The Dallas Cowboys’ latest collapse has them sitting at 3-5, and the frustration around the team is spilling everywhere. After another blown game, this time against the Arizona Cardinals, the Cowboys are suddenly being treated like one of the league’s most disappointing teams this season.
On Wednesday, defensive tackle Quinnen Williams tried to keep the focus simple when asked how Dallas can clean things up. His answer kept coming back to the same word.
“Yeah, we got to execute,” Williams said. “So that’s the No. 1 thing. No matter what they’re doing, no matter what no team in the NFL is doing, the Dallas Cowboys’ defense has got to execute.”
With the Cowboys preparing to face the Indianapolis Colts and star running back Jonathon Taylor, Williams was asked how Dallas should handle a back of that level. His answer didn’t change.
“I think the biggest thing is we got to execute,” Williams said
Williams said he believes he’s trending in the right direction, pointing to his recent production. He has three sacks over the Cowboys’ last four games.
“And, like I said, I got to continue to execute, continue to do the things I know I can do to help this defense turn around and help this team at football games.”
Then came Thursday, when Skip Bayless, a longtime Dallas fan, unloaded on both the Cowboys and Williams’ interview during First Take. Bayless said the team’s latest loss turned them into a national punchline.
“We became a national laughing stock yesterday when Quinnen Williams, in a five-minute interview, used the word ‘execute’ 32 times in five minutes and I must tell you that during Sunday’s collapse against the Arizona freakin’ Cardinals, I wanted to execute several of my players during the game, execute them on the field. I wanted them to be executed,” Bayless said on First Take.
Bayless’ comments were clearly driven by anger, though he almost certainly wasn’t speaking literally about harming anyone. Still, the Cowboys’ next game could push the situation into even harsher territory. If Dallas loses to the Colts, the team may be forced into seller mode ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline, and Bayless may not have to watch much of this roster much longer.
In Other News...
Seahawks Week 9 Outlook Just Got Tougher Before Kickoff
The buildup to Sundays game in Seattle took another turn when both the Cardinals and Seahawks released injury reports that underscored how thin the margin could be in Week 9. Arizona is preparing to move forward with Gardner Minshew at quarterback after trading Jacoby Brissett, while Seattle will be without Sam Darnold and turn to Drew Lock instead. With both teams managing health issues on the eve of kickoff, the final roster decisions could matter as much as the matchup itself.
Arizonas report also included some notable names on rest days, while Walter Nolen was back at practice, giving the Cardinals a clearer picture of who might be available when they get to game day. The Seahawks, meanwhile, are dealing with their own quarterback uncertainty and will have to piece together a plan around Lock as they try to hold serve at home. Before the teams finalize everything for Sunday, the injury list has already made this one feel a little more complicated than it did a day ago. [Read more 🡒]
Trey McBride Is Taking Cardinals Tight End History Somewhere Jackie Smith Never Could
Jackie Smith helped define what a modern tight end could be after the St. Louis Cardinals drafted him in 1963, and his 15-season NFL career still stands as part of the franchise's long memory at the position. But the Cardinals have now moved into a different era with Trey McBride, whose rise has given the team a new benchmark at tight end and put his name alongside the most productive pass-catchers at the spot in league history.
McBride has already pushed past previous team standards and given Arizona something it had never really had before at tight end: sustained, top-tier volume year after year. The bigger significance is not just the record book entry, but how far he has carried the position for this franchise, with his latest run leaving the Cardinals with a new history to measure against and one more milestone still hanging in the balance. [Read more 🡒]
Cardinals Practice Squad Shuffle Signals A New Depth Concern On Offense
The Cardinals kept busy with their practice squad this week, a set of moves that underscores how quickly depth can get tested in the middle of a season. Rookie receiver Harrison Wallace III was promoted to the active roster, while tight end Rivaldo Fairweather was brought back onto the practice squad after the team also moved on from defensive lineman Cam Horsley.
Arizona also added running back Jermar Jefferson and receiver James Proche II to the practice squad, giving the offense a little more insurance as it sorts through its back-end options. The most notable wrinkle came at tight end, where Kenny Yeboah landed on practice squad injured reserve, leaving the Cardinals to keep shuffling pieces while they try to stay covered at a few spots. [Read more 🡒]