Cowboys Break: Problem Areas?

We're live from the SWBC Mortgage studios at the Star. We're talking Cowboys football with you guys for about forty five minutes. Got Nick Eatman, Dave Hellman, and a special guest joining us today, Danny Serek. She will be with us every Tuesday. Um Amber will be out on Tuesday's. Danny will be in on Tuesdays. Just to get opportunity to get her on the air. You guys have probably seen her around Dallas Cowboys dot Com doing different pieces. But welcome to the show. Thanks. I'm excited a rising

star in the industry, so sweet. Welcome aboard. Danielle. Oh, this is gonna be interesting. I want to see the dynamic between the two of you. Guys, this is gonna be fun. This is my homie. We're good. I know. Yeah, it's gonna be gonna have fun. We are gonna have fun. All right, let's jump right in. And there's so much It seemed like there's always some news breaking around here. But we start hearing this morning of a new deal.

Not one of the people that we had been talking about previously who was getting a deal, Lyle Collins actually signs an extension. He was due to be an unrestricted free agent at the end of this season heading into twenty twenty. Do you guys know the terms of the deal as far as what he actually was paid as a as a right tackle for the Dallas Cowboys. Five years and fifty million dollars of new money. The whole thing, when you include the last year of his current deal,

comes around to like fifty nine million dollars. Thirty five and guarantees ish. I always like to say ish because you know they hide stuff in there, and the full guarantee and the injury guarantee are different in YadA YadA, but it's roughly thirty five. Does the fact that they did this deal with those other three big deals still

sitting out there. Do you think that at all signals that there's plenty of room to sign everyone, or do you take the other approach that there's only a certain pie and that pie shrinking with the addition of the Jalen deal and the and the Lyle deal, that now that pie is shrinking and it's less money out there for those I don't agree with that at all, because that means that would be that would be bad business to do that. Yeah, they know where their priorities are.

I think whether it is is they're telling the other guys that the pie is shrinking and next year, who knows what it'll be, because they didn't have to make these deals right now, Lyle or Jalen. So I think it's like this is why it's pretty much going to be for the other three guys. And so I don't think it's a really I don't think it's a signal so much to them. It might be that they might be trying to signal that, but I think everybody who knows doesn't believe that at all. You'd have to be

a sucker to believe it. Because the Lyle deal actually freed up six million dollars in cap space. And there's also the little part about how the cap jumps ten percent every March, so if anything, the pie got bigger. Now it's great to say, well, we're giving out all this money. And I do think they didn't sign Lyle Collins to send a message, but it should send a message. It's like, hey, we're more than happy to sign you if you're willing to play ball with us. And that's

what Jalen Smith and Lyle Collins have done. Unfortunately, that's not gonna work for everybody. And you know, kudos to Jalen and Lyle. They've figured out what they prioritized and it worked out. And there is enough money to go around if everybody's willing to sign for well below market value. But that's not everybody. Not everybody's going to do that. As we're seeing with the other three. That's you have

to have team friendly deal. So if you're gonna have guys that are going to break the bank, and I will say this about today, I know you're probably getting there, but this is you know, lyall, that's this is the salad. You know, maybe the entres come yeah, oh yeah, oh we're gonna get to that definitely, are gonna get to them. Might take a little bit, you know, but relatively to your like steak and the salad. But it's coming with

these two deals. With this new deal, four or five offensive linemen that start for the Dallas Cowboys are now locked up for the next five years until twenty twenty four. Williams, who is the fifth guy, He's locked up until twenty twenty two. Do you think they will all be still be around and healthy and dominant to see those five years out from now, you hope? So. I don't think offensive lines get much stronger than the ones that we

have locked in. It's just a matter of I mean, you never know, like something like Travis Frederick, but in terms of like physically you just don't know. Like I mean, Tyren Smidman, Zach Martin have already had a little back issues so far. Such a demanding position, right, That's kind of what I was getting to when you think about just these are not this isn't like you're working on

rookie deals. These are guys that are on their second deals and you're five years out from having to really even talk about contracts on an offensive line that most people considered to be one of the most backed offensive lines in the NFL. Does that give you a little bit of pause that maybe they don't get to the end of those deals. That's that's kind of the point of the question. I mean, does how many guys really

get to the end of their long deal? It just doesn't happen very often and is the most recent example that comes to mind, Like, how many games did they get out of him after that deal? Like eighteens? Two years? Right, two years, one of which was severely limited by injury, or two and a half. Yeah, but it was a five year deal. So no, I wouldn't go that far. But me personally, and I haven't had a chance to

talk to anybody. This is just my gut reaction. I think they were just like, well, why wouldn't we do this like they did. I don't think they planned this, honestly. I think they you know, they drafted Connor McGovern. They're like, we could move Williams, we can You think they were actually thinking, most likely he was going to walk away, yeah, because it couldn't afford and like I said, you know,

we've been saying that all year. We're like, you know, he's probably gonna be too expensive, and I don't we were wrong. I don't think that makes us dumb though, Like that's just logical to think a talented player is going to seek the most money possible because that's what most of them do, rightfully. So this is their moment to give a contract, this second contract, especially for a

guy like Lyaelle. Actually this would be his third contract because they already did one, which is rare for a guy, you know, at his age, but his whole situation was rare coming into the league. So the question was, is you know, market value for him is still going to be higher than Tyrn Smith, And I think it's right now, it's about it even. Yeah, So I think the guarantees. I think I saw a graphic earlier to day that sit the and guaranteed money. He is third among he's

either among right tackles or among tackles overall. I wasn't sure on that, but it wasn't like this was a deal where he made no money. That's what I'm saying. He's gotten. He made. The Cowboys now have four offensive linemen who are making significant money, which most people probably would have thought they weren't going to be able to do. You weren't going to be able to fit that much talent.

But in the salary cap, again, when you're talking about a quarterback, running back, receiver, all these other positions where you're paying big money as well, and he is now making top five money, let's not act like he's just not making any money. But again, with the rising cap and the way the open market works, like he probably could have gotten fifteen million dollars a year on the open market to play what and whatever they want, maybe

left tackle. That's that's That's what happens a lot of times on the offensive line is you get this player and you're gonna pay him a lot of money, but you have to justify where you want to play him. And so I think he might have had to play go somewhere and play left tackle, which I'm not saying he couldn't do that, but the way his body is, I mean, he was built to play guard. I mean he could still play guard. Now, he could play right tackle.

I don't know if he's if his body is at the point to play left tackle, but that happens sometimes, and it does. But I get with the way the salaries are and I don't have this in front of me, but I guarantee you he could have gotten more than ten a million a year to play right as play right. I think so. And in today's NFL we've talked about this before, too. Right tackle is becoming just as important as left because most of the best, most dominant pass

rushers these days are playing on the left side. But what did we say, like, and not to two to our own horn too much, but like two weeks ago, right after the jail En deal, we were like, you know, if a player has that mental makeup to take this type of deal, it might be Lyle Collins. Like, he's a low key guy. He likes to fish, he likes being close to home in Louisiana. You know, it's a

short flight, not far away at all. That you know, it's what he's comfortable with, and it doesn't surprise me all that of all the guys in that locker room, he was cool being like, yeah, I'll take that. And if there's another guy that would probably be okay with someone playing the same position to him that's not as good,

that's making just as much money, it would be Tyrn Smith. Yeah, so you may not have the issue that we talked about early and we talked about less week that that maybe if Lyle got another deal, then does that affect you know, Tyrn wanting to go back to the Well, I personally would be a little bit shocked if he would,

just because of what I think I know of him. Yeah, I agree, But and to go back to what I was saying is like, I don't think that they like this wasn't in their plans that you know, like I said, they drafted McGovern, they've got Connor, and now you know, people are already talking about it on Twitter like whoa, this doesn't make sense, Like now, what are they gonna do with Connor McGovern and well, what figure it out? Who cares? You're like, wait, you want to resign to

play with us for that much? Let's go whatever. We'll worry about the rest of that later. As Bill Parcels used to say, you were in the talent acquisition business, which means you're never in the best situation where you got talent, so keep getting more talent. And as Danny said, you never know about the situations that pop up when you know, like the Travis thing. So if you've got oh my god, we got seven great linemen like okay,

sound good to those problems. How much do you think this effects or does it affect a guy like Byron Jones? Because I kind of put Byron and Lyle in the same category of guys that I thought there wouldn't at some point there would be enough to sign everybody, and so I thought those would be the two guys that might be in a position where what they could command on the free agent market was going to be significantly higher than what the Cowboys would offer, which means they

probably end up gone. Do you think this changes that at all? Seeing that they're they're open to the idea of kind of getting these guys and basically signing everybody. Do you think that does that change your opinion about Byron Jones? I could see him, I think doing something more like Lyle, or maybe you don't take as much money as you could elsewhere because you want to stay here. I have to say, I keep kind of forgetting that

we have to sign him. I feel like that was one of the off season I was like, Oh, that'll be one of the ones. They'll get done rather quickly. But yeah, you know, but that's a good point. I mean Byron, like, I don't think it changes anything as far as where the Cowboys will want to sign him. Yeah, just well with anybody you'd like to get a deal, you know. But I his is tricky because he's He's

not the first. He reminds me of a Miles Austin or even Tony Romo, to the point where when it became time to sign him, he had only really done it for one year. You can make the case for DeMarcus Lawrence too, one really good year. So was this normal? Is this the way it's going to be? Or I'd like to see it again. So it's kind of a tricky thing with Byron. I think you kind of play it out this year and then and then let it go to I've been under that impression too, like, let's

see if you can do it again. We'll figure that out. If it costs us, it costs us. You can always franchise tag him. Although I never, in my wildest dreams would have guessed that both Dak and Amari are unsigned five days before the season, I just didn't think that was going to happen. Do you think we get to the game and they're still unsigned? Yeah? Actually, I just I did a radio interview right before we came on

here where they asked me that. I was like, I shouldn't be surprised on any by anything based on the

last two weeks. But yeah, like I just I feel like you would have heard more movement on that if it's all coming from an NFL report that I heard about this morning where someone on National sid that there is taught that that Dack's going to take a deal from the Cowboys sometime this week before they get to the game to basically mitigate his risk of getting hurt in an actual game before he has a new deal. If he was going to do that, why didn't he do it? On not I I'm just saying that's where

a lot of these questions are coming from. I think is that kind of report? I mean, but the way the Cowboys work, I mean think about it like back way back for some of us when we were in school. I mean, if you have three tests, one of them is next week, one of them is next Friday, one of them is tomorrow. I mean, you're going to work on the one for tomorrow, right, You're gonna start studying. Well that's why, that's why what it is, this is

the deadline that there's only one deadline. But that's ultimately why I think what Zeke did actually made sense. If he misses games, it didn't, it then lacks making sense to me. But it actually makes sense because it allowed him to jump line because he would have been that guy that's not fat for next week. Well yeah, of course, but even if he is fat, he's still got the deal. So no, I'm just saying a point. It's true. It works for him. Yeah, yeah, no, I mean, you know, yeah,

it's going to work well for him. I think it looks like he's gonna be here without missing any games. I guess we don't know that for sure yet, and that helps him jump the line. But you can't argue anything other than that it worked beautifully for him. If that's how I mean, well done, sir. That's not Yeah, forty days on the Baja host. I think that's right. It's hard to beat Oxnard in Hawaii, but maybe that's what Cowbo does. Yeah, yeah, all right, let's take our

first break. When we come back, we're gonna talk about ezekiel La. We're gonna talk about where that contract situation sits and what we expect this weekend. Do we expect him to play on Sunday. That's the big question. We'll talk about that when we come right back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. Well, a player could look good on paper, it's one he's out on the field that you really find out what he's made of. That's why the Cowboys rely on more than just stats and

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Thank you, Nick. Let's jump back in. Let's talk about Ezekiel Elliott. This weekend, we started hearing reports that things were heating up a bit. There was more dialogue that was happening between the two sides, probably more dialogue than we heard in the last month. And then we started hearing that kind of slowed down a bit, then pick back up again over the last twenty four hours. There was even report this morning that supposedly Zeke is going to be flying back to Dallas in hopes that maybe

a deal gets done here in the near future. Are you guys getting any indication as to what possibly is holding this thing, what the what the hang up is? If you were making progress and then it kind of kind of comes to a little bit of a slower pace. Have you heard any thing about what maybe the hold up could be or do you have an opinion about

what the hold up could be? The details and the contract language, just you know, the guarantee, the average annual salary, the nuts and bolts of it, I mean, the indication, and you know, I guess it was Sunday, which you know, I'm I'm so happy it worked out that way. I was in the car all day Sunday. I was just like, I know, I know that this is all going to go down while I'm driving a car and can't do

anything about it. And it held off, But that's because, you know, it sounded like they were making progress, and then all of a sudden you're kind of fine tuning it, and one side is like, hang on a second, right, that didn't work? Yeah, uh are you sure about that? And then seven o'clock Sunday night, it sounded like it had kind of fallen apart. And then I think both sides were kind of like, oh, wait, the game is Sunday, Like we don't we don't have time. Yeah, yeah, this

might have been the plan all along. It might just be I'm going to show up on Wednesday before the game and play. Let's get a deal done. So we've heard a lot of things, you know, we've heard a lot of different things about what isn't happening, And you know, someone asked me on Twitter that like, sometimes I hear it's it's close, and then I hear it's not close, and then I hear it's close, down I hear it's not close. Which one is it? I'm like, all of it.

I think it has been close and not close. Yeah, So, I mean you mentioned Wednesday and you mentioned Sunday. Do you think at this point, what do you think is the actual deadline by which Zeke can actually play this Sunday practice tomorrow? I really think so. I mean, if yeah, I'm about he signs tonight or tomorrow, he's often on another field doing some conditioning things, get back into it

on Thursday and walk through Friday. He's playing. But even still, I mean, at that point, is he still playing as much as he has every other years? Collard more Still, that's a good question. I think I think Alfred Morris is active. I think I mean, I think Morris um you might have all of your running backs active for this particular game, you might be a little close. And as Seun actually been moved to the more Chun for special teams though he's got to be off the roster though. Well, yeah,

and it could. It's probably be one of those backs. It might be Alfred Morris, that's it. Could. I mean, you need Jordan Chun to play special teams and you're banged up at linebacker, so I don't know if it's as clear cut as well. When you say need, I mean they moved him up this week. So if the my assumption from that was if Zeke would have been here, they would not have moved him up. True, but I don't know if they necessarily need him on special teams.

This might be maybe a nice to have though. Well, but you also didn't know what was going to happen with Zeke, and I think that he's going to help you a lot more than Alfred Morris will because he's going to play special teams because they're down on linebackers. As Garrett even said, yeah, that's Garrett. Actually there's a people in that press conference that thought he was saying that he's going to move to linebacker and that's gonna help us with linebackers down, so he's gonna help us there.

And really what he was saying was he'll help us on special saying what's happening here? You're reading something that's I was trying to because Jerry Jones had a quote about Zeke being ready to play this morning and I was pulling up my email to read it. They asked him on the fan, you know, what would you anticipate

his workload being if he signs this week? He said, I don't want to get that far ahead of it, but just knowing him, I knowed him to be in great shape for any type of workload, which and then Jerry made the joke he should be fresh because he didn't have a preseason so, which, but I don't buy it. Like, even if you're Zeke, it feels reckless to me to think like he needs Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, forty days of no football. You haven't had your eyes on him, he'd

you know, the medical staff hasn't seen him. I mean, I'm sure he's in good shape, but it's just different as opposed to being in the building for the last month. And if he can't get if what you're saying is right, and like he conditions Wednesday and practices Thursday and Friday. Fine, but like you're setting yourself up for something like an injury if you're just he shows up Friday and you throw him in the game on Sunday. Me, this has

hamstring written all over those soft tissue issues. If he even if he shows up, if he's at the practice on Wednesday, I still think like ten to fifteen touches to me, is a good amount of work for him in this first game. To say he's only had three practices, one of which is going to be a walkthrough um to get himself ready to play when he hasn't been doing football for forty days. So me, personally, I just

would prefer to say, hey, let's ease him back in. Because, by the way, if you believe, which maybe you don't, and maybe rightfully so, if you believe what they've been saying that we can go into this game without Zeke and will be okay, then it's a bonus, right, And then it's a bonus that you get him for ten to fifteen snaps. Right. I don't believe that. I get that. I'm just saying I'm saying I'm saying it would him

I get that. I'm saying, though their words have been yeah, we feel will be okay, want him to hear it. But my point is, My point is if you can, if you can have ten to fifteen snaps from him and you feel like you can get a pretty decent workload, Let's say ten to fifteen snaps from Pollard and then whoever is at third running back, you give him five, five to seven. I think you can. You can make basically make this work, and I actually think it would be good because you get to see Pollard in a

few more situations while you're easing Zeke back in. That's the beauty of making that pick. If you really believe he has something, then use him a little bit more here while you're easing Zeke back in. There's there's another factor into this thing too, fantasy football. Sorry no, well, yeah, that's a big factor. But there's a freak factor involved. Did you ever see Randy Moss stretch? He didn't. He didn't stretch every the whole team was the weirdest thing.

The whole team would be in their line before the game and he would just be running through like one of the coaches, high five and people. He never stretched. He was a freak. Zeke is kind of like that David Irving, sadly as it is these guys, I'm just saying that you're on a different level. Deon Sanders was a freak. He could go from baseball and over here

he is, He's sort of there. I'm not saying be reckless, because I agree with everything you're saying, but I think there's a factor there that guys like him that are special can probably get away with things that other players can. But since you have like one of those memories that's like a trap, go back and tell me how he performed in the first couple of games last year. Year before, it seemed to me, again just looking from the outside in, it seemed to me like he was a guy that

didn't get a hot start. And I always suspected it was because he didn't really do much in the preseason, and so going into the season that was kind of his preseason. However, he was practicing, he just wasn't playing in the preseason. So how much does that affect him not even practicing during the preseason. Does he also get that slow start, and he might he might get that. I mean, there's first two years I don't think he was that great. I think is I think last year

he was pretty good. Those first two games. I thought I thought he was a little bit under what he normally is last year. Last year he had sixty nine yards in a touchdown in the opener seventy eight yards in a touchdown in the second game, which is a little less than what he would typically although he did. I mean, he averaged four points six yards per carry

in both games. Ye Week two on the road, he has not been very good, if I remember correctly, Washington and then you got the Seattle and when he came back from the suspension, he wasn't good from that. That's kind of relates to this in a way where you're gone from the team. Not wrong. Yeah, but you know what, and having said everything I just said about being smart, like I'm I'm here for a good time, not a

long time. And it's way more fun if he shows up Wednesday and gets twenty five carries for one thirty on Sunday. So yeah, but I don't want to risk the chances that you think it goes down with him here for a long time. They do, they do, You're right,

I never risk the Injine. But man, like you know, I always think like Nick is the story guy and he's always got like you know, Witt and lace Rates is spleen on blah blah blah, and everybody thinks he's out or like DeMarcus Ware, they carried him and the

next week he's back in the game winning. I can just imagine like six years from now being like yeah, and you know, Zeke showed up on Wednesday after forty days away, and you know they were talking about Tony Pollard getting carries and then Zeke goes for one forty in the first the Cowboys in training camp to Coabo Ammitt Smith. That's cool. Emmitt Smith. His rookie year he was holding Now everyone talks about the ninety three hold out.

He was holding out his rookie year all the way until like the Wednesday or Thursday before the before you know, the season started at the kickoff luncheon and they introduced him there and he played the first game one carried two yards. So could the difference be though we're talking about coming back the mentality aspect about this point when he was coming back from the suspension or you know that year back and forth he doesn't have that right.

I mean, now, if anything's going to be great, like I got what I want, I'm here a long term, like let's get to work. Would that be different for the start of the season. I just think it's more about game speed and game reps and getting back into the flow of it more so than anything. I mean, I've never questioned Zeke's attitude. He's he's a dog for

lack of a better word, and awesome. Honestly, I don't question I don't question his ability to be Oh, Denver game attitude wasn't great there, there's a good interception, I don't need tackle. You know what. He came back the next game and I think he was hurtling people and the Bears or whatever. And maybe that wasn't Maybe I got my seasons mixed up there, but I think you do. But I mean he came back and he played pretty well.

Then it's actually really fitting. Like we talked to Lyle Collins yesterday, not having any clue that he was about to be the newest side member of the team. He did. He probably by his answers, you could tell by his answers he knew. He was Like he's like Zeke's not a teammate, he's family. He had I don't know the exact quote, but he had this great quote about how like nobody's nobody's got to look in his eye like

Zeke does on game day, like we need him. Just from that standpoint, all right, cool, But that's the thing I don't I don't doubt that Zeke will be in good shape and ready to play. My thing is always just when you missed training camp. There's a reason why they do training camp. And you can talk about preseason games not getting guys hurt, but just going through the grind of training camp. I think it has a way

of hardening the body. If getting the body ready for the banging net will that will happen during a regular season. And that's not a sorry banging as far as them being tackled to the ground anything like that, But it is just it is just the ability for their bodies

to get you, Dave. It is the ability for their bodies to get used to the pounding like it is a regular everyday occurrence in training camp, and you go through the pains and the aches of I'm having to get up every morning and be sore from the day before and still have to go out there and do it all over again. And I think that has a way of preparing you for a season when you miss it.

I've seen a lot of players in the NFL that miss training camp and what happened soft tissue injuries early in the season because their bodies aren't ready for the pounding. And we know he's been working out in Kabba, but we don't know what he's been doing. It's I mean, from you can't practice football. From the looks of various Instagram feeds, it looks like footwork drills and you know, all that type of stuff that that's nice, but it's not football, right, and so ease him in. No, I'm

time to get acclimated. It would be really fun if he had like a game for the ages, but I think it would be smart to let Pollard and maybe even Alfred Morris have a healthy workload even if he's there. All right, let's go and take our final break. We'll come back. We recently talk a little bit about cuts. We haven't had a show since the Cowboys made their cut to the final fifty three. We'll talk about that. Some things that may have surprised you or some things

that may have been disappointment. See you. We'll talk about that when we come back. This is Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. Your new apartment's big, such a great deal. It's okay, just okay? What's not right about the subway? Well, I bet you don't even notice it after that's my neighbor. Angus. A deal that's just okay is not okay. Get a great deal with America's best network. Come into an AT and T store and learn how to buy one smartphone and get second one on us based on GWS one score.

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and cheerleaders. That's not all, though, You'll get to talk x's and those with Senior Director of Player Personnel Will McClay and of course with yours truly, me, Brian broad Us. You can trust the official fan travel partner of the Dallas Cowboys, and with us you'll travel like a pro. Us a Cowboys Travel dot com to book your travel package Today Back to the Break Welcome back, final segment of The Break live in the SWBC Mortgage Studios at the Star, Let's talk about the final fifty three roster

this weekend. The Cowboys made their cuts. They got down to fifty three, as every team in the NFL did. I want to start this conversation by asking the question, what was the biggest surprise coming out of the final fifty three? Dave, the biggest. If I had to pick a biggest surprise, probably that Cedric Wilson didn't make it, or Donovan A. Lumba too, But I mean I don't think it too Okay, Sorry, I mean I don't think either one is a shocker. I guess is my pointer? Right?

Most surprise you aretha, go ahead? Brandon Knight making the team. I mean we didn't he didn't play that much. We didn't even have him as one of our bubble guys. The fact that he's still here, yeah, that's kind of surprising. This just goes to show that this is how good of a football team this is. If Cedric Wilson not making in or Alumba and Brandon Knight making it, I mean, you know, it's there's nothing Major. There's no Dan Baileys

this year. Cedric Wilson was mine. I mean, he's still practice squad, But I though I guess they were going to go six. Donovan Alumba, I don't think really surprised me as much. Just with I mean Donovan Wilson, it got really good DBS. It's true Cedrick Wilson was mine, I will say. And to that point, Danny, which I think you're right, but I'm not. I'm not directing this at fans. I'm not trying to talk down on anybody.

It's something we should all keep in mind. People don't get claimed that often in the NFL, Like for the most part, every team in the league has guys like this, like a moderately fast receiver who can go inside and outside and return and punts like Cedric Wilson. I think he's better than Lance Lenore. But is it like this just huge difference between the type of player that they are right now when their careers. Daniel Wise is the

same way. You know, like the number of people that were just beside themselves with rage that Daniel Wise was subject to waiver claims and here he is. He's right back there on the practice squad. They just not that many players get claimed, and it's you know, I'm going to keep this in mind next year because next July I'm gonna be sitting there with the roster in front of me, like, how they how are they gonna do this?

And they're gonna do it. It's gonna be fine. Ye. One thing that that stood out to me the Cowboys decided to keep six defensive ends. What do you guys think about that? From the standpoint of obviously, you don't have to worry about Robert Quinn right now. He's he's suspended, but when he comes back. I know we talked about you know, these things kind of have a way of

working themselves out. But do you think it gets to a point even if another position you have an injury at where you can put him on there seems like that's still a huge number of defensive ends that you would carry. How do you think that all plays out as you as you through the season, as particularly as you get to the third game of the season. Well, we'll see you're sixth six, Okay, so five on the roster right now? Yeah, I mean I do believe that

though something's gonna work itself out. I mean two games, you're gonna find something out about one of those five defensive ends, whether whether or not one of them's hurt or one of them's not very good. Let me correct that. Actually they're six on the roster right now, six on the roster and then him. So they got Tank, Tyrone and Hyder, Hyder, Taco and Joe Jackson. Yeah. I mean it's a lot of defensive ends. Hyder and Tyrone can can swing that. I mean, you know, also play tackles,

so that true, it's helpful. I think what was hard was we were all kind of questioning Taco's future. But I think his contract and all that kind of played more into it than just his play. But I think they probably won't use Hyder at end as often. I think they would do the Crawford instead. You think you'll be an inside. I like, I like Hyder on the outside and Crawford inside. I think Hyder is gonna get I think he's gonna be second on the team in

sacks this year, Damn I do. That's I mean, ahead of Quinn because I assume Tank's going to be your first, right Oh tacle okay. Led the preseason, he said preseasons don't mean anything. That's what he said. He did say that I can't say anything anything. I'm not trying to come for the guy's roster spot because he had a good preseason. But I just to your point, I mean, I don't know that you can take yourself off of Taco Watch yet, because again to give where are you

freeing up that roster spot as soon? I mean, and you know, it does typically work out where somebody gets hurt, you know, somebody like strains something or pulls something or whatever. But if it doesn't, I mean, it's gonna it's gonna have to be a major enough injury to where you're willing to prick them on ir that's the issue. And you know what do you have to keep Quinn? What has he done in the before his injury that it was like, oh my god, I gotta have it. I

don't know. I'm just saying he's eight million in the year. I guess she don't have to. But like I would think, if he's available, he's at least your third best defensive end, if not your second one. Like I really hate that you even brought that he was trying he was trying to come for Tyrone a couple of weeks ago. So he's just trying to stir it up. No, I'm not trying to stir up. I'm just trying to I'm not trying to get hit in the Dan Bailey face again. I mean, that's what I'm We need to be paying

attention to these things. No, that's I mean, it's a fair question. I just I just don't I don't see why you sign a guy you're dreaming about, sign a guy and then he gets hurt. Remember when you I did dream about. You don't sign a guy like Quinn for him to be all world in training camp. You signed him to be a good player when you get to the regular season. So I don't think that there's a scenario where you're like, oh, yeah, we don't need him. We thought we needed him in the offseason, but now

we think we're good. Okay. If I really cared to argue that much on both sides, that would just take the other side and say they didn't know that they had what they had and carry hider. They didn't know that. What do you haven't carry hut? I mean, like you you saw his training camp. Now he had a good Yeah, but I'm just still don't know what you're gonna get when you get to the sixteen games in the regulat, right,

you don't know what you're gonna get with anybody. But I'm just saying I think that they would be okay. I mean, are you worried are these two l's here because they don't have Quinn? No, not at all. You can also think they can get by if they needed it and they have all these problems. I mean, of course, then that's also a lot of money you can you can knock off of this year as well. So I'm

just saying, let's don't throw. If we're gonna throw all the scenarios on the table, I think that's to be considered. You can mix and match this thing too. I mean, if Zeke comes back, you probably drop a running back. They don't need ten defensive backs, especially when when darry and Thompson and Donovan Wilson get healthy. Right, that's something to watch um. And then they're heavy at offensive line too.

I mean Adam Redmond. I'm glad Adam Redmond is on the team, and Brandon Knight too for that matter, but do they both need to be here over a pro Bowl pass rusher. I don't know that was actually gonna be the second question. I was going to go to a safety. Cavon Frasier makes it along with Donovan Wilson and Darry and tom Do you think that's maybe just because of the injuries and then we might see, as you need to get Robert Quinn onto the roster, that

maybe Cavon becomes a guy that's expendable. That's true. Yeah, that's a great point. Doesn't have to be defensive end that gets cut here. I mean, you got to figure out who's going to be active every game, but it doesn't have to be Donovan, Wilson and Thompson are the only and Luke Gifford. Those are the only three guys that didn't practice yesterday. So they have three healthy safeties right now. So injuries helped a lot of players. Yeah, I think you're right, and I'll say it for the

million times. Like I love Cavon Frasier. It makes me feel gross like talking about his job like that, but I mean, I think that's something to watch when these

other safeties get healthy. You know, they're heavy at offensive line right now, and they're heavy at safety, and they're heavy at defensive end or you know, it goes a long way when you don't have to carry three quarterbacks and you don't have to carry four tight ends, you know, just because you were trying to see what Rico can do and trying to see if Mike White is worthy worthy of a spot. There's nobody on this team right now where I don't understand why they're here, and that

hasn't been always the case. So that's cool. Well, why is Brandon Knight here? Because he I think he he's got the flex to play. I think you could even say four positions. I think center is probably the only spot he couldn't play, not saying he'd be great at it.

And I think, much like Gifford, I think they were impressed by what he showed in those two weeks before he got hurt that they were like, okay, well yeah, And I know I just said, people don't get claimed, but if you really feel strongly about a guy, why chance it? Yeah? I mean some people get claimed. Yeah yeah. And they talked these these age I mean these scouts, you know, they talked to other teams and they kind

of know who's getting interest. I mean, I guarantee a few people will will be asking these scouts, like when they're on the road, what's up with sixty nine? What's up with that Brandon Knight? You know, oh yeah, we'd like him. You know, you get four or five of those questions. You know. Maybe nobody was doing that with Daniel Wise. Yeah. I talked to Leon Lett and he thought there was no way that Leon or that Daniel Wise was not going to get claimed. But like Dave said,

doesn't happen all the time. That's true. All right, We're gonna start tomorrow as we do every season. We're getting ready for the upcoming game. We haven't had real talk on the show about other teams. We'll start that tomorrow, Dave. We'll start back with his offense and a defensive breakdowns. I guess we'll start tomorrow with the Giants offense versus I'm sorry, Giants defense versus the Cowboys offense and break that down. But I do want to do this on

Tuesdays from now on. I want to ask you guys one simple question this week. I'm gonna have a little caveat to the question, but the question will be, what is the biggest question or concern that you have for the Cowboys at this moment, facing this game this week, the caveat is going to be outside of Ezekiel Elliott. All right, so let's start first with you, Dave. You give me yours, then Danny didnnick about the game, about the game, about the week, about the preparation for the game,

everything leading to the game. What is the biggest question or concerned you have for the Cowboys right now? I guess just that you're arguably your second best offensive playmaker has been mia since August third. Amari Cooper hasn't practiced since August second. I believe Um and we give him and rightfully so, we give him so much credit for turning the offense around last year. He's a pro bowler.

He does this, he does that. Has not practiced. I mean he practiced Monday, which was, you know, not a training camp practice. So I think he'll be fine. But it's something that I'm curious about because he didn't have a training camp. Really, Danny, I don't think I'm gonna say as much a concern, but maybe curiosity in the red zone. If we know that with Kellum Moore they're going to run, you know it's most likely going to

come from Zeke or Dak. Well, Zeke's not there. You really just have Dak and defenses are going to plan for that. So I think that'll be what I'm most curious to see is how much change can we see in the red zone this year where they really lacked last year. Let's go, Nick, when you go third, you get you know, the good ones taken away experience. I was thinking both of those, you know, they're they're gonna they're gonna kick the Giant's ass unless they turned the

ball over. They turn spicy. I'm just saying they're gonna care that they are. They're they're gonna they tackle that big old running back and don't go and don't do stupid things and turn the ball over. But that they should beat this team by seventeen points. So what's your biggest concern turning the ball over? There you go, Brian, That's that's what they need to do. When was the last time the Cowboys beat the Giants by seventeen points?

I know, even especially even last I mean, they kicked their ass last year, but the but the Giants backdoor covered all day, so they beat them pretty bad in twenty fourteen the first time, not the Odell game, but the one before that, but you're at New York. You're right, they play, Oh, you're right, you're right, You're right. They beat them pretty bad in seventeen. Okay, sorry, I don't see I don't even those games run together. You told me nineteen eighty seven. I can tell you exactly what

happened about twenty seventeen. What was the rod Smith eighty five? That was a close game in the fourth quarter and then rod Smith just said watch this so speaking Bay with the New York Giants, and he's actually on IR though I'm not going to play. I'm bummed out about that. I was injury, you know, yeah, like it's like a packer absur so I was hoping to see him this week. Yeah,

I mean too. Of course, he probably wouldn't gonna be in the game very much with sa Quan out there, But yeah, you know, I don't I mean, I don't have a lot of concerns. I think the injured guys are gonna gonna play and play well, and I'm with I agree with you. I'm not as willing to talk that plainly as you, but like they should win this game comfortably if they just don't completely crap the bed str I almost want with kicking. I mean, you know,

unless it's fifty yards out. But I just I don't know that I feel necessarily so confident, right, I mean, like the further the better from our heart. But I just but I don't think you ever will I mean you hope not. I don't think you're ever gonna be just like comfortable. Who's comfortable with their kicker like balt Ravens he misses not often. But I'm just saying, for the most part, I would say twenty five teams are kind of like you know, Yeah, they get a little

nervous every time he walks on the right. Yeah, you're right. We used to feel pretty confident, right, there was a time time and that's when you you start to realize how much of a blessing that is, because that's not the way most teams live, right, all right, let's like we appreciate you guys, you want us. We're back tomorrow. We'll be at our normal time now it's eleven forty five am every day Central time that we will be on the air tomorrow. We'll jump into the Giants defense

versus the Cowboys offense. Get you guys ready for this upcoming game. Till then for Nick Keatman, Dave Hellman, Danny Serek, I'm Derek Eagles and this has been The Break live on Dallas Cowboys dot Com Radio. This has been a production of Dallas Cowboys dot Com and the Dallas Cowboys Football Club.