Dallas Cowboys MIDSEASON Review | 2025 Rookie Recap!

Summary

Locked On Cowboys Podcast – Dallas Cowboys MIDSEASON Review | 2025 Rookie Recap!

Date: October 28, 2025
Hosts: Marcus Mosher & Landon McCool

---

Episode Overview

This episode of Locked On Cowboys delivers a frank midseason review of the Dallas Cowboys’ 2025 campaign, centering on the team’s struggles, notably on defense, and a deep dive into the rookie class’s early performance. Marcus Mosher and Landon McCool analyze the team's current standing at the halfway mark, evaluate major coaching storylines, and provide candid, detailed assessments of all significant rookie contributors thus far. The tone is realistic and, at times, critical, but with hope for future development.

---

Big Picture: State of the Cowboys at Midseason

[01:42–11:14]

• The Cowboys sit at 3-4-1, much lower than preseason expectations.
• Offense is good enough to win but the defense is “hamstringing” the team to the point of futility.
• The NFC is crowded with average teams, making every loss more damaging.
• Defensive woes echo horror stories of previous lost seasons, notably comparisons to the 2013 defense.
• There’s widespread concern over defensive execution, lack of turnovers, and “incompetence” in both personnel and coaching.

Notable Quotes:

• “You have an offense that you can win with, but your defense is clearly, you know, hamstringing you to the point where it’s almost pointless.” – Landon McCool [02:33]
• "This team isn't even producing turnovers... at least with the 2022 defenses you felt like they were bad, but maybe they could create a big play." – Landon McCool [03:45]
• "It's unfortunate because we've seen this same exact story play out in 2013... There would be games where you would score 48 points and you'd lose." – Marcus Mosher [04:52]
• "Bo Nix is a fine quarterback, NFL average, but he put up 44 points against this defense and that’s, you know, embarrassing." – Landon McCool [07:31]

Key Discussion Points

• Lack of defensive progress and basic miscommunications.
• Defensive staff and personnel need major overhaul.
• Even average NFL offenses are putting up historic numbers against the Cowboys’ defense.
• Calls for increased accountability and urgency in defensive coaching.

---

Coaching & Quarterback Check-In

[07:57–11:14]

• Preseason concerns were if Brian Schottenheimer could handle the head coach/play-caller dual role, and if Dak Prescott would sustain high-level play.
• Verdict: Schottenheimer gets a pass and some praise, and Dak is still a franchise-level QB.

Memorable Quotes:

• “I definitely think Schottenheimer is our guy… He earned this job.” – Landon McCool [08:28]
• “He still has a lot of growing to do... But he doesn’t seem overwhelmed.” – Marcus Mosher [09:42]
• "I think it's going to be imperative that [Schottenheimer] gets the right defensive coordinator to be paired with for the next three or four years." – Marcus Mosher [09:55]
• “I do feel good about the core of this offense, the head coach of this team and the play caller.” – Landon McCool [09:14]

---

Rookie Class Review

1st Round – Tyler Booker, G (Alabama)

[13:03–17:53]

• Booker has flashed his trademark physicality and “mean streak” especially as a run blocker.
• Overcame a high ankle injury to perform well in recent weeks.
• Some growth needed in processing stunts in pass protection, but overall delivering as advertised.

Quotes & Insights:

• “He finishes in a way that you’d love to see. I love the attitude he brings when he’s on the field.” – Landon McCool [13:32]
• “He's actually surpassed a lot of my expectations already... He can be such a dominating run blocker that I think you're willing to live with some of the warts that come in the pass game.” – Marcus Mosher [16:28]
• “[Booker] is like a plus plus in this area... looking to bury dudes.” – Landon McCool [17:16]
• Cowboys could debate positional value at pick No. 12, but Booker looks like a long-term foundational player.

2nd Round – Donovan Azaraku, EDGE (Boston College)

[17:53–21:01]

• Started slow but has surged as the season progresses, earning more snaps over Sam Williams.
• Pressure and win rates are elite recently, though sacks are still developing.
• Still needs growth as a run defender, but is one of the defense’s lone bright spots.

Notable Data:

• “Fifth highest graded edge rusher in the NFL since Week 5” (per PFF).

• Win rates last 4 games: 12.1–22.2%. League’s best hover around 20%. – Marcus Mosher [20:13]

• “He may just be your best defensive end... If you give him more and more chances, he may just grow into it.” – Landon McCool [18:34]

3rd Round – Savon Revel, CB

[21:01–21:22]

• Still sidelined on NFI list, practicing and expected post-bye debut.

• Complete unknown due to lack of preseason and early season tape.

• “We haven't seen any of him yet, so it's all just brand new to us.” – Landon McCool [21:16]

Day 3 Picks

Jaden Blue, RB

[24:06–26:52]

• Delayed integration into the offense. Flashes explosiveness but fumble issues and reluctance to fight through contact are major drawbacks.
• Likely not a key future asset at this stage.

Quotes:

• “He doesn't run through contact, that's for sure. I mean, he just falls down every time he gets hit and that's a problem.” – Marcus Mosher [26:33]
• “Blue has been a slow rollout into the lineup and just disappointing when he's gotten his chance.” – Landon McCool [26:52]

Shamar James, LB

[27:49–28:46]

• Extremely athletic, productive in terms of tackle numbers but poor average depth of tackle (many at 6–7 yards downfield).
• No tackles for loss, highlighting struggles to disrupt plays in the backfield.
• Coverage work inconsistent; not missing tackles but not making impact defensive plays yet.

"He forced a fumble. He looks good as a blitzer... But he's a year away at least." – Marcus Mosher [28:46]

Traquez Bridges, CB

[29:03–30:35]

• 25-year-old rookie, thrust into starting CB role due to injuries.
• Shaky but earned an interception; performances have been up-and-down, as expected for a late-round rookie in a tough spot.
• "He hasn't been fantastic, but he got an interception this week. He certainly got burned a lot. But for a seventh round pick... he's been pretty decent." – Landon McCool [29:24]

---

Youth Movement & Looking Forward

[30:05–30:38]

• With the season tilting toward mediocrity, both hosts express the desire for Dallas to “play the kids” and use the rest of the season for evaluation and player development.

“If you're going to be a bad team or an average team... you might as well just go down with a bunch of guys that you're trying to figure out what their role might be in 2026 and beyond.” – Marcus Mosher [30:05]

---

Episode Highlights & Closing Thoughts

• The hosts delivered a blunt assessment: defense must be rebuilt; offense and coaching have some promising cores.
• Rookie class has shown flashes, but contributors outside the top two picks are still question marks or developmental prospects.
• Injuries, coaching mishaps, and defensive breakdowns have defined the season.
• Closing notes urge Dallas to focus on youth and lay a foundation for 2026 and beyond.

---

Key Timestamps

• Big picture team discussion: [01:42–07:57]
• Coach/QB Check-In: [07:57–11:14]
• Rookie class review starts (Booker): [13:03]
• Aziraku segment: [17:53]
• Day 3 picks (Blue/James/Bridges): [24:06–30:35]
• “Play the kids” theme for second half: [30:05–30:38]

---

For listeners and fans, this episode offers a warts-and-all audit of the Cowboys at midseason, invaluable for gauging prospects and expectations for the rest of 2025 and beyond.

Transcript

[Tyler Roland]

Foreign.

[Landon McCool]

Podcast network your team every day.

[Tyler Roland]

I'm Tyler Roland from Locked on Titans. This message is brought to you by Apple Card. You left your wallet in the car. Or was it at home? No need to panic. With your iPhone, you can tap to pay using Apple Card with Apple Pay and earn unlimited daily cash back when you do. Apple Card is ready when you need it. Subject to credit approval, Apple Card is issued by Goldman Sachs Bank USA Salt Lake City Branch terms and more@apple card.com.

You are no dummy, but you're kind of acting like one. You used to crush it in school, outsmarting opponents on the field, and now, well, you're still smart, but not exactly challenging yourself. You could be advancing nuclear engineering in the world's most powerful navy. You were born for it. So make the smart choice. You can be smart, or you could be nuke smart. Become a nuclear [e-mail] Nuke Smart America's Navy forged by the sea.

[Marcus Moser]

The Dallas Cowboys are halfway through the 2025 season, and it hasn't been great so far. We'll break it down next.

[Locked On Cowboys Network Announcer]

You are Locked on Cowboys, your daily Dallas Cowboys podcast, part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day.

[Marcus Moser]

Welcome back to the Locked on Cowboys podcast, part of the lockdown 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 Moser. He is Lana McCool. And on today's show, we're going to take a look at the Cowboys rookie class through the first eight games of the season. But laden, let's do a big picture, right? We've seen this Cowboys team through half the year so far. Where are we? What's the direction? What are the vibes around this team? And I know it's hard to do this after a loss, especially when you give up 44 points, but just based on what we've seen in these first eight games, what are your overall impressions?

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I mean, I think my overall impressions are that the, you have a, an offense that you can win with, but your defense is clearly, you know, hamstringing you to the point where it's almost pointless. Right? Like, I mean, you're, you're at three, four, and one, so you're not, like, you know, completely, you know, at the bottom of the NFL at Any point. But, but the, the catch of the matter is, is that it's a very parody filled league, especially this year, and there's a lot of teams kind of in this area and being one game under.500 may, you know, rank you 14th or 15th, you know, in the NFC.

[Marcus Moser]

You really, you've got a lot of teams that only have two or three losses, which makes it even harder.

[Landon McCool]

And I think that, you know, and maybe in some other years you feel like you could slightly improve the defense some more, you know, go out and maybe make a little bit of a run. But I just think that we've seen too many examples now of the Cowboys getting just absolutely destroyed by really just not top end offenses. And, and, and I think that's really where, you know, you, you know, even if you're trying to fool yourself into believing that, you know, oh, you can get into the tournament and you know, maybe something will happen. Like this team isn't even like producing turnovers. Like at least with the, like the 2020, what is it, three or even the 20 or maybe not 2021, but 2022 defenses, you felt like they were bad, but maybe they could create a big play, right? Maybe they could create a turnover, get, get you the ball back and, and, and, and at least put you in a position. There's just not anything that this Cowboys defense is, is consistently doing well. It feels like there is definitely spurts by certain players, but it's just not enough to kind of support the offense in any real way. And, and you see the offense kind strain under the pressure, I think especially this last game, strain under the pressure of having to serve dual masters of scoring points and protecting their defense at the same time. And it's even as good as this offense and as balanced as it can be, it just can't do both of those well at the same time.

[Marcus Moser]

It's unfortunate because we've seen this same exact story play out in 2013 when the Cowboys were giving up 415 yards per game. And that was a team that went, I believe, 8 and 8 that year. Tony Romo had a phenomenal year. The offensive line played really well. They had a Des Bryant, a young Des Bryant that was absolutely phenomenal. And it wasn't enough because there would be games where you would score 48 points and you would lose or you'd score 40 points and lose because your offense has to be perfect. And unfortunately that's where they're at right now. They, they don't have the benefit of having an off day or Settling for field goals inside the 10 yard line. They just can't do that. And I think if you're the Cowboy or a Cowboy fan, you want to know, is there a move or two out there or is there a player or two currently on the roster that can develop enough to make this defense not historically bad? I know they're getting DeMarbi and overshone back. They're hoping Savon Rebel can eventually be one of their starting corners. But even then, like, you know, we've been watching these tapes, so we watched that game on Sunday. It's more than just one or two guys. Like, it's an entire unit that basically needs to be replaced.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And. And you feel like, you know, it's. It's more than just the players, too. Like there's some coaching staff stuff happening here too. It's just like, as we have covered, you know, ad nauseam, that there's just some very fundamental stuff that's happening that that is, you know, not sound. And, and I think that that's, you know, not necessarily going back on. On the players. I mean, some of it is obviously all of it ultimate. Some of it is also creeping up to the coaches and just not putting their players in the best positions to play, not dealing with, you know, the kind of player rotation stuff that we've been expecting. I mean, even down to, you know, the obvious, like, you know, man coverage, more blitzing, stuff that, you know, very clearly was better for them, even if it wasn't good. Ultimately, you know, it just feels like there's just a lot of incompetence and I'll. And I'll even go further too. Like you mentioned the 2013 season. I don't think it was. It might have been the 2013 season, but I think back to the last time the Cowboys, you know, played a big game against Denver. A big game against Denver.

[Marcus Moser]

2013.

[Tyler Roland]

It.

[Landon McCool]

Was it 2013. So, yeah. I mean, and. And. And the Manning game. Right. And. And like that they had Peyton Manning when they scored, what was it, 48 points against us. And, and. And they. They had Bo Nicks and they scored.

[Marcus Moser]

Or.

[Landon McCool]

Honestly, that's. That's what I think the difference is.

[Marcus Moser]

To me, I think, yeah, Peyton Manning and demarius Thomas West Walker, Emmanuel Sanders is a little different than Bo Nicks and Troy Franklin.

[Landon McCool]

Just a little bit. Just a little bit. Yeah. And then I think that's my point, right, is that it's like they're putting up historic numbers. And it's not like even that you're, you're going against, you know, 2011 Aaron Rodgers or, you know, any era, Joe Montana out there. Bo Dix is, is, is a fine quarterback, NFL average, but he put up 44 points against this defense and, and that's, you know, embarrassing.

[Marcus Moser]

All right, two things I wanted to ask you because going into the year, if, if I thought the Cowboys weren't going to be competitive, I would want to know two things. Number one, does Brian Schottenheimer look like he's going to be the right guy for the job? And number two, is Dak Prescott still, you know, is he healthy and he's, is he still able to play at a high level? Because remember, even last year before Dak got hurt, that was probably the worst half season we've seen from him so far. I think number two is absolutely, he can play at a ridiculous level. How do you feel about Schottenheimer after eight games?

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I definitely think Schottenheimer is our guy, you know, like, and I don't know if he's necessarily, I'm signing him to a 10 year deal or anything like that guy, but I definitely think that he has proven that he, he earned this job. He knows what he's doing, he's done a good job. Calling this like the things you worried about with Shotty, he's passed with flying colors. So I certainly think that I feel good enough about this job that Shotti has done as a head coach and even drilling down a little bit as the play caller who's having to be the head coach, which was something that we were very specifically worried about, is him taking on the role of both. He's handled that very well. I think there's, we can obviously argue about some individual like you know, choices that were made. Absolutely. But I think, you know, from a pass or fail level of this situation, he's past the situation. So I do feel good about, you know, the core of this offense, the head coach of this team and the play caller. I, I do feel good about that going into next year. I, I, I think the questions about this team are about defensive personnel and, and, and maybe coaching on that side as well.

[Marcus Moser]

He still has a lot of growing to do. Like there's no doubt about that he's a first year head coach, but he doesn't seem overwhelmed and it doesn't feel like it's too big for him and he's talked about like there's calls that he needs to make, but this isn't a situation that's happened across the NFL where these guys get jobs and, you know, halfway through the year, like, it's over. The best example that I'm thinking at the top of my head is like, Joe Judge in New York. Like, you remember how fast the Giants fans turned on Joe Judge. Yeah, I don't think it's that. I think for Schottenheimer, it's going to be imperative that he gets the right defensive coordinator to be paired with for the, you know, for the next three or four years.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah.

[Marcus Moser]

And I just don't think that's Matt Eber floose right now.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And, you know, look, I think it's been pretty, pretty clear that these Cowboys coaches gain more influence, you know, in decision making as they go when they, when they're with Dallas. And the hope is, is that he's going to gain more influence there right into kind of. Because you do feel like the influence that he had on some of the coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball was positive. And that was part of the thing that we were happy about with, with his choices coming in. But so I. I do. Yeah. I mean, again, I think for the things that we were concerned about, if we're speaking to our preseason selves about the season. Right. I think the thing that we can say is I do think that Schottenheimer is at least worth a guy that's continuing to move forward with. I think that Dak is still the quarterback that we thought he was. I think that you are going to be shocked with how much worse this defense was that you. Yeah.

[Marcus Moser]

All right, let's talk about the rookie class because it's been an up and down performance from this rookie class so far. Let's talk about Tyler Booker next.

[Cody Rourke]

I'm Cody Rourke from Lockdown Broncos and this episode is brought to you by Peloton. Peloton is shaping the future of fitness with the brand new peloton cross training tread plus. Powered by peloton iq, this is peloton's most advanced equipment yet, giving you real time guidance and endless ways to move. Whether you're running, lifting or you're cross training with your favorite instructors like Alex Toussaint, it's training reimagined to make your workout more personal. Peloton is built for breakthroughs with features that help you plan, stay motivated and hit peak performance. You can let yourself run, lift, flex and go while peloton handles all the rest. Plus, peloton IQ provides real time strength coaching, tracking your progress and suggesting weights that challenge you so you can get stronger. Plus, the new movement, tracking, camera it counts your reps and corrects your form in real time, making sure every rep is safer and smarter. So let yourself run, lift, flex, push and go explore the new peloton cross training spread. [e-mail].

[Mazda Advertiser Voice]

You can just move through life or you can find the things that move you. It's your choice. You can choose to get out there, choose your people. You could choose to go for it. No, like really go for it. Just choose to do something that moves you. Mazda crafts cars. For those who choose to do more than simply move, Mazda, move and be moved.

[Marcus Moser]

Welcome back to the Lot Done Cowboys podcast. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day. We are discussing the Cowboys rookie class and let's start with Tyler Booker, the guard that they drafted from Alabama at pick number 12. I actually thought that his best two games of the season have come in the last two weeks and that's kind of crazy considering he's coming back from high ankle injury. It's a pretty serious injury. I know it doesn't sound like a big deal, but it really is. What have you seen from Booker so far?

[Landon McCool]

I'm laughing because it didn't seem like a very serious entry to him, you know, which is pretty funny. Yeah, I mean, again, I think he's at as advertised. Right. Like, I think you've seen a guy who has brought a level of physicality to this offensive line. He, he finishes in a way that you'd love to see. I love the attitude that he brings when, when he's on the field. I love the way that he has already made an impact in our, in our run running attack. I think he's a solid pass protector. I think he has some weaknesses on, you know, picking up stunts and twists as we've seen at certain points. I think that'll, that'll improve as time goes on. It's, it's unfortunate that he had his injury. It's unfortunate that BB had his injury because you just kind of continuously want to get a ton of opportunities to play next to each other specifically. But I think overall the review is exact. You got exactly what you thought you were going to get out of Tyler Booker in a first round guard with unfortunately just a little time off with an injury.

[Marcus Moser]

I've been really impressed. I mean, there's a level of physicality that he brings to the offensive line. Like Tyler Smith's an unbelievable player, but Tyler Booker's more physical.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah.

[Marcus Moser]

And you, you see that out there on tape and I think the hope is long term. Once Cooper Bibi gets back, and he should be back this week against Arizona, that your offensive identity outside of Dak and the, the two receivers is that you can be big in physical up front. I believe that trio is the heaviest in the league and that you can start running the ball between the tackles. And we saw this earlier in the year before some of the injuries started to happen to BB and to Booker. They were really able to move the ball on the ground. It hasn't been that the case so far in the last couple weeks, but I do think that at least gives them some kind of foundation that they can build on, not just for this year, but for the long term as well.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, absolutely. I mean, I, I think that that's. You know, we talked about it before the season that we felt like outside of Dak, outside of cd, the, the thing that we felt like was going to be the most important part of this team was how that interior offensive line trio worked together because of just the investment that you've made there and that you've poured into it. Right. And, and, and that you want to be a physical run team. And again, look, we don't know how this season is going to play out. We don't know how the rest of the year is going to go. But if the, if Dallas can get back into being a physical run team again and, and finish the season that way, it really gives you a very strong foundation going into 2027 and, and, and, and let's say things, you know, change and angles change and, and games get won and other teams lose. Having that the end of the year, if you are to suddenly somehow get into the playoffs, it will be another tool in your tool bag to kind of help protecting your defense. So Tyler Booker is going to be a huge part of that.

[Marcus Moser]

I think we can debate whether the Cowboys got the most value drafting a guard at 12 and now that they traded Micah, maybe you could have used that pick on defense to build up that unit. But one of the things we can't dismiss is that it seems like Booker is going to be a really good player. That's something I want to make sure that we're talking about. Like, he's actually surpassed a lot of my expectations already because I, I had some concerns about him, you know, as a pass blocker and they're still there. But he can be such a dominating run blocker that I think you're willing to live with some of the warts that come in the past game.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And you talked about it I think you were trying to find the words and, and to me you're right. Tyler Smith, Booker, who's stronger? Probably Tyler Smith by, by a hair. I think the difference is, is that Booker is meaner. Right.

[Marcus Moser]

He's edged to Booker that I don't think Smith necessarily has.

[Landon McCool]

And not that Smith doesn't have an edge. I just think that Booker is like a plus plus in this area. Like he's looking to bury dudes. He's looking.

[Marcus Moser]

Well, it's like, it's like when you had like Tyron Smith and Mark Colombo, right? Like Tyron Smith's the more physically gifted guy, but Colombo's got a nastiness about him that every offensive line needs. Needs.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. Yeah. And again, I just think that he brings an attitude to that offensive interior that you know, you miss sometimes, attitude wise when, when you don't have Brock Hoffman on the field. And, and, and it's, but it'd be nicer to have a bigger, nicer Cooper BB and then just let the, the mean guy be Tyler Booker.

[Marcus Moser]

All right, let's talk about the Cowboys next pick, Donna Donovan Ezraku for Boston College. A little bit of a slow start out of the gate for Azeraku, but the last couple weeks have been really good. If you look at pro football focus and I know their grades aren't the end all be all, but he's the fifth highest graded edge rusher in the NFL since Week 5 and a big reason why he has at least three pressures in every single game. His win rate is among the best in the league. He's still a subpar run defender right now, but I will say the Cowboys are giving him more snaps this week. 32 snaps. Sam Williams, 17. That is a big, a big change over what we saw the first month of the season starting to click for as a Rocku.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And he isn't that bad of a run defender. I mean he still, I think is tied for the team lead for tackles for loss on run, on rundowns. You know, he's already at the lead for QB hits, you know, and as you said, he's, he's obviously been very good as a pass rusher these last few weeks, but just not good enough to get home, you know. And I think pressure, we, we pressure is production and I think that it does help that he's in there doing it, but you kind of really are missing that other guy to be finishing what he's starting. Right. And I think that that's what you're missing at this point is that you needed a guy to kind of be a cleanup to the pressure that he's creating. But overall, yeah, I mean, again, another guy who, and not shocking that he had a slow start. I mean, defensive ends usually have a kind of a slow, ramp up defensive line is not a position that's easy to kind of ramp into quickly into the NFL and, and especially if you're not like a, you know, ultra high end first round pick. So to see him kind of work his way in and get opportunities, I still think he needs more opportunities. I think he's continuously earned more and more opportunities. And especially when you see some of the other guys and how, you know, Sam Williams is playing and how many snaps he's getting, you just at this point, you know, especially with the season kind of, you know, hanging in the balance at this point, I need to see more Donovan Aziraku, if only just to kind of get him opportunities to grow, but also because, you know, he just may be your best defensive end. If you give him more and more chances, he may just grow into it. So, yeah, I think so far so good. You like what you've seen. You certainly like the trajectory that he's on currently.

[Marcus Moser]

So win rate is described by Pro Football Focus as beating your block in winning that rep. Right. And usually the best edge rushers in the league, Miles Garrett, Micah Parsons, Max Crosby, they're all hovering around 20, 21 per game. Last four games for Donovan as Raku. 12.1, 20.0, 22.2, 22.2. So don't be discouraged that the sacks aren't coming yet. He is beating his blocks, he's getting in the backfield, he's creating these pressures. We just need to see more of them. And it would help if you got some better play from your defensive tackles and some of the edges opposite of him. But again, through for, through the first, you know, half of the season. Couldn't be happier with Donovan as Rocko.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, absolutely. And I think he's shown you enough to be excited about what his future holds for sure.

[Marcus Moser]

Yeah. Real quick, let's mention Savon Revel. He's still on the was it the NFI list? He is practicing. The Cowboys expect him to be on the field after the bye week. We really don't know what to expect, but we should at least mention him because he was their third round pick.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, I'm excited to see what he looks like, but we haven't seen any of him yet, so it's all just brand new to us.

[Marcus Moser]

All right, let's Talk about the Day 3 picks and really, let's talk about Jaden Blue and Shamar James, two rookies who are playing quite a bit now. We'll get into those guys next. This episode is brought to you by Rugia. Let's be real. Making excuses doesn't solve anything. We've all heard them before. It's just stress, I'm tired or it happens to everyone sometimes. But when it comes to performance, sometimes your body just needs a little extra support. And that's where rugiate comes in. Rugia.com offers fast acting doctor prescribed treatments for ED designed to help you stop making excuses and start making moves. Rugiate makes it so easy to get started. You can connect with a board certified doctor that's 100 online so there's no awkward waiting rooms and no in person appointments. And if prescribed, your treatment gets shipped directly to your door. Visit riate.com lot NFL to get 15% off your first order that is R U G I T.com lockdown NFL and don't forget to use our promo code locked on NFL so they know that we sent you Rujia Stop making excuses and start making moves. This episode is brought to you by FanDuel. The NBA is back and there's no better time to get in on the action than FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. Even with the Even if you miss the start of a game, you could still ride the hot hand. And FanDuel has live bets on everything from who will score next to fourth quarter comebacks. Plus you can even combine your live bets into a same game parlay for a shot at a bigger payout. It keeps every game more exciting, especially when your team's making that late game push. And right now FanDuel is giving new customers 300 in bonus bets when your first five dollar bet wins. So head over to FanDuel.com to sign up and play your game with FanDuel, the official sports betting partner of the NBA. We'd like to thank you for making us your first listen of the day. For your second listen, check out the Locked on NFL podcast. Two shows every single day. One in the morning with Tyler Roland, one in the afternoon with Tony Wiggins. Available wherever you get your podcasts. And also make sure you're checking out the Locked On Cowboys Tick Tock. Landon does a great job of running that channel over there, so check it out. Lots of good clips, lots of good shorts. All available on Tick Tock. All right, let's talk about The Cowboys Day 3 Draft picks starting With Jaden Blue. Not the best game to talk about Jaden Blue, but what have we seen through the first half of the year?

[Landon McCool]

You know, I mean, I, I think it's taken a lot longer than we all expected for him to kind of get folded into the offense and to really, I mean even to kind of step back for him to even to become active and, and be on the game day roster, it just took a lot longer. And I think we're seeing a little bit of maybe why. I mean, he had his first fumble which, you know, considering what, what, what happened in college is, is not shocking, right, because he, he had that issue. Cowboys were able to recover it and, and I do think that, you know, you say that it wasn't a great game to kind of talk about Blue, but honestly I think it was a pretty nice microcosm of Blue, right? He had a couple of big runs, right, some 12 yard, 12 yard plus runs. One of them which might have been called back for holding if I'm not mistaken. And then you saw, you know, him fumble the ball and put it on the ground. And I think as of right now, you know, I think if Williams wasn't having such a good season, I think the Cowboys would be in some troubles with trouble with Miles Sanders injured. I just don't think that Blue is at the point where, you know, they're feeding him touches in order to try to get him to, to like grow a little bit. But they're not like in dire straits where they need to have Jaden Blue, you know, be specifically carrying the ball. So I think as it is right now, he's going to be kind of continued to be slow portion his role a little bit, even though he's running back too. Because they have other guys who can carry the football, including Lipke, who can function in that way if they need him to, and they'll just kind of get him on the field a little bit slower than we expected. But I'm hoping that, you know, the, of the, the amount of explosive plays out of him can increase. I'm hoping that at certain point he could be a guy that you're looking to turn to for a spark. I think right now it's more about intentionally trying to get a guy snapped so that you can get him experience and hopefully grow the kid.

[Marcus Moser]

Unfortunately, I just don't think he's somebody that like you're relying on in the future at all because he just outside of like one or two plays, he really hasn't shown us much. I mean, they drafted him to be like this explosive guy that can make plays out of the backfield as a receiver. One catch through the first eight games. He was inactive the first half of the year. He's got a fumble. He had a false start. I don't think he. Honestly, I think he shies away with some. Away from some contact.

[Landon McCool]

He doesn't run through contact, that's for sure. I mean, he just falls down every.

[Marcus Moser]

Time he gets hit and that's a problem. Like, if you're going to be a day three running back, you got to be kind of fearless. And that's just not the case right now for Jaden Blue. I hope maybe it turns around in the second half of the year, but watching some of these other day three running backs that were picked after him, pretty disappointed by what we've got so far.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, this is a situation where the Cowboys really got saved by just how good Vonte Williams was. Right? I mean, he, he comes in and the fact that he is performing so well over expectation that you don't even notice that Miles Sanders is injured. Look, frankly, Miles Sanders was playing better than we expected, at least on a limited roll. I mean, there was definitely a point when you were like, man, give all those carries to Williams. But I do think that you saw a little bit better for. Certainly a lot better from Williams and maybe even a little bit better from Sanders. But Blue has been, you know, a slow rollout into the lineup and just disappointing when he's gotten his chance. So it hasn't been great so far. And they certainly aren't going to shy away from looking at other explosive backs. Probably next draft.

[Marcus Moser]

Two more rookies real quick. Shamar James and Bridges, who the Cowboys got. He was a seventh runner, I believe, from the Chargers. I believe. Is that correct?

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, that's right.

[Marcus Moser]

How do you think those two guys have played so far?

[Landon McCool]

I think James has shown you that, you know, I think James is, again, as advertised, right, super athletic Florida guy. You know, the SEC was able to run and hit, not have to think about a lot and just, you know, be a playmaker. But I, I think as a linebacker in the NFL, you know, he's. He's gobbled up a lot of tackles when he's been on the field, but it's. But again, like, if I don't have the numbers, I wish I did. But if you have. If you looked at his average depth of tackle, it's not great, you know, and I would guess it'd be somewhere in the six to seven yard range. He's Not, I mean, he's, I just did just look this up. He has no tackles for losses on run place, which, you know, is pretty shocking because he's one of the guys who's played the most at linebackers. So he's, he's making a lot of tackles, but they're all kind of, you know, oh, this guy, this is the last guy who's gonna make the tackle before this guy breaks it for a 25 yard run. So it hasn't been all that impressive. It's been good. You've seen some positive things. He forced a fumble. He looks good as a blitzer.

[Marcus Moser]

But there's, he's still, he's a year away at least. Still.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, yeah, for sure. Yeah, absolutely. And the coverage stuff is not always great. And again, the run stuff, he's making the tackles. At least he's not missing a bunch of tackles, but he's not getting to the ball carrier, to the point where you're, It's a successful defense to play.

[Marcus Moser]

And then triqueasy. I believe I said it right.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah.

[Marcus Moser]

Bridges from Florida, an old Rookie, he's actually 25, which is probably part of the reason why he's fell. But Bridges is somebody who we thought was somebody that was going to be playing a lot of special teams and oh, here in week eight, you're a starting quarter cornerback on the outside.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah. And look, I mean he hasn't been fantastic, but he got an interception this week. He certainly got burned a lot. But for a seventh round pick, you know, rookie, I feel like he's been, I mean, out of necessity right now, out of nothing other than a necessity. He's been, he's been pretty decent, you know, for what? For, for considering what he is and what he's being asked to do, be the second cornerback and you know, at certain points as a seventh round pick. So I do think he's been solid and I, I, you know, I don't want to like throw this kid away because he was put into a difficult situation. Like, I, I hope that he takes this experience, takes his lumps and then grows from it and becomes a better player as the season goes on.

[Marcus Moser]

Yeah, he shouldn't be starting, but he's out there because they've had so many injuries and guys have played a lot worse than he has. So again, we'll see, we'll see what it looks like. Maybe by the end of the year he turns into somebody who you don't mind being on the field. And honestly, at this point, I just want to see the cowboys play the kids like you. You might. If you're going to be a bad team or an average team, which is where I think they're going to end up landing, you might as well just go down with a bunch of guys that you're trying to figure out what their role might be in 20, 26 and beyond.

[Landon McCool]

Yeah, go for 27 if you get that. If nothing else this year.

[Marcus Moser]

All right, that is it for today's show. We want to thank you for making Locked on Cowboys your first listen every single day. Check out the channel on YouTube. Download the podcast wherever you get your podcast. We are free and available on all platforms. Follow Landon on Twitter at mccoolbcb, I'm at Marcus Underscore Moser and we will see you right back here tomorrow.

[Mazda Advertiser Voice]

You can just move through life or you can find the things that move you. It's your choice. You can choose to get out there, choose your people. You could choose to go for it. No, like really go for it. Just choose to do something that moves you. Mazda crafts cars for those who choose to do more than simply move. Mazda move and be moved.

[Locked On Cowboys Network Announcer]

A prime members, you can listen to this Locked on podcast ad free on Amazon Music Download the Amazon music app today. Thank you for making Locked on your first listen every day. The NFL season is finally here and for your second listen, get a double dose of the Locked on NFL podcast. Tyler the Madman Roland gives you a shot of espresso to start your football day while Tony Wiggins takes you into the barbershop for the smoothest breakdowns to end the day. Locked on NFL NFL brings you non stop league wide coverage daily. Find Locked on NFL on YouTube or wherever you listen to podcasts part of the Locked on podcast network. Your team every day.