Dallas Cowboys Making MAJOR Changes To Defense Before Week 4 vs. Packers?

Dallas Cowboys Making MAJOR Changes To Defense Before Week 4 vs. Packers?

[Music] We’re talking changes on today’s Cowboys report. I am Tom Downey. Brian Shottimer repeatedly now has said the Cowboys are going to make changes to their defensive potentially both scheme and personnel. So, they’re going to install it on Wednesday. Here’s what he said previously more in depth on the changes. Quote, “We will make changes. Some might be scheme, some might be personnel. If we’re not doing certain things, well, then by simply deleting some things, that makes you simplify. It doesn’t mean we’re going to want to go with one front with one coverage. We’re not going to do that. We’re still going to be multiple. But absolutely, we’d be crazy if we didn’t look to simplify and focus on execution. Look, I hope this isn’t just coach speak. There’s one thing we’ll talk about later on in today’s show, a potential change the Cowboys should make that I think Shanhammer has mostly gone coach speak on already this season. But it is very clear to anyone watching a drive of the Cowboys pretty much this year that changes are very clearly needed and it’s multiple things that need to be changed. It’s not just one thing changes and everything’s better all of a sudden. I will say this, I don’t know if simpler is actually the solution. Maybe you can simplify the back end of stuff, but it’s already kind of simple. Uh, it’s zone, fourman, front. They’re not really asking that much chaos there. I don’t know what the issue is in the back end with the with the communication, the execution. I don’t want to simplify my front. Maybe you can simplify some of the coverage on the back end, but I I’ll go more in depth on that throughout today’s show. Now, if you want to send some good vibes out there and you want the Cowboys defense to be better, show it by liking today’s show. Let’s send some good vibes and see if the Cowboys can’t get things going on defense as we get into week four. I’ve got six things that I hope the Cowboys change. I want them to change. We’ll see if they actually change. First up, we have to stop the all fourman front. We got some great numbers here from NFL’s NextGen stats. The Cowboys have used a four-man front. So, two defensive ends, two DTs. At the highest rate in the entire NFL this season, 86% of the time, there is no variation. It is a fourman front. That is all they choose to. That is both against the run and against the pass. More from NextGen stats. They have utilized four rushers on 79.2% of opponents drop backs, the third highest rate in the league. However, the Cowboys have produced a pressure rate at 28.6% on fourman rushes. That’s the 10th lowest in the NFL and have managed only two sacks. That is tied for the third fewest. The Cowboys more pass rush stats here from both true media and NFL uh nextgen stats. The blitz rate is you can see some differing numbers. Sometimes they count differently if they kind of sim pressure versus non-sim pressure and just different slight variations that lead to like 2% differences for this team. Bottom three blitz rate, they’re not very good at pressures overall 27.1%. Their pressure to sack rate is 14%. Their sack rate, and this is all snaps, not just the fourman front snaps, 3.8%. Their time to pressure is also bottom seven of the NFL. their bottom 10 in any metric you can find. The Cowboys are among the league’s worst in pressures. You have repeatedly consistently failed to show you are able to generate pressures with four players right now. They can’t do it. They’re unable to do it. I I get that Matt Eberloose wants to be a fourman guy. Okay, I get it. I get he’s not a blitzer. I don’t think we’re going to teach an old dog new tricks right now. But at minimum, we have to try some stunts here. Like they’ll they’ll stunt against the run. They’re not really doing loops and stuff against the pass. Like I just I am tired of this Cowboys team going, “Well, let’s just run four fourman pressure and do two eye shell stuff. Just it’s just not working.” Like they can’t get off the field on third downs. They have and then they’re getting in third and longs and they because they’re doing a good job of the run and they can’t get off the field. They have to try something with this pressure package. have to. What is your confidence level right now in the Dallas Cowboys defense? 1 to 10 is your scale. Let me know in the comments section of today’s show. What is your confidence level in the Dallas Cowboys defense? This will be the pinned comments, by the way, of today’s show. So, take advantage of any potential ad read. Go vote 1 to 10 for your confidence level in the Dallas Cowboys defense. Let’s go to the clear and obvious second change that is you have to play Jadevian unclown. This is the free square frankly of everything with this Cowboys changes like and they’ve said they’re going to play him. I choose to believe they’re going to play him. Let’s get him out there. You probably would have been better off playing him last week. Who among the entire Cowboys defensive end rotation is really standing out to you? And Dante Fowler hasn’t really stood out. I think Neil’s done a good job against the run. It’s great. had a good first game, quiet since then. Ezaraku gets you one or two good reps per game, but he hasn’t he’s he’s young. He’s just not there yet. Probably somewhere about Marshon Elen. I’ve been pretty underwhelmed by Sam Williams. Um James Houston is not getting a ton of snaps, but he’s been okay, if not outright solid when he’s gotten him. The Cowboys were the first team to never sack Kale Williams in a game. It’s obvious time to play Jadevian Clowny. Today’s show is made possible by Omaha Stakes. 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And again, I acknowledge the reality that you’re this is just going to be a fourman pressure zone scheme, but you have to try other stuff here. Again, from NextGen stats, Matt Eberloose and the Cowboys have utilized zone coverage. And I you see some different numbers on different sites, but it’s all around this benchmark in general. 93.4% of dropbacks, the highest rate in the NFL, and what would be the highest rate by any defense in a single season since 2018. However, they’ve allowed allowed 9.4 yards per attempt when in zone coverage, the second most in the NFL. The updated Cowboys pass defense, you know, that’s when the zone coverage matters. Putrid, they are last in yards per game passing yards allowed. They’re last in yards per play. They are 31st in EPA play ahead of, I think, the Dolphins. 27th in success rate, 26th in time to pressure, 27th sack rate. They can’t do anything. I am of the belief that the crux of the Cowboys defensive issues right now, there’s a lot of stuff going on to be clear, but one of the biggest main factors is a complete mismatch in the personnel and the scheme. My biggest issue right now with Matt Eberloose is we’re not adjusting the scheme to fit the personnel. Every single coach says we’re going to adjust the scheme to fit the players we have. I don’t have a single shred of evidence that Matty Bus is actually doing that right now. Ka Elum got shipped out of Buffalo because he was bad in zone. So, we’re playing all zone now. Okay. Why? How does that make sense? Trayvon Diggs in his core wants to jump short short routes, be aggressive. Well, there’s no pass rush. There’s no blitzing. So, the opposing QBs have no threat of of of getting at the ball quickly and they can sit back and chuck bombs. Donovan Wilson is being asked to play deep coverage because they think he’s interchangeable with Malik Hooker. No, he’s not. He’s better in the box than he is deep. Shoot. I almost think he’s be better as a weak side linebacker at this point than an actual deep free safety. This isn’t working. This is Matt Eberfloose again trying to fit a square peg into a round hole. And rather than adjust so far, it’s his way. And this is not unique to coaches. So many coaches do this, but it’s frustrating when they do it. We’ll talk some more personnel changes here in a second. So, name a Cowboy who you think needs to play more. Let me know in the comments section of today’s show. I’m going to begin at the very back end of the secondary, and that is with the safeties. Let’s try stuff. This This is not working. They They were good in week one, and then they’ve got dashed since then cuz the other QBs have been willing to take shots downfield the way Jaylen Herz was on for whatever reason. Ly Hooker does have 16 tackles. I think he’s been better than Donovan Wilson. Neither guy, especially since week one, has been very good. I don’t really know what to do with Donovan Wilson right now. He The interception was great. It was a gift wrapped interception. Like, it was not a good play, but by Russell Wilson. He struggles to cover tight ends last year. We all saw that. He’s having miscommunications on the back end and not being in the spot he needs to be. They did kind of sit him at points last week. And I think Wany Thomas is next up. If Matt Ibrafluss is committed to doing all this cover two, cover four stuff and having two single high safeties, I think you got to try Wany Thomas. I don’t I don’t think Donovan Wilson fits that well enough. I get he’s a captain. I don’t care. I want to win games. I am confused why the Cowboys paid Maris Bell and then just like are never playing him on defense. This is back-to-back coaches who were like, “Ah, why play Maris Bell after he was like one of your better players in coverage at linebacker to be fair two years ago under Dan Quinn. I I don’t get it. You You can’t just if you just keep rolling out Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson, it’s it’s not going to work. We will be live for the Cowboys against the Packers. So, if you haven’t already, hit that sub button. youtube.com/cowboyv. Live show starts 7 PM Eastern time. Remember when I mentioned I think Shothammer was just giving us coach speak and empty platitudes. Linebacker is where this sits out. I need actual competition at linebacker. And coaches always say it’s all about competition. You know, I haven’t seen much of it actually. After week one, Brian Shottenheimimer said Maurice Leafoul was impressing and he was earning the right to get more reps at linebacker. The lie detector test came back and the result was that was a lie. They haven’t done it. Period. Leafoul played six snaps. That was just under 10% in week one against the Philadelphia Eagles. Since then, nine snaps and eight snaps. 4% growth on that small of a sample size doesn’t actually mean anything. Means he was out there for a little bit longer on the drive he played. What are we doing out here? Why are the Cowboys not doing that? Why are they not willing to try things and get more guys out there? Why are they not willing to attempt to make changes and put other linebackers out there? Wh Why is Why are Kenneth Murray, Jack Sanborn, and Dimone Clark the only ones playing linebacker? Really, I’m down to even try Shamar James at this point. Like it it just you don’t need to go down this path. You you don’t need try something different at linebacker. Have any of the linebackers who have played all those snaps actually impressed you? No, they haven’t. Kenth was fine in week two, but also was not perfect. The Jack Samborn looks like he’s a step slow. Try Leaf. He was your second best linebacker down the stretch last season, if not the best. Back-to-back years, the Cowboys defensive coaches are not playing the best linebacker, I feel like, because they didn’t play over week two either. It’s frustrating. So, should Barice Leaf starts at linebacker? Y for yes, N for no. Let me know in the comments section of today’s show. Finally, look, if you if you got to bench a corner, do it. Like, it’s not this group is not working right now. And again, there’s I know there’s communication issues, execution issues, but like it’s all not very good. Look, Don Bland is clearly one starter. And I assume, and I think that’s probably the right move. the Cowboys are going to keep playing Trayvon Diggs, pitch count or not, as the starter, so to speak, on the outside. I think you can make a pretty damn strong argument, at least for now. Maybe the Cowboys are better off putting Don Bland back on the outside in those nickel packages and sitting Ka Elum. Uh, you don’t want to have your corners be among the the the the leaders and tacklers. That’s actually normally a bad thing. He doesn’t have the instincts in zone. He still doesn’t. He’s just not comfortable there. Same issue in Buffalo. He’s been getting gashed a lot through the year, too. I have been unimpressed by Kyrie Elum. Ready Stewart acknowledging the Cowboys issues are all deep stuff and Stewart’s not doing a lot of deep stuff. I think it’s actually been fine. Now, the bar is not very high right now. But I I I think you make a real argument that Stewart’s outplayed Ker Elim so far. And if you get Bland back this week, knock on wood, you want to play your best three, maybe that’s not Elum right now. I don’t know if Triquz Bridges is worth getting extra snaps. We’ll see when Carson and and Savone Revel come back. But you can’t just keep tossing out the same five guys and saying this will fix all of our coverage issues. You have to you have to try different things. [Music]

The Dallas Cowboys are 1-2 and struggling BADLY on defense. Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer has claimed changes are coming to Cowboys DC Matt Eberflus’ unit, but what are those going to be? Cowboys Report host Tom Downey is here to look at some potential MAJOR Cowboys changes to the defense before NFL Week 4 against the Packers.

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Like the video if you want the Cowboys defense to be better!

Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer says changes are coming for the Cowboys: ““We will make changes. Some might be scheme, some might be personnel … I do think as a coach, you look for solutions,. And if we’re not doing certain things well then by simply deleting some things that makes you simplify. It doesn’t mean that we’re going to go with one front, with one coverage. We’re not going to do that. We’re still going to be multiple. But absolutely, we’d be crazy if we didn’t look to simplify and focus on execution.”

Cowboys changes that could (or maybe should) happen on defense:
#1: Stop The All 4-Man Fronts
#2: Play Jadeveon Clowney
#3: Adjust All-Zone Defense
#4: Try New Safeties
#5: Actual LB Competition
#6: Bench A CB If Needed

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After week 1, Brian Schottenheimer said Marist Liufau was earning more reps. The numbers say that has not happened:
Week 1: 6 (9.7%)
Week 2: 9 (13.4%)
Week 3: 8 (13.6%)

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Cowboys current defensive starters
DE: Marshawn Kneeland, Dante Fowler
DT: Osa Odighizuwa, Kenny Clark
LB: DeMarvion Overshown (Hurt), Kenneth Murray & Jack Sanborn
Secondary: Trevon Diggs, Daron Bland, (Hurt) Kaiir Elam, Malik Hooker, Donovan Wilson

Cowboys stats from NFL’s Next Gen Stats:
– They have utilized four rushers on 79.2% of opponents’ dropbacks, the third-highest rate in the league. However, the Cowboys have produced a pressure rate of 28.6% on four-man rushes (10th-lowest in the NFL) and managed only two sacks (T-3rd fewest).
– In their first season with Matt Eberflus as defensive coordinator, the Cowboys have utilized zone coverage on 93.4% of dropbacks, the highest rate in the NFL and what would be the highest by any defense in a single season since 2018. However, they have allowed 9.4 yards per attempt when in zone in 2025, 2nd-most in the league.

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– 🚨 Cowboys Injury News On DaRon Bland, Trevon Diggs, CeeDee Lamb | Cowboys vs. Packers Injury Report – https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TKt2qFcT0h0
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Agree or disagree with Cowboys Report host Tom Downey by commenting on today’s video:
– Confidence level in the Cowboys’ defense? Scale it: 1-10
– Name a player who needs to play more!
– Should Marist Liufau start? Type ‘Y’ for Yes, ‘N’ for No

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