The Cowboys aren’t acting like a team that thinks one move fixes everything.
Dallas already went out and got Joey Porter Jr. last week, sending a 2028 second-round draft pick and a 2027 sixth-round pick to the Pittsburgh Steelers. But the buzz around the team is that Jerry Jones may still be hunting for more help, with the Cowboys reportedly trying to turn over “Every Stone” in the trade market. The idea is simple enough: after five games, the defense is still a mess, and the Porter deal may just be the first swing.
The numbers back up the urgency. Dallas ranks 31st in the NFL in total defense and 26th in scoring defense, giving up 27.2 points per game. That’s been a familiar problem for multiple seasons, and there haven’t been many signs it’s going away.
A big chunk of the frustration is landing on Christian Parker in his first season as defensive coordinator. Five games into his run, he’s nowhere near the standard he set for the unit.
Parker made it clear early that stopping the run and affecting the quarterback were the priorities, along with fundamentals and situational awareness. Instead, the Cowboys have allowed 842 rushing yards on 165 carries, a 5.1-yard average.
Opposing quarterbacks have also been piling up completions, going 101 of 140 for a 72.1% completion rate, and they’ve done it without throwing an interception.
That kind of defensive slip is why Dallas has felt pressure to spend aggressively elsewhere too. In 2025, the Cowboys signed CB DaRon Bland and TE Jake Ferguson to a combined $144 million, but one year later the evaluation is already turning sour. One recent assessment called the team’s reaction “extreme buyer’s remorse.”
Ferguson’s role has drawn especially harsh criticism. He’s been blasted for his blocking, with the argument that he can’t handle edge rushers or linebackers, lacks physicality, and doesn’t create much movement.
The harshest version of the critique says his best work is simply getting in the way enough for a running back to score or pick up a first down. Against the Texans, he was described as being as bad as possible as a run blocker.
All of that sits inside a bigger problem for a Cowboys team that is 2-3. At this point, the conversation is no longer about assuming Dallas can control its own fate.
Fans are already looking at the rest of the Week 5 schedule and needing help, because the loss to the winless Bucs pushed the Cowboys closer to the edge than they wanted to be. The hope is that a healthier, rested roster can spark a run, but right now that’s more wish than certainty.
In Other News...
Cowboys Fans Already Have A Week 5 Scoreboard To Sweat
At 2-3, the Cowboys are already in the familiar spot of watching the rest of the conference as closely as they watch their own sideline. Week 5 brings the kind of scoreboard math Dallas cant ignore, especially with NFC East results carrying extra weight so early in the season and a handful of other matchups around the league shaping the playoff picture if the Cowboys keep drifting around .500.
The most immediate attention is on the division games that can either help Dallas close ground or make the climb steeper, with Washington set to have a significant piece back in the mix. There is also a deeper layer for Cowboys fans to keep in mind beyond the present standings, since a couple of other games this week have ripple effects tied to future draft capital from past trades, which gives the rooting guide a little more range than your usual early-October scoreboard watch. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Have A Jake Ferguson Problem Fans Cant Ignore
Jake Fergusons rough afternoon fit neatly into a bigger Cowboys problem, because the offense could not afford wasted chances in a game where the defense was already getting pushed around. Ferguson has been a key part of Dallas passing game, but the tight ends recent decline has become hard to ignore since the ACL sprain, and the ball-security issues that have followed him since last season only add to the concern.
The timing makes it sting even more for Dallas, which committed to Ferguson long term after moving Micah Parsons. With guaranteed money now tied up in a player expected to be a stable piece of the offense, the Cowboys need far more than occasional flashes from a position that is supposed to help steady Dak Prescott. Instead, the discussion around Ferguson keeps circling back to the same uncomfortable question the team can no longer dodge. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Fans Have An Uncomfortable Week 5 Reality To Root For
The Cowboys head into the week at 2-3 after the loss to Tampa Bay, and for all the frustration around that start, the bigger picture may now be just as important as the next snap. With NFC East and NFC North results carrying extra weight, Dallas fans have reason to keep one eye on the standings and another on the draft board, because this season is already shaping up to affect more than just the playoff chase.
Philadelphias roster keeps shifting, and Washington could be getting Jayden Daniels back, which adds another layer to a division race that already feels volatile. For Dallas, the uncomfortable part is that these outcomes now matter in more than one direction, with the teams own future assets also hanging in the balance as the season unfolds. [Read more 🡒]