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Dak Prescott quickly learning to lean on Cole Beasley
4:52 PM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- Now that Dak Prescott has gone 75 passes without an interception in his first two starts, I wonder if the Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback will ever throw an interception.
Well, not really. He will have at least one this year at some point.
But I am wondering five things with this week’s installment of Five Wonders.
Away we go:
** I don’t really wonder if Cole Beasley will be able to keep up his current pace but I do wonder what he will finish with this season. In two games, he has 13 catches for 140 yards, which translates to 104 catches for 1,120 yards. That would be an incredible season for a slot receiver. I just can’t see that type of season. But I do believe he will post career highs in catches and yards. He had a career-high 52 catches last season and his yardage total has increased in each of his first four seasons as has his touchdown total. Prescott deserves a lot of credit for a lot of things but he has quickly learned how to find Beasley underneath in soft spots of defenses.
** I wonder if we have seen a changing of the guard at middle linebacker with Justin Durant replacing Anthony Hitchens. Durant was on the field in critical situations against Washington and made a huge fourth-down stop with a pass breakup. Hitchens gave up a touchdown in the opener (although there was supposed to be safety help), a long catch down the seam to Jordan Reed in Week 2 as well as a roughing the passer penalty. Durant is a steady player but has not been able to stay healthy in his career. While he might move into the starting lineup, the Cowboys will need Hitchens later in the season if history is to repeat itself.
** On Sunday I wondered why the Cowboys did not have Ryan Davis active but had the sense they would go with the same defensive line rotation as the opener. Now I wonder how much of a role Davis, who has 11 career sacks, will play this week against the Chicago Bears. In 2013, the Cowboys had a number of defensive linemen sign on a Tuesday and play on a Sunday. If the Cowboys don’t activate Davis, then I don’t know why they signed him at all. Of course, maybe the Cowboys feel they found some pressure by moving Tyrone Crawford to left defensive end with Maliek Collins at defensive tackle. But Jason Garrett said Davis has been a player the Cowboys had been targeting for some time, so they have to get him on the field.
** I wonder what the Cowboys do when tight end James Hanna is eligible to return from the physically unable to perform list. He is recovering from knee surgery in training camp and Geoff Swaim is filling in nicely as the Cowboys’ second tight end to Jason Witten. Hanna is a better blocker but Swaim is earning the right to stay in the lineup. The real wonder is how do the Cowboys get Hanna on the roster. Would they go with four tight ends with Witten, Swaim, Hanna and Gavin Escobar? Would they make a move with Escobar? The gut feeling is they would have to finally move on from the two fullbacks they are carrying on the roster in Keith Smith and Rod Smith. Hanna is a core special teamer and would be able to take on more of that role when he returns.
** This is about things I wonder, but I was wondering if you were wondering the last time the Cowboys had a takeaway in three straight games. It didn’t happen in 2015. They did it to close the 2014 season in which they finished second in the NFL in takeaways. In fact, the Cowboys had at least one takeaway in 15 of 16 games that year. The Cowboys have two interceptions in the first two games with Brandon Carr and Barry Church coming up with the takeaways. Last year, the Cowboys recorded takeaways in back-to-back games just twice on their way to recording just 11 on the season.
4:52 PM CT
Todd Archer
ESPN Staff Writer
FRISCO, Texas -- Now that Dak Prescott has gone 75 passes without an interception in his first two starts, I wonder if the Dallas Cowboys rookie quarterback will ever throw an interception.
Well, not really. He will have at least one this year at some point.
But I am wondering five things with this week’s installment of Five Wonders.
Away we go:
** I don’t really wonder if Cole Beasley will be able to keep up his current pace but I do wonder what he will finish with this season. In two games, he has 13 catches for 140 yards, which translates to 104 catches for 1,120 yards. That would be an incredible season for a slot receiver. I just can’t see that type of season. But I do believe he will post career highs in catches and yards. He had a career-high 52 catches last season and his yardage total has increased in each of his first four seasons as has his touchdown total. Prescott deserves a lot of credit for a lot of things but he has quickly learned how to find Beasley underneath in soft spots of defenses.
** I wonder if we have seen a changing of the guard at middle linebacker with Justin Durant replacing Anthony Hitchens. Durant was on the field in critical situations against Washington and made a huge fourth-down stop with a pass breakup. Hitchens gave up a touchdown in the opener (although there was supposed to be safety help), a long catch down the seam to Jordan Reed in Week 2 as well as a roughing the passer penalty. Durant is a steady player but has not been able to stay healthy in his career. While he might move into the starting lineup, the Cowboys will need Hitchens later in the season if history is to repeat itself.
** On Sunday I wondered why the Cowboys did not have Ryan Davis active but had the sense they would go with the same defensive line rotation as the opener. Now I wonder how much of a role Davis, who has 11 career sacks, will play this week against the Chicago Bears. In 2013, the Cowboys had a number of defensive linemen sign on a Tuesday and play on a Sunday. If the Cowboys don’t activate Davis, then I don’t know why they signed him at all. Of course, maybe the Cowboys feel they found some pressure by moving Tyrone Crawford to left defensive end with Maliek Collins at defensive tackle. But Jason Garrett said Davis has been a player the Cowboys had been targeting for some time, so they have to get him on the field.
** I wonder what the Cowboys do when tight end James Hanna is eligible to return from the physically unable to perform list. He is recovering from knee surgery in training camp and Geoff Swaim is filling in nicely as the Cowboys’ second tight end to Jason Witten. Hanna is a better blocker but Swaim is earning the right to stay in the lineup. The real wonder is how do the Cowboys get Hanna on the roster. Would they go with four tight ends with Witten, Swaim, Hanna and Gavin Escobar? Would they make a move with Escobar? The gut feeling is they would have to finally move on from the two fullbacks they are carrying on the roster in Keith Smith and Rod Smith. Hanna is a core special teamer and would be able to take on more of that role when he returns.
** This is about things I wonder, but I was wondering if you were wondering the last time the Cowboys had a takeaway in three straight games. It didn’t happen in 2015. They did it to close the 2014 season in which they finished second in the NFL in takeaways. In fact, the Cowboys had at least one takeaway in 15 of 16 games that year. The Cowboys have two interceptions in the first two games with Brandon Carr and Barry Church coming up with the takeaways. Last year, the Cowboys recorded takeaways in back-to-back games just twice on their way to recording just 11 on the season.
