The Cowboys don’t need a full makeover to start digging out of this hole. They need one thing to work: the run game.
Dallas is sitting at 81.6 rushing yards per game, which ranks 30th in the league, and that kind of number drags everything down. For a team with this much offensive talent, it’s a glaring problem. And it stands out even more because Javonte Williams was such a force last season, piling up over 1,200 yards on the ground and scoring double-digit rushing touchdowns.
This year has looked very different. Williams has 276 rushing yards through five games, averaging 3.7 yards per carry.
He has still found the end zone six times, so the finishing touch is there, but the consistency isn’t. Some of that can be traced to game flow, but the production still needs to climb, and it needs to climb fast.
The encouraging part for Dallas is that this doesn’t feel like some unsolvable flaw. The offensive line is at its best when it’s run blocking, and that matters. If the Cowboys can lean into that strength, the payoff goes beyond just the backs getting more carries.
Sunday’s matchup with the Green Bay Packers offers a clean place to start. Green Bay is giving up 127.6 rushing yards per game, which ranks 24th in the league. If Dallas can get the ground game moving early, it can help control possession and keep a struggling defense on the sideline.
That would also ease the pressure on Brian Schottenheimer, who has been questioned as a play-caller throughout the season. A stronger run game would open up the rest of the offense, make play-action more dangerous and create better chances for the passing attack to take off. Defenses would have to account for more than just the rush off the edge and the pass rush.
There’s a defensive benefit too. Christian Parker’s unit has been on the field too much, and that has worn on them.
If the Cowboys can run the ball and shorten games, the defense should have a better chance to stay fresher and execute more cleanly. At the very least, fewer snaps means fewer chances to get exposed.
Dallas still has plenty to sort out, but the rushing attack looks like the easiest place to make a real dent. If the Cowboys can get that part right against the Packers and carry it forward, it could change the tone of the season.
In Other News...
Cowboys Already Have One Ugly Debate At 2-3
The Cowboys 2-3 start has already pushed the conversation past disappointment and into blame, which is never a comfortable place for a team this early in the season. Around Dallas, the usual list of culprits is starting to take shape, with owner and general manager Jerry Jones, head coach Brian Schottenheimer, defensive coordinator Christian Parker, player execution and injuries all landing under the microscope as fans try to make sense of what has gone wrong.
A fan survey is now feeding into that larger debate, asking whether the Cowboys are headed in the right direction. It fits the mood of a season that has moved quickly from expectation to unease, and it says plenty about how thin the margin has become when a team with this much attention is already trying to answer questions about its direction instead of its ceiling. [Read more 🡒]
Why Chad Hennings Made Cowboys No 96 Mean So Much More
For the Cowboys, No. 96 will always carry a little extra weight because of Chad Hennings, the defensive tackle whose path to Dallas was anything but ordinary. Before becoming a fixture on the line and a respected locker room presence for nearly a decade, Hennings served as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force and arrived in the NFL already well into his 20s, bringing a level of discipline and perspective that fit neatly with a franchise built on toughness and expectation.
What made Hennings so memorable was not just the football resume, though three Super Bowl rings make that case pretty quickly. It was the combination of his military background, his late start in pro football and the way he became a steady defensive force once he finally settled in with Dallas. Among all the players who wore 96, Hennings stood out because his story gave the number a meaning that went well beyond production on Sundays. [Read more 🡒]
Troy Aikmans ESPN Future Suddenly Feels Much Less Certain
Troy Aikmans place in ESPNs broadcast booth is suddenly looking a lot less settled after he addressed the speculation swirling around his future during a radio interview. The former Cowboys quarterback said he will keep calling games through this season, but beyond that he is heading toward free agency, a development that adds an unexpected layer of uncertainty to one of the networks most recognizable NFL voices.
Aikman did not get into the specifics of the rumored tension with Joe Buck that has been circulating, leaving plenty of room for questions about what comes next. For Dallas fans who still track every move from one of the franchises most iconic figures, the bigger takeaway is simple enough for now - his broadcasting future is no longer something to take for granted. [Read more 🡒]