Why Dak Prescott could struggle against the Broncos’ elite defense
USA TODAY’s Joe Rivera and Jacob Camenker break down why Cowboys’ QB Dak Prescott may not put up high fantasy numbers vs. the Broncos.
The Dallas Cowboys have made more news off the field than on the practice field this week as they prepare for the Denver Broncos, which this week wasn’t entirely a bad thing given how dumb the news was.
Their backup tight end Luke Schoonmaker was not arrested despite some baseless rumors otherwise, and cornerback Trevon Diggs was in the headlines because of an ex-girlfriend, despite not being seen in the Cowboys’ facility.
Dak Prescott’s elite play has stirred up MVP talk and he is someone who can be bet on at the moment. All is quiet on the trade front, though another name Dallas could chase has surfaced. Here’s a rundown.
Luke Schoonmaker: Not arrested
No, the Dallas Cowboys back-up tight end Luke Schoonmaker was not arrested by the FBI for gambling. The FBI made big news Thursday with the arrests of NBA figures Chauncey Billups and Terry Rozier over gambling issues, which led to posts on X that one of the most obscure players on the Dallas Cowboys roster was arrested as well.
That started on a parody account @demcowboysfan and quickly went viral.
Schoonmaker was not arrested, yet his name is still trending in searches, which is odd given how minor a factor he is for the Cowboys. He’ll play against Denver and strive to have more than the zero targets he got against Washington.
George Pickens contract
George Pickens was supposed to be a one-year rental when Dallas acquired him in the offseason as he headed into the final year of his contract. That turned out to be a stellar acquisition for the Cowboys, who are evidently now looking at what they can do to keep him.
Per ESPN’s NFL insider, Dan Graziano: “The Cowboys have had internal discussions about a possible extension for receiver George Pickens, to the point where they’ve been examining the rosters and cap situations of teams like Cincinnati, Miami and Philadelphia, who are all paying multiple high-end receivers. (The Cowboys already pay CeeDee Lamb $34 million per year.)
“I don’t think anything gets done on this until after the season, but Dallas has been happy with Pickens since acquiring him in an offseason trade with Pittsburgh, and it is at least considering what it would look like to keep Dak Prescott’s wide receiver tandem together.”
Owner Jerry Jones was asked about it on his radio show and said it was a possibility.
“Any and everything about George Pickens has crossed our minds,” Jones said. “Certainly he’s a topic of interest and discussions because of the success he’s having.”
Trevon Diggs and Chinese Kitty
The Dallas cornerback Trevon Diggs suffered a concussion in a home “accident” last week and no light has been shed on how he concussed himself at his house. He missed last week’s game due to concussion protocol and seems on track to miss this game as well, as he has not been at practice. Dallas has confirmed he’s still in protocol.
He is in the news as well. His ex-girlfriend, rapper/model/celebrity Taylor Hing, who raps under the name Chinese Kitty, alleged he interfered with her hooking up with Drake in 2021, shortly after she and Diggs ended their relationship.
Per a post on X Thursday: “I didn’t hook up with Drake because my ex, Trevon, came back into my life.”
She’s done stuff like this before. In 2021, Chinese Kitty claimed that Diggs threatened her with a firearm, made harassing phone calls, and sent harassing messages while acting in a “less than exemplary” manner.
There are no public records of any of this and Diggs has stayed silent on her.
Dak Prescott MVP?
Dallas’ quarterback continues to put up MVP numbers for a .500 team, albeit one with one of the two best offenses in the NFL (Indianapolis is the other). Can a quarterback from a .500 team win MVP? Probably not, though if Dallas closes slightly better than they’ve been, they could slip into the playoffs and slip Prescott closer to the top of the MVP odds.
Right no,w BetMGM is showing his odds at +2500 (25-1), tied for seventh with Green Bay quarterback Jordan Love. Patrick Mahomes (+125) and Josh Allen (+350) lead the betting odds, followed by Baker Mayfield (+700), Drake Maye (+700), Matthew Stafford (+1100) and Jared Goff (+2000).
At any rate, Prescott is certainly being discussed.
Dallas Cowboys game today
The Dallas Cowboys travel to Mile High Stadium in Denver to take on the Broncos Sunday, Oct. 26, at 2:25 p.m. MT/3:25 p.m. CT on CBS.
Dallas Cowboys Star
In addition to being the iconic logo of the team, The Star is part of the name of the Dallas Cowboys practice facility and 12,000-seat stadium in Frisco, about 40 miles from where they play their home games at AT&T Stadium.
Its full name is Ford Center at The Star, and it opened in 2016 for $1.5 billion. In addition to hosting Cowboys practices and their corporate headquarters, it hosts high school football games. In 2019, it held the game between El Paso Eastwood and Plano following the Walmart shooting in El Paso after Plano refused to host Eastwood.
Carl Lawson
Carl Lawson, a free agent defensive end who had five sacks last year for the Cowboys, has signed with the Baltimore Ravens. The 30-year-old has been a free agent since the end of last season, his only year with the Cowboys.
Logan Wilson: Trade target?
Cincinnati’s sixth-year linebacker, a former third-round pick out of Wyoming, has asked for a trade after a significant decrease in playing time over the last two weeks. His trade request has been widely reported.
He appears to be a victim of a youth movement at Cincinnati, though he has started all seven games for the Bengals and has 41 tackles.
Dallas could use him and he would probably be cheap.
Bret Bloomquist can be reached at bbloomquist@elpasotimes.com; @Bretbloomquist on X.