Stephen Jones didn’t exactly calm anyone down after the Cowboys’ latest disaster.
Coming off Sunday’s stunning collapse against the Arizona Cardinals, Dallas’ chief operating officer went on 105.3 The Fan and delivered a line that landed like a punchline.
“We think we’re close," Jones told 105.3 The Fan. "We think we can get this ship righted and that we can have success.”
For a team that just blew a 14-point fourth-quarter lead at home to a 2-5 Cardinals squad, it was a wild thing to say out loud. The Cowboys were up 17-3 when Gardner Minshew replaced Jacoby Brissett in the third quarter, then watched Arizona score touchdowns on four straight possessions to finish the comeback. Dallas is now 3-5, and the loss only deepened the feeling that this group is spinning its wheels.
The Cardinals didn’t just hang around, either. They piled up 467 yards, ran for 202, and did it while dealing with their own injuries, losing their starting running back and multiple receivers during the game.
Caleb Downs (concussion) and Joey Porter Jr. (ankle) also left in the second half, yet Arizona handled the adversity better and finished the job. Dallas, meanwhile, melted down.
That’s where the frustration around Stephen Jones comes from. He and Jerry Jones keep selling optimism, but the results keep telling a harsher story. Sunday’s loss was one of the worst regular-season defeats in franchise history, and Jones’ “close” comment only poured more fuel on the fire.
It also came after another game that looked painfully familiar on the sideline. Brian Schottenheimer, serving as head coach and offensive play-caller, coached as if the Cowboys were terrified of making a mistake.
The offense played conservatively, with vanilla route concepts, a forced run game that wasn’t working, and almost no pre-snap motion. The whole operation felt predictable and easy to defend.
That caution showed up before halftime, too, when Dallas settled for a 61-yard field goal from Brandon Aubrey despite his recent struggles from long distance. It was the kind of decision that fit the broader script: play not to lose, avoid the backbreaking error, lean on the kicker, and hope it holds.
But the Cowboys never found any rhythm. There were no explosive plays, no real threat to stretch the Cardinals, and no sense that the offense was capable of taking control. That’s a problem for a team with a quarterback in his 11th season, two unicorns at wide receiver, three first-round picks on the offensive line and a good veteran running back.
The final sequence made the whole thing look even worse. After Arizona’s comeback, Ryan Flournoy recovered the onside kick and returned it 19 yards, giving Dallas the ball at the Cardinals’ 20-yard line with 2:11 left in the fourth quarter.
One first down should have ended it. Instead, CeeDee Lamb and George Pickens weren’t on the field for the first two snaps, the Cowboys lost three yards in three plays, and Aubrey had to bail them out again with a 41-yard field goal.
Schottenheimer never seemed interested in pressing the issue. The sequence suggested he had already settled on the field goal before Flournoy even finished the return, choosing the safety of a six-point lead over putting the game in the hands of his best players.
So what is this team close to, exactly? Close to winning back-to-back games?
Close to fielding an NFL defense? Close to protecting a multi-score lead at home against a team that could end up with a top-five pick?
Right now, the Cowboys look like what they are: a bad football team, far from the NFC’s best and nowhere near the kind of contender Jones was describing. Cowboys fans deserve better than this.
In Other News...
Cowboys Suddenly Have A Brandon Aubrey Problem They Cant Ignore
Brandon Aubrey has still given the Cowboys a major edge on kickoffs, but the long-range part of his job has become harder to trust. After setting such a high standard with his leg, Aubreys recent run from 50 yards or more has stood out, especially with seven misses in his last 15 tries from that distance during the 2026 season.
For Dallas, the ripple effect goes beyond the kicking unit. Brian Schottenheimer has been leaning more conservative with his offense, a sign that the staff is weighing field-goal range more carefully than it used to. Some of the misses have been blocked, which adds a little context, but the bigger issue is that a weapon once treated as automatic from deep is no longer being viewed that way. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Linked To A Chargers Pass Rusher Fans Know Well
The Chargers rough start has pushed them toward the kind of deadline posture that can reshape a roster in a hurry, and it has already put a few familiar names into the rumor mill. While a Justin Herbert move remains a long shot, Los Angeles has been viewed as a team that could listen on veteran defenders and younger pieces alike, with pass rush help naturally drawing attention from clubs looking to add depth before the stretch run.
Tuli Tuipulotu is one of the names surfacing in that conversation, and the Cowboys are among the teams linked to him. The edge rusher is in the final year of his rookie deal after the Chargers were unable to work out an extension with him this summer, which makes him the kind of player that can become a deadline talking point quickly even before any real trade momentum builds. [Read more 🡒]
Cowboys Suddenly Have A Jake Ferguson Decision They Can't Delay
Jake Fergusons season has reached the point where the Cowboys have to at least think about every option, including one that would have seemed far-fetched not long ago. His role has shrunk, his production has dipped, and Dallas is in a spot where long-term assets matter more than clinging to a name value that may no longer match the on-field return.
The tricky part is timing. Fergusons trade value is not exactly at its peak right now, which makes any move a tough sell, but the Cowboys also cannot afford to wait forever if they believe a deal could help them recoup something useful before the deadline. For a team still trying to balance present needs with future planning, this is the kind of decision that can linger until the last possible moment. [Read more 🡒]