The Dallas Cowboys are in a bye week, but there are still things we can learn by looking back at the past game. The loss to the Arizona Cardinals was a big stumble by the team. There are some Cowboys’ rookies who are playing important roles this year, let’s check in on how they did in the most recent game.
OG Tyler Booker
(Game stats- Snaps: 67, Pass Blocks: 51, Pressures: 1, Sacks: 0, Penalties: 1)
Arizona brought a steady flow of simulated pressure and Booker generally did well. The Cowboys still surrendered five
sacks and nine quarterback hits, but most of that stress came in long-yardage stretches when the Cardinals dialed up late stunts. That explains why so many drives felt one snap away from staying on schedule.
It wasn’t perfect from Booker. A couple of third down plays turned into late pressure when Arizona’s loopers arrived and got through, and a few zone runs got spilled by backside chases before Booker could fully set. The PFF snapshot from the game shows Booker was generally sound with a 86.0 grade in pass protection, and 82.0 in run blocking, and that discounts his disruptive penalty on third down that erased the conversion.
DE Donovan Ezeiruaku
(Game stats- Snaps: 51, Total Tackles: 3, Pressures: 5, Sacks: 1, TFL: 1)
Ezeiruaku’s night against Arizona was actually pretty good despite the defense failing so miserably. He threatened the edges early, used his relentless motor to keep Jacoby Brissett on the move. A couple of second-effort wins showed the sequencing he’s been stacking with his speed to power, and those snaps pressured the QB into a couple of hurried throws.
Early in the first quarter on a third-and-medium play, Ezeiruaku lined up outside the tackle in a wide-9 position and treated the snap like he owned it. He sold pure speed off the ball to force depth, then stabbed his inside hand into the tackle’s chest. The moment the tackle over-shifted to protect the corner, Ezeiruaku snapped back underneath with a rip, kept his pads low, and went straight into the backfield. He finished clean and wrapped up Brissett and sat him down in the pocket before the throw.
Arizona leaned on motion and boots, and once or twice Ezeiruaku got too deep and let Brissett climb the pocket. On a cutback he lost his lane discipline, and opened a crease that should’ve died at three yards. A chip from a tight end stole his first step on one key play, and there was a rush where the counter arrived a beat late.
LB Shemar James
(Game stats- Snaps: 58, Total Tackles: 5, Pressures: 1, Sacks: 0, TFL: 1)
The linebackers are probably the weakest part of the Cowboys roster and it showed up in Arizona. This is a game that James will want back and would love to go back to and change a lot of things. The tape keeps showing the same problems during the game with his vision, reading landmarks, and communication. Arizona dressed everything up with motion and quick throws that caught James out, and he often chased the window dressing instead of reading his landmarks.
He overran the front side and lost the ball carrier, opening the very cutback he’s supposed to close and maintain. Twice he triggered downhill before the running back declared and got washed out of the play. Another time he slow-played things but that caused him to arrive flat-footed, gifting yards after contact.
The miscommunication with Kenneth Murray throughout the game turned small mistakes into big ones. On a couple of gap-exchange plays, both linebackers flowed over the top and nobody claimed the interior. The next series, they reacted to a motion late and wound up hugging the same crosser causing an easy pitch-and-catch behind them. You could see the hesitation in their pre-snap body language as the game continued and this gave Arizona the perfect to place to attack.
Then there was the tackling, or lack thereof. The form and technique slipped into high strikes and reach for hope instead of wrapping through the thighs or body. On the perimeter, James took two angles too flat, arriving shoulder-first, letting the runner roll through contact easily, and inside he stopped his feet at contact rather than rolling his hips and wrapping. It was some of the worst tackling Cowboys fans have witnessed in quite some time.
DT Jay Toia
(Game stats- Snaps: 20, Total Tackles: 1, Pressures: 1, Sacks: 0)
Arizona hammered the interior with a lot of inside zone and on Toia’s limited snap count, his anchor wobbled more than it usually does. Too many snaps started with high pads and late hands, which let the inside offensive linemen turn his shoulders and walk him a yard or two off his spot.
The lowlight came at the goal line. Tight front, heavy personnel, and Toia slanted with the snap instead of posting square in the A-gap. The block caught him mid-move, got him to shift right, and Arizona punched in a one-yard plunge through the vacancy. If he anchors there, fights half a man, and falls back into the crease, that lane closes.
CB Trikweze Bridges
(Game stats- Snaps: 7, Total Tackles: 1, PBU: 0, INT: 0)
Bridges played on seven defensive snaps. In that time he had two throws his way, both go for receptions and allowed 35 yards and a 118.8 passer rating allowed. This tells you offenses found the rookie as soon as he checked in. The issues on tape with Bridges aligns with much of the problems with the secondary, a little too much cushion lining up and late transition from his back pedal to driving on the ball. Both of Bridges catches he allowed lived in the area where the corner is close but not disruptive. His shoulders turned, hands were late, and the finish was a tick behind the ball instead of through the upfield shoulder.
CB Shavon Revel Jr.
Non-Football Injury list
RB Jaydon Blue
Inactive
OT Ajani Cornelius
Inactive
RB Phil Mafah
Injured reserve
WR Traeshon Holden
Practice squad
TE Rivaldo Fairweather
Practice squad
LB Justin Barron
Practice squad
DB Alijah Clark
Inactive
