian Neyland. And that's just been a big drop off and it's just been like little drop offs, not a little bit like sizable drop offs at a couple different positions here, here and here that have ultimately made it where this is just a bad unit. Now I will say I've had a lot of bad luck, whether it's Trayvon Diggs having two knee injuries since you paid him the Ron Bland broke his foot, you know, in training camps. Well in 2024.

[Marcus Mosher]

Oh yeah.

[Landon McCool]

Here you pay him and then he gets hurt in practice, you know. You know, what was it after week one? The Marvin over shown looks like a star. He tears his acl. You know, he's now had multiple injuries since you've drafted him. Sam Williams, the second round pick towards acl. A lot of bad luck, but also bad drafting. Like you have a first round pick defensive tackle who was a healthy scratch for the first two weeks. Sam Williams has been a net negative because he can't stop the run and he's not giving you enough as a pass rusher. It's just all of these little things add up to being a really bad defense and then when you trade away a Micah Parsons, it all gets exposed.

[Marcus Mosher]

Yeah, and, and I think, you know, again like it's the kind of the trading away of Micah Parsons is, it's a microcosm of the larger problem. Right. Like I mean you needed talented pass rushers to make the scheme that you're in the process of installing work and then you trade away the most talented like pass rush, the most talented defensive player that you've got. It's like there, you know, you're hoping to backfill things and you've maybe you've fixed the run defense in some ways but, but everyone knows that the past defense is more valuable. So it just, yeah, all we're hoping for is that they, they, they get more opportunities in this draft picks, they hit on these draft picks. They can improve the defense in a way that you have at least some talent to work with. Maybe you can get another defensive coordinator in here with that's not as talent reliant and then you can help yourself.

[Landon McCool]

Out and you're hoping that a couple guys pop this year. Whether it's a Donovan as a Rocku or maybe Savon Ravel comes and plays, you know, really well or Zion Childress proves he can be the slot corner like that's what you're hoping. And then we'll fill through the draft and free agency in the next couple years. But that's how we got here. All right, that is it for today's show. We want to thank you for making Lockdown Cowboys your first listen every single day. Check out the channel on YouTube, download the podcast, wherever you get your podcasts and we will see you right back here tomorrow.

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