Q: “How are we going to keep all of our coordinators? How will we keep all of our short term defensive pickups?”
- @CodyConnatser
A: You’re probably not going to like the answer.
The truth is that you won’t be able to keep all of them. I’m not saying you won’t keep some of them, but it’s extremely unlikely that you’ll be able to retain Kellen Moore and Dan Quinn, plus the bargain bin free agents you picked up on defense who have earned themselves a pay day.
The Cowboys have a number of free agents heading into the 2022 offseason, and several of them are defensive players who were signed last spring: Keanu Neal, Brent Urban, Carlos Watkins, Damontae Kazee, Jayron Kearse, and Malik Hooker.
I think Kearse will be a priority for Dallas in free agency, but the others are probably going to have to make sense for the Cowboys on their financial terms, and that may not be realistic. I would guess Kearse, and perhaps one or two others are retained by the Cowboys, but the others will be playing elsewhere next season.
In regards to the coordinators, there are already two jobs open in the NFL in Las Vegas and Jacksonville. Chicago seems almost certain to fire Matt Nagy after the season (or perhaps even before), and Seattle, Houston, Minnesota, and Denver could be looking for new head coaches as well.
If you’re Jacksonville or Chicago, with major draft capital invested in the quarterback position, it would make sense that you’d be looking for a young offensive guru to help shape your franchise quarterback. Tampa Bay OC Byron Leftwich appears to be the early favorite for the Jaguars, but might the Bears look at Moore as an attractive option for Justin Fields?
Seattle appears likely (although not certain) to move on from Pete Carroll after this season. The Seahawks job is the one that should most concern Cowboys fans who don’t want to lose Dan Quinn. It would remain to be seen if Seattle would target Quinn, but if they came calling, he would absolutely listen, and it wouldn’t be a difficult sell to bring him back to the Pacific Northwest.
Quinn told reporters on Monday that he’s focused on the task at hand as defensive coordinator for the Dallas Cowboys, but added that he’d be ready “if the right scenario came about.” Seattle is that right scenario for Quinn.
Q: “What's the verdict on Kelvin Joseph's first start?”
- @Charlie_Faround
A: Kelvin Joseph played exceedingly well in his first significant game action.
According to Pro Football Reference, Joseph was targeted just three times in the game, allowing one reception for no gain, and had two passes defended. He also had tackle for loss, and played well against the run.
Dan Quinn told reporters on Monday that Joseph “played with a lot of confidence,” and that Quinn, “knew he’d play well.” In particular, Quinn praised Joseph for “how strong he played on the line of scrimmage against certain guys where he could really get his hands on and lock you out and not everybody plays in that style.”
Joseph’s raw ability has never been a question. Many believed Joseph was a first round talent, but there were questions about his love of the game, and concerns about his off the field maturity.
“Sometimes when you're not playing a lot, it can get frustrating, because you're waiting for your moment,” Quinn said on Monday. “I thought he was the next example of a guy when your number's called, and you deliver, gives a lot of confidence, because there's gonna be another opportunity moving forward when these things happen.”
I think Joseph deserves an “A” for his performance in the game against Washington, and it sounds like he’s earned some trust and extra opportunities from Dan Quinn.
Q: “Is feeding Amari Cooper the key to success in the offense no matter how much coverage he draws?”
- @Cody_Tyra
A: Within reason, yes it is.
Now look, if Amari Cooper is getting double-teamed, or he’s struggling to get any separation at all, you don’t want to just ram your head against a brick wall in the name of reaching some magic number of targets, but that hasn’t been the case of late. Cooper isn’t getting double-teamed every snap, and he is getting separation on his routes. You should be getting him involved early, because the offense has a history of explosive performances when Cooper is used to jump-start the passing game.
Cooper has been with the Cowboys since mid-2018. During that time he’s caught at least three passes in the first quarter of eight games.
Here’s what the offense put up in those eight games:
34 points per game
475 yards per game
356 passing yards per game
119 rushing yards per game
And what has the offense done in the other 48 games?
25 points per game
384 yards per game
262 passing yards per game
122 rushing yards per game
That’s nine fewer points, 91 fewer yards, 94 fewer passing yards, and just three more rushing yards.
Kellen Moore rejected the idea that there was a concerted effort to involve Cooper in the offense early against Washington, after comments Cooper made to 105.3 The Fan and the media about wanting to be more involved.
“I think you always have to be careful of trying to narrow the focus for the quarterback into one particular guy,” Moore said on Monday. “But you always want them wanting the ball. That's a definite positive.”
It doesn’t have to be some hard and fast rule that dictates “throw to Amari Cooper X number of times, regardless of what the defense is giving you.” But frontload the game plan with some favorable looks where Cooper is an early read in Dak Prescott’s progressions. Take advantage of his elite skillset as a route-runner.
Get Amari Cooper the ball early. That’s it. It will build confidence for the passing game, and open things up for Ezekiel Elliott and Tony Pollard.
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