Cowboys cornerback: Dak Prescott-adjusted? Protective X-factors? What did Zeke do?

It looks like it’s going to be one of those seasons for the Dallas Cowboys. One moment, total disaster. Next, everything is good again. That’s how it felt Sunday night when they beat the Pittsburgh Steelers 20-17.

When the dust settled, the Cowboys were 3-2, one game back in the NFC East race, but there were still plenty of nerves in their wake. They are clearly a good team that can beat good teams, thanks in large part to their outstanding quarterback. But they are a flawed team, with many problems and injuries that are starting to mount.

So, buckle up because this season is starting to look like a roller-coaster ride. And at the moment, it’s hard to tell if they’re going up a bit, or planning to pull a belly button.

Fox Sports NFL writers David Helman and Ralph Vacchiano try to find out in this week’s Cowboys Corner.

1. Dak Prescott threw for 352 yards and led a game-winning TD drive in the fourth quarter against the Steelers on Sunday night, but also threw two interceptions. He now has four in five games, making this campaign look more like 2022 (when he had an NFL-high 15 picks) than last year (when he had just nine). How worried is he that his currency exchange problems are back?

Vacchiano: I’m a little worried, to be honest, but not really because of Dak Prescott. I’ve made it clear that I think he’s a great quarterback – one of the best in the league. But right now, he belongs to the Dallas Cowboys. He has one good receiver, no reliable running game, and a defense that lacks two top players. Prescott can do a lot, but he will be in a position knowing full well that if he doesn’t do something, it probably won’t happen. And if he starts throwing hard, that’s when he’ll be in trouble.

And I think that’s what’s going to happen. He will have to start forcing things on CeeDee Lamb late in games to keep the Cowboys in it. Most of the time it will probably work. But sometimes it won’t. And that’s where the boundaries will start to creep up. You know, with the lack of options on the Cowboys roster, he has to get Lamb the ball at a crunch time. The problem is that defenses can, too.

Helman: I need to see more before I worry about Dak. Some decisions Sunday night were brutal, and it almost cost the Cowboys. But he was solid, so both of his alternatives came in the same game — a 44-19 loss to New Orleans that required him to get his team back into the game on a day when his defense allowed six straight touchdowns. With all that context to consider, I feel good about the way he’s playing and trust him to clean up some of the mistakes he made in Pittsburgh.

2. Running back Rico Dowdle and wide receiver Jalen Tolbert rushed to help the Cowboys beat Pittsburgh. Do you think those were one-off games or do they count for the rest of the season?

Helman: That could determine the course of the Cowboys’ season. The club’s lack of activity during free agency has made it clear that they will be asking for more young players in 2024. Rico has been a solid role player, but he is already 60% of his way from last season. Dallas has been waiting for Tolbert to emerge since being re-drafted in 2022. I won’t comment on one game, but I will say this: We will find out soon if they can be counted because they are. there are no other options. For better or worse, this is what the Cowboys have. It’s sink or swim time.

Vacchiano: I think Tolbert’s breakout has the potential to be a really good thing for the Cowboys going forward. As everyone knows, they have been lacking a secondary receiver ever since they traded for Amari Cooper. Brandin Cooks, who has been injured, was good in that role last year and has the potential to make a big play. But he is not a very reliable or consistent receiver. Tolbert, on the other hand, was a highly touted junior college player when the Cowboys took him in the third round two years ago. He is quick and skilled and perhaps as he gets the chance he is ready to contribute.

Right now, that’s more hope than anything else. But then again, I have absolutely no faith in Dowdle’s or the Cowboys’ running game. I honestly don’t think Mike McCarthy does either.

3. The Cowboys defense survived one game without Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence, but it won’t be nearly as easy Sunday against the Detroit Lions. Which player needs to step up the most in his absence?

Vacchiano: That’s two big losses, and it can be a real problem for a team that can’t really hit the rock. They will need big games from two guys, in particular: DT Mazi Smith and LB Eric Kendricks. Smith has been a bit of a disappointment on the Cowboys’ line since they took him in the first round last year. He’s showing some signs of playing better, but he really needs to be a better player – if that’s possible.

As for Kendricks, he was a free agent signing for the Cowboys this offseason and never made an impact after a big Week 1 (two sacks, one interception). He hasn’t been bad, but he’s trying to make up for Parsons’ loss. You need to be an impact player again, now.

Helman: Complicating matters is the fact that rookie defensive end Marshawn Kneeland was injured in Pittsburgh, so this defensive group is truly depleted. The Lions get a lot of love for their explosive passing game, but the real threat here is that they have a terrible running game, backed by an offensive line that wants to grind you down. Look for defensive tackles Mazi Smith, Chauncey Golston and Linval Joseph, and linebackers Eric Kendricks, DeMarvion Overshown and Marist Liufau. Neither of those guys can afford to have a bad day, or the Cowboys will give up 200-plus yards rushing again.

4. Ezekiel Elliott only touched the ball 36 times in five games. Are you surprised they don’t use him more, especially since Jerry Jones bragged before the season that Zeke was still good enough to be the starter?

Helman: If anything, I’m proud of the Cowboys coaching staff for ignoring Jerry Jones and living in reality. Ezekiel Elliott is still a useful NFL running back, but at this stage of his career, his best attributes are his pass protection and short yardage ability. He just doesn’t have the juice to return, as evidenced by his sudden burst so far this season or his 4.3% completion rate in 2023 – eight carries of 10-plus yards on 183 attempts. He can still help this team, but I think it’s better that his role is limited.

Vacchiano: First, full disclosure: I drafted Elliott in fantasy football (in a very late round) mainly because I figured if Jones talked about him so much, Mike McCarthy would have to play him. He thanked McCarthy for ignoring his boss and having his own plan.

So, yes, I am surprised. I thought this was Jones’ special and the rest of Elliott would be forced into the lineup. But really, what McCarthy is doing is the right call. Zeke looks finished. It’s not completely done. He can be very useful in short yardage. His pass blocking still looks good. He can work in a series or two per game. But he is no longer a feature back. And while it’s hard to imagine the Cowboys’ rushing game getting any worse, it might be if Elliott leans too much.

5. How serious should you take the Washington Commanders’ 4-1 start? Are you still expecting the NFC East to finally come down to Dallas and Philadelphia?

Vacchiano: Commanders look like they are real. Only the Vikings and Saints have a greater point differential than Washington’s plus-40 through five games. And its success doesn’t end with super-rookie QB Jayden Daniels. Its defense and the rest of the running game have been excellent.

I still think that the Eagles and Cowboys are the division of this division and one of them will win it. I’m a little concerned that the Commanders four wins have come against a combined 6-14 teams (Giants, Cardinals, Browns and Bengals). We’ll know more about them after they play in Baltimore on Sunday. Their schedule also becomes more difficult in the second half. And at some point, Daniels may have a rookie slump.

But at this point, if they play .500 ball the rest of the way, they’re a 10-win team. So, they are in it. And they proved to be dangerous. Be careless at your own risk.

Helman: The Commanders are not a perfect team, but they are well-built to make life difficult for the Cowboys. They have a bad running game and a quarterback who gets the ball out quickly. It sounds like a nightmare for this Dallas defense, based on what we’ve seen so far. I’ll readily admit that I saw this as a two-team race before the season started, but the Cowboys and Eagles aren’t as far ahead as I thought.

David Helman covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys on the team’s official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in the production of “Dak Prescott: Family Reunion” about a quarterback at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the last six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and the NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

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