After a rough Week 1 showing against the New York Giants, the Dallas Cowboys have spent most of the conversation fixated on what went wrong. The secondary has drawn heat, the linebackers need work, and the run game has been picked apart. But buried inside that loss was a clean, important performance from center Cooper Beebe that deserved far more attention.
Beebe was steady from start to finish. He logged 58 snaps, didn’t commit a penalty, and didn’t allow a pressure or a sack. Pro Football Focus gave him a 68.6 overall grade, which ranked fifth among all centers in the league, and his pass protection stood out even more with a 74.1 mark.
That kind of outing is part of why Dallas’ 2024 draft haul on the offensive line has been such a big deal. The Cowboys lost tackle Tyron Smith and center Tyler Biadasz in free agency, then used one draft maneuver to help replace both spots. They moved back from No. 24 overall, picked up the 29th selection in Round 1 and the 73rd pick in Round 3, then used the first-rounder on Tyler Guyton and the third-rounder on Beebe.
Beebe came out of Kansas State as a guard, then learned center and even had his mom help him work on shotgun snaps. He wound up starting 16 games as a rookie and now, in his third season with the Cowboys, he keeps doing the kind of work that gets overlooked because of the star power around him on the line. With three first-round picks surrounding him, Beebe still looks like one of the unit’s most reliable pieces.
Guyton’s development matters just as much to the big picture. The Oklahoma product was handed a difficult assignment when he stepped in at left tackle after a legend moved on, and his career has had its ups and downs.
But in year three, he’s starting to settle in. The coaching staff praised him throughout the offseason, and he backed that up in Week 1 against a dangerous New York front.
With Brian Burns, Abdul Carter, and Kayvon Thibodeaux coming off the edge, Guyton had plenty to handle. He answered by allowing just two pressures and no sacks in 41 pass protection snaps. As the Cowboys try to bounce back against Washington this Sunday, both Guyton and Beebe will be key to keeping the line moving in the right direction.
In Other News...
Caleb Downs Just Added To A Cowboys Debate Nobody Wanted
Caleb Downs arrived in his NFL debut with the kind of energy the Cowboys were hoping to see, piling up eight tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in the loss to the Giants. For a team that needed some early defensive juice, the rookie safety made an immediate impression, and he did it in a game that already left Dallas searching for answers after its opening stumble.
Downs then nudged the conversation in a direction the Cowboys probably would rather avoid. On a podcast, he said some Dallas coaches spend more time on Twitter than the players, a remark that adds a new layer to the noise around the team as it tries to reset for its upcoming home game against the Commanders. With the first week already behind them, Dallas now has to sort through both the on-field issues and the latest distraction circling its sideline. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Face An Early Test That Could Raise Bigger Questions
The Cowboys defense left enough questions hanging after the Giants game to make the next one feel like more than just another early-season trip through the schedule. Dallas now heads into a matchup with Washington carrying the kind of scrutiny that follows a rough defensive outing, especially with CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens looming as the kind of receiver duo that can make any game plan look fragile if the coverage and pressure are not sharper.
There is also a layer of coaching intrigue here, because both teams are working through the adjustments that come with first-time defensive coordinators. For Dallas, that means the Commanders are not just another opponent, but a useful measuring stick for how quickly the Cowboys can tighten up in the areas that matter most and avoid turning one uneven performance into a bigger defensive conversation. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys-Ravens Brazil Trip Comes With One Serious Concern
The Cowboys Week 3 trip to Rio de Janeiro is shaping up as one of the seasons most intriguing international showcases, with Baltimore waiting at Maracan Stadium in a matchup that carries plenty of novelty and a fair amount of uncertainty. Beyond the travel and the unfamiliar setting, the most immediate concern has nothing to do with the opponent and everything to do with the playing surface, which has already drawn complaints from soccer players and NFL participants familiar with what can happen when field conditions are less than ideal.
Brian Schottenheimer has already been talking about the logistical side of taking an NFL team to Brazil, and those details matter even more when the stadium itself is under scrutiny. The league has dealt with similar field issues in So Paulo before, so this is not just a one-off inconvenience for the Cowboys and Ravens - it is the kind of backdrop that can influence how both teams prepare, practice and protect players once they arrive in Rio. [Read more 🡒]