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By Jon Machota Oct 17, 2020
Randy Gregory appears to be on track to contribute when he’s eligible to return to game action in Week 7. The Cowboys edge rusher has been practicing with the team since Oct. 7. He was a full participant in the portions of this week’s practices open to reporters.
Ezekiel Elliott said after Thursday’s practice that Gregory was “lights out.”
“It was really tough to block him,” the running back said. “I’m excited to get Randy back. He’s got those fresh legs and he looks better than I’ve ever seen him.”
Gregory, 27, hasn’t played in a game since 2018. He was suspended indefinitely in February 2019 for violating the league’s substance-abuse policy and the terms of his conditional reinstatement.
He attended meetings and took part in conditioning work last month. He became eligible to practice last week. He’s scheduled to make his return Oct. 25 against Washington.
Executive vice president Stephen Jones echoed Elliott’s comments on Gregory during a Friday interview on 105.3 The Fan and said Mike McCarthy and the new coaching staff were “pleasantly surprised” by Gregory’s skill set.
“It was great to get Randy into team reps in the pass-rush segments,” McCarthy said. “We have a pass under pressure drill that he definitely showed up in.”
The Cowboys will use all the help they can get on defense. Through five games, they’re allowing 404 yards, 27th in the NFL, and 36 points per game, which is last in the league. In regard to the pass rush, Dallas only has 10 sacks. That’s not enough considering the talent at the position.
When Gregory returns, he’s expected to work into a rotation that already includes DeMarcus Lawrence, Aldon Smith and Everson Griffen.
What can Gregory bring after missing so much time?
“Immediate electricity,” linebacker Jaylon Smith said. “That’s who Randy is. He’s an electrifying player. He makes big plays. He gets off the ball. He’s going to be Randy. So, just thankful for him, to see him. My first year here, my rookie year, just rehabbing and training, we worked together every single day: me, him and Charles Tapper, Darren McFadden. So, just brings back so many memories when you talk about grind and grit. He’s been through a lot, but he’s a guy that’s never going to quit, and he’s the reason why I got my first touchdown in the National Football League. So, looking to add to that.”
Gregory, Dallas’ second-round pick in 2015, has 45 tackles, seven sacks, 23 quarterback hits, 11 tackles for loss and two forced fumbles in 28 games.
Here are 19 other notes to get you ready for the Cowboys’ Monday night game against the Arizona Cardinals.
1. Is Leighton Vander Esch ready to return? Jones said Friday that Vander Esch will be a “game-time decision” Monday night, but all signs point to the middle linebacker making his return against the Cardinals. Vander Esch, who has missed the last four games after having his broken collarbone surgically repaired, was a full participant in the portions of practices open to reporters this week.
Owner Jerry Jones said Friday on 105.3 The Fan that Vander Esch “won’t go back out there if he’s vulnerable in any way” regarding his collarbone. “We would not risk additional injury. If you see him on the field, that means he should be out there.”
How has he looked in practice?
“Like the Wolf Hunter himself,” Jaylon Smith said. “I’m happy to have him back out here working, just grinding it away. Just excited for him. I’m happy that he’s out being able to do what he loves. We’ll see if they let him go (Monday).”
2. Other injury updates. The Cowboys have had six players on their injury report this week: Lawrence (knee), Griffen (not injury related), defensive end Dorance Armstrong (knee), tight end Blake Bell (knee), defensive end Tyrone Crawford (ankle) and cornerback Trevon Diggs (knee).
The good news for the Cowboys is that all were full participants on Friday and all are expected to play Monday night. Griffen missed Thursday’s practice for a personal reason.
Cornerback Chidobe Awuzie and linebacker Sean Lee are on injured reserve but they appear to be headed in the right direction. Both were seen at practice this week rehabbing with athletic trainers.
“They’re making a lot of progress,” McCarthy said, but added that it would be difficult for them to return to practice next week with it being a short week. “Everything looks good for both guys. The specific timetable will be addressed next week.”
3. Kyler Murray back at AT&T Stadium. The second-year Cardinals quarterback is a combined 6-0 as a starter during his high school and college career at the stadium in Arlington, Texas.
“Well, I hope Kyler’s experience is exactly the same as the two times I’ve coached back in Pittsburgh,” McCarthy said. “We lost both games on the last play of the game. … It almost seems to be a weekly motivation factor for the opponent that someone is from Dallas that is excited about playing at AT&T Stadium. I think that’s part of our benefit of being a Dallas Cowboy, but it’s also part of the challenge. You get everybody’s best game. People are excited about coming here to play against us and I’m sure he is. This is his hometown, being from right up the road there in Allen. But yeah, I think it’s only natural for someone when they go back home. You always want to do well in front of your hometown people.”
4. Murray and CeeDee Lamb. They were teammates at Oklahoma for two seasons. In 2018, Murray passed for 4,361 yards and 42 touchdowns while Lamb caught 65 passes for 1,158 yards and 11 touchdowns. The Sooners went 12-2 that season, winning the Big 12 and playing in the Orange Bowl.
“That’s my brother, at the end of the day,” Lamb said. “We went to college together. We had great memories together before living our dream that we’re going through now. But somebody got to come out with an L (Monday night), and I’m not planning on it being us.”
5. How do the Cowboys defend Murray? Last season’s Offensive Rookie of the Year is averaging 260 passing yards and 59 rushing yards per game this season. He’s thrown eight touchdown passes and rushed for five touchdowns. The Cowboys’ defensive front is going to have its hands full.
“I really feel like we just need to rush together and do our jobs,” Aldon Smith said. “I think if we’re thinking too much about what he’s going to do and what he’s capable of, then it just puts us in a position that we’re thinking too much and we’re not making plays. And I think the way that we’re able to be successful is going out there and doing what we’re supposed to do and just playing free. And I think everybody knows what their job is. So when we do our jobs and play with confidence, and play fast, then we’ll make plays.”
(Mike Stobe / Getty Images)
6. Expectations for Andy Dalton. I talked this week with Dalton’s former Bengals teammate and current Pro Football Focus quarterback analyst Bruce Gradkowski about his expectations for Dalton in his new role. Let’s just say he thinks the three-time Pro Bowler is going to be successful.
The Cowboys have been fortunate to get an extra day of preparation since they’re playing on Monday night. Dalton has been working closely with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to find out what changes are needed for the offense to best fit its new quarterback.
“We don’t see things changing much,” Dalton said. “I feel like we can just run this offense. I’ve been in a lot of different systems and kind of been through it all, so I like everything that we’re doing, and my job is to keep this thing exactly how Dak had it. Dak was playing really well and we don’t feel like we want there to be any drop-off since he’s not going to be in there.”
Dalton, who turns 33 later this month, is only under contract for this season. He understands every other team will be monitoring how he performs in his return as a starter.
“For me, I’ve just got to run this offense how it’s supposed to be run,” Dalton said. “I feel like I’ve just got to be me and let my play speak for itself. I feel like there’s a lot of talent on this team and my job is to distribute the ball to our guys, let them go make plays and just be me throughout the whole process of it all. I feel like I still have a lot of good football left and I’m anxious to go show that the rest of the season.”
7. What would Jimmy Johnson do? The two-time Super Bowl-winning former head coach of the Cowboys was asked this week about how Dallas’ offense should be adjusted with Dalton now the quarterback.
“I think you adjust it a little bit,” Johnson said on “The Herd with Colin Cowherd.” “But I felt like they needed to adjust it even when Dak was in there. They needed to do some things to protect that defense. That defense is really struggling. They went from a 4-3 to a 3-4 and half the players really don’t know what they’re doing. So how you protect the defense is you eliminate the negative plays and you increase your time of possession by running the football with Ezekiel Elliott. I think Dalton will be a perfect fit. In fact, he will help that defense. As long as he manages the game, and utilizes that supporting cast, I think they shouldn’t miss a beat.
“Plus, they’re in the NFC East. If you were the quarterback for the Cowboys, you’d win the NFC East. So I think they’re in good shape.”
8. Who is most responsible for Dalton ending up in Dallas? It certainly sounds like McCarthy is the correct answer. Backup quarterback had not been a major priority for the Cowboys over the last three years as they went with undrafted rookie free agent Cooper Rush as Prescott’s backup. But McCarthy came in with two goals for addressing the quarterback behind Prescott after being hired in January, according to Stephen Jones: Draft one in the later rounds and add a more experienced backup. The Cowboys addressed drafted Ben DiNucci in the seventh round.
“Certainly (McCarthy) understood our cap situation and that we probably weren’t going to be in the mix for the backup quarterbacks that required bigger dollars,” Jones said on The Fan. “But when Dalton became available and his pedigree and what he’s been all about in Cincinnati, won a lot of football games, led his teams to the playoffs, and then on top of the fact it was late in the game, and he understood that. He’s a Texas man and he wanted to come to Dallas. Felt like it was a good situation for us.
“Most teams between the draft and what they had done in free agency were pretty set at their starting position. He felt like Dallas was the right spot for him. So just a good fit for him all the way around and certainly we’re going to benefit from that.”
9. Roof open. For the first time this season, the Cowboys are expected to play Monday night with the AT&T Stadium roof and doors open. Only the doors have been open the previous three games. The Cowboys are 3-4 in Monday night games played at AT&T Stadium. They are 8-8 in games when the doors and roof are open.
10. Offensive line. McCarthy said the starting offensive line is the group he hopes to go forward with for the rest of the season. That would be left tackle Brandon Knight, left guard Connor Williams, center Tyler Biadasz, right guard Zack Martin and right tackle Terence Steele.
“This is the opportunity that has been presented to these five offensive linemen,” McCarthy said. “I hope they take the rope and run with it. As I’ve stated time and time again, the best offensive lines are the ones that practice every day together and they particularly play games together. Everything they do is right in front of their nose. Every adjustment, every decision, their technique battles are in a phone booth. So the ability to continue to work, play in and play out, in the games throughout practice is so important to that O-line group.”
11. Any similarities between the centers? Martin was asked this week if there are any similarities between Biadasz, a rookie, and former Pro Bowl center Travis Frederick. Both played at Wisconsin. Frederick was a first-round pick in 2013. Biadasz, who will be starting the second game of his career Monday night, was selected in the fourth round this year.
“They both wear cargo shorts,” Martin said. “I used to always give Trav crap because he used to wear cargo shorts everywhere. One of the first days Tyler rolled in it was in cargo shorts. Must be a Wisconsin O-line thing.”
12. Dak back in the building. The Cowboys’ franchise quarterback brought some energy to The Star on Thursday, four days after having surgery to fix his compound fractured and dislocated right ankle.
“You just see the reaction everybody has that he’s here,” McCarthy said. “I just think that speaks volumes about him as a man and just the electricity that he brings to our football team.”
Elliott said he has been visiting Prescott at his home every day since the injury.
“It seems like he’s in very good spirits,” Elliott said. “A little bit of pain, a little bit loopy, but he’s definitely in good spirits. … I just think it’s important that we all surround him and show him plenty of love. I think it’s important that we continue to involve him.”
13. Jason Garrett on Dak. The former Cowboys head coach was asked this week by New York reporters about being in the building when Prescott was injured and if he had communicated with him since his surgery.
“(I’m) obviously very sad that he had the injury,” Garrett said. “One thing I know about him, he’s as tough as they come. He’s mentally tough, he’s physically tough. Surgery seemed to have gone well. Our communication over the last few days has been positive. It seems like he is in good spirits. Wish him nothing but the best. He’s a special guy.”
14. Still all-in on Dak. Jerry Jones and Stephen Jones addressed Prescott’s injury situation and his future with the team this week. Both have said that it has not changed their beliefs that Prescott will be the team’s quarterback for a long time.
“Absolutely not,” Stephen Jones repeated three times when asked Monday on The Fan if the injury had changed their thinking about Prescott going forward.
“He’s our future. He’s special,” he said. “If anyone can overcome anything, it would be Dak. It’s something that our doctors feel good that he’ll overcome and come back better than ever.”
Jerry Jones said the timeline for Prescott’s recovery is four to six months, with the quarterback targeted to return in April or early May.
15. Backup QB. McCarthy isn’t as concerned about Dalton getting acclimated with the first-team offense as he is with DiNucci being the backup. DiNucci was expected to get some first-team snaps this week in practice. He was also tasked with doing his best impression of Murray on the scout team.
“We have to make sure that the No. 2, that’s where the biggest preparation and change is going on,” McCarthy said. “Andy has a lot of experience being in the No. 1 chair. I think this will be a seamless transition for him to get ready and prepare and for us to get the whole offense prepared with him in front. But we need to make sure Ben advances in his new role.”
16. Who would’ve been Dallas’ next QB up on Sunday? Bell probably would have been the Cowboys’ emergency quarterback had something happened to Dalton against the Giants. DiNucci was not active. Bell played quarterback at Oklahoma before making the move to tight end. He threw for 1,648 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2013.
McCarthy declined to confirm this week that Bell would’ve been next up.
“Nah, I think we’re just gonna go full wishbone and totally open it up,” McCarthy joked. “Kinda working on that. I was gonna save that for Monday night. It is a national TV game. Don’t tell anybody.”
17. Substitution issues. The Cowboys had several special-teams plays last week in which there were either too many players or not enough players on the field. McCarthy and special teams coordinator John Fassel said they have fixed those errors this week in practice.
“You can put that on me,” Fassel said. “It’s an easy fix, but it was a problem (Sunday) with some substitutions. A couple of guys were in injury-wise and then were out, and I just got to do a better job handling that. So, it’s an easy fix. That’s the frustrating part of a couple of those field goal blocks. But I’ll fix that.”
Fassel added: “I got to do a better job on some of those substitutions, especially when a guy is in, a guy’s out. Our trainers do a great job communicating that to me. But it is a hectic sideline, especially in some of these games we played in. … It’s been stressful on the sideline for at least five games, but all good.”
18. Cardinals coach Kliff Kingsbury talking Cowboys. Kingsbury was born in San Antonio and played high school football in New Braunfels and college football at Texas Tech. He was raised a Cowboys fan and enjoyed watching their success during the 1990s. But did he ever think he’d one day be coaching against them?
“I never thought I would be coaching against them, but my mom was, like, the biggest Troy Aikman fan ever,” he said. “She would call him Troy Boy. She’d always talk about how Troy Boy played on Sunday. I got to grow up during their great run with Emmitt (Smith) and (Michael) Irvin The Playmaker, and all those guys, Jimmy Johnson. It was a great time growing up in the state. I always pull for the Cowboys, pull for all the Texas college teams. I just think it’s great for the state when those teams are rocking.”
19. Cardinals game plan. Eight-time Pro Bowl cornerback Patrick Peterson gave a pretty good breakdown of how the Cardinals plan to defend the Cowboys.
“Stop the run,” the Cardinals defensive back said on his All Things Covered podcast this week. “We definitely got to stop the run and force, not saying he can’t do it, but we have to force Andy Dalton to beat us. We feel if you take the ball out of Ezekiel Elliott’s hands, there’s more opportunities for bad things to happen when the ball is in the air versus the ball getting carried. Andy Dalton is a very, very serviceable backup, quality backup. I saw a crazy stat, Andy has like 31,000 passing yards. Technically, he’s not a backup. He could be a starter in this league. He was a starter in this league. He’s got starter numbers. To have a starter as your backup, that’s huge.”
