FRISCO, Texas – After taking on the defending Super Bowl champions in Week 1, Mike McCarthy and the staff have a better gauge on where this team is at. Experience in a live-action game provided more clarification and a foundation to build off down the stretch. The attention to detail begins as the Dallas Cowboys prepare for the Los Angeles Chargers in Week 2.
The Cowboys will hit the road for the second-straight game and take on an unfamiliar AFC West opponent. Here are some of the top storylines for the Cowboys as the matchup nears:
* While La’el Collins fulfills a five-game suspension for violating the NFL’s Policy on Substances of Abuse, Terence Steele is expected to start at right tackle in his place. “The plan is to go with Steele, and he’ll do a good job,” Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones confirmed on 105.3 The Fan on Tuesday morning. “He’s a young guy that we’re proud of. He really had a great rookie year last year, relatively speaking, and he’ll do a good job out there. We’ll give him lots of help.” Steele competed with Ty Nsekhe for the backup swing tackle job throughout the offseason and the staff is expressing their confidence in his abilities with a starting nod. Steele, an undrafted free agent out of Texas Tech, started 14 games at right tackle last year due to numerous injuries sustained along the line. He will take the field at SoFi Stadium, going up against three-time pro bowl defensive end Joey Bosa. The “help” that Jones referred to will be a tight end or running back chip to that side of the formation. Ezekiel Elliott had multiple blitz pickups against Tampa Bay that allowed Dak Prescott to get the ball off. His premier pass-blocking ability will be utilized on Sunday against Bosa, one of the best pass rushers in the league and Elliott’s former teammate/ roommate at Ohio State.
“Obviously, we all know about 97 [Joey Bosa],” Zack Martin described to D210SPORTS. “So, he is obviously their bell cow up front. They just have a very sound defense. They play extremely hard. It is going to be a big challenge for us. They have a lot of different fronts, variations, so stuff that we haven’t seen.”
* On the defensive side of the ball, the Cowboys are preparing to be without both starting defensive ends. DeMarcus Lawrence broke his foot during a routine one-on-one pass rush drill during Wednesday’s practice. He had surgery on Thursday morning per Mike McCarthy and will miss approximately 6-8 weeks. Randy Gregory is still in COVID protocols and is questionable for Sunday. Against a bolstered Chargers’ offensive line, Dorance Armstrong and Tarell Basham will likely be the starters.
In Week 1, Tom Brady passed the ball 50 times, and the Cowboys did not tally a single sack. Granted, Brady released the ball quick but still a discouraging note. The unit notched eight pressures, with five coming from Lawrence. This week against the reigning Offensive Rookie of the Year in Justin Herbert, the defense faces a new challenge. Herbert possesses a mobile element to his game. He runs to pass- moves outside of the pocket to push the ball downfield. Dallas will need to defend longer as plays extends and set the edge to prevent a rush lane for Herbert. Rookie Micah Parsons will likely be called upon to help in pass rush packages. Since the beginning of training camp, he has been used in a variety of roles to get to the quarterback/collapse the pocket. At Penn State, he was known for his downhill range and ability to attack the line of scrimmage. On Sunday, it will come into play.
“He can definitely play on the edge,” Tarell Basham described to media on Parsons. “That guy is an athlete. Naturally athletic, naturally gifted, naturally knows how to rush the passer.”
* With the dominance of the passing game in today’s NFL with more and more 11 personnel being utilized, pass-catchers continuously garner the spotlight. In this week’s matchup between the Cowboys and the Chargers, two of the league’s elite will go head-to-head: Amari Cooper and Keenan Allen. Against the Buccaneers in Week 1, Cooper led the league in receptions (13), and totaled 139 yards, a 10.7 average-per-catch, and two touchdowns. He became Prescott’s favorite go-to target and Tampa had no answers for his initial release off the line. Cooper is well known for being a technician on route running but he appreciates the skill of his peers. He listed Allen’s name in a list of his “top route runners.” In discussing what he admires about Allen’s craft, Cooper told D210SPORTS, “He knows how to get open. He is really creative in his route running. You can learn a lot from watching his film. I respect him.” Both will be a litmus test for the opponents’ secondary.
