The Cowboys left Week 2 with a win over Washington, but the bigger story in Dallas is still the same: this team is trying to figure itself out on both sides of the ball. The run game has stalled, the defense is still finding its footing under Christian Parker, and Sunday’s trip to face the Ravens in Brazil looks like a far tougher assignment than anything the Cowboys have seen so far.
There is, however, one part of the roster that already looks connected. CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens are not just sharing targets - they’re openly pulling for each other. Lamb said the relationship between the two receivers was already there before Pickens arrived in Dallas, and that has carried over into the locker room.
“I don’t think you can get any much closer than we’ve been,” Lamb said. “I feel like at the end of the day, we want what’s best for each other and that’s to be with one another and to grind.
“I feel like we both have that alpha mentality, that alpha dog component to us so just rubbing off on one another and just keeping this thing going. We gotta keep being who we are and at the end of the day prove it to each other every day.”
That kind of chemistry stands out on a team still working through the rest of its issues. The Cowboys are 1-1, but the offense has yet to get its ground game going in either contest.
Dallas hasn’t reached 4.0 yards per carry this season, a surprising dip for an offense that averaged 4.6 in 2025 and brought back every starter and coach. Tyler Smith’s absence is part of the problem and will last at least through Week 4, but the question remains whether the blame can really be pinned entirely on T.J.
Bass.
The defense, meanwhile, is about to get a harsh test. The Ravens bring Lamar Jackson, Derrick Henry and a strong offensive line to the table, and the numbers already show how dangerous that combination can be.
Baltimore has rushed for 310 yards, fourth-most in the league, while averaging 5.3 yards per carry, third-best in the league. Henry is averaging 5.3 yards per rush even after limited work in the second half of the Week 2 loss to the Saints.
Dallas, by comparison, is allowing 5 yards per carry.
That backdrop makes the Cowboys’ rookie contributions even more important. Rather than looking like a defense with no answers, Dallas has at least seen three young players step into meaningful roles: defensive back Caleb Downs, outside linebacker Malachi Lawrence and inside linebacker Jaishawn Barham. Downs has started both games, Lawrence has played 38 percent of the snaps in pass-rush situations, and Barham has stepped in as the starting green-dot linebacker while DeMarvion Overshown works through a hamstring strain.
Barham, in particular, turned heads in Week 2 after a rough NFL debut. His performance came with a catch, though.
He had to leave briefly to be checked by trainers and later was seen puking before a play, then missing most of the game after that. Head coach Brian Schottenheimer was asked Wednesday about the rookie’s conditioning.
“Young player, he has been working actually pretty hard on it,” Schottenheimer said of the rookie’s conditioning. “The best way to get in shape is to play, so he’s working through that.”
There’s also some early optimism around Tyler Guyton, whose rookie season was defined by penalties and inconsistency after Dallas drafted him in the first round in 2024. He was flagged 18 times that year, a number that constantly erased positive plays up front. This season, though, he’s starting to show steadier play and a clearer sense of control.
In Other News...
Dak Prescott Dragged Back Into Ugly Off-Field Drama By Ex
Sarah Jane Ramos, the former fiance of Dak Prescott, was back in the spotlight this week after publicly shutting down rumors that she is pregnant. In addressing the chatter, she also pointed to a happier stretch in her own life since ending the relationship with the Cowboys quarterback, a breakup that had already been marked by the couple canceling their planned 2026 wedding.
Prescott has long kept his off-field life relatively private, but the latest round of comments has pulled him back into an uncomfortable public conversation. Ramos went further in her remarks by alleging infidelity during their relationship, adding another layer to a split that had already been messy enough without fresh speculation attached to it. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Could Catch A Break In Key Ravens Matchup
A possible absence in Baltimores passing game is shaping up as one of the more relevant injury notes for Dallas heading into Week 3. Ravens wide receiver Zay Flowers has been dealing with a hamstring injury, and after missing the second half of Week 1 and all of Week 2, he also did not practice recently, which puts his availability against the Cowboys very much in question.
For Dallas, the timing matters. The Cowboys are already preparing for a tough road matchup, and if Baltimore opts to be cautious with Flowers to keep the injury from getting worse, it would change how the Ravens build their offense around Lamar Jackson and the rest of the receiving group. The final decision still hangs over the week, but this is the kind of opening the Cowboys will be watching closely as kickoff approaches. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Already Have One Clear Winner In A Concerning 2027 Trend
The Cowboys have already gotten an early read on a few players whose contract futures will matter in 2027, and the evaluations are looking mixed at best. Dee Winters has been the clearest bright spot on defense, turning in a strong showing even while playing through injury, which only helps his case as a player Dallas will want to keep in the conversation. George Pickens, meanwhile, has not yet matched the kind of production the Cowboys hoped to see from him, leaving his early market value and role with the team more uncertain.
The bigger concern may still be in the trenches, where both the offensive and defensive lines have continued to struggle. For a team trying to build toward a more stable offseason picture, those issues matter just as much as the individual performances around them, because they shape how Dallas will judge its own depth and priorities. With 2027 looming on the horizon for this group, the Cowboys are already seeing which names are helping themselves and which ones still have work to do. [Read more 🡒]