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Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys well-rounded coaching staff means opportunistic rushing attack
The Dallas Cowboys want to rush the ball more in 2025. The question these days is how exactly they plan on doing so. Newly minted head coach Brian Schottenheimer has a history of inside zone, and with the investments made in the Cowboys interior offensive line, one could reasonably assume it will be a major part of the future. New offensive coordinator Klayton Adams brings inside zone schemes to table as well. His time running the Arizona Cardinals offensive line shows he employs a more balanced variety of blocking schemes on his offense, but inside zone leads the pack. Advertisement Conor Riley, the Cowboys' new offensive line coach, is in a similar vein to Adams. Riley leans on inside zone most, but also uses his fair share of other schemes to round out his attack. It's worth noting Adams and Riley both use less outside zone than Dallas ran last season, and both run high degrees of pulling and counter plays. This well-rounded offensive coaching staff has laid enough breadcrumbs over the years to give a fairly solid indication as to what to expect from the Cowboys ground game in 2025. They like big personnel packages like 12 and 13 personnel (2TE and 3TE packages) and they like athletic linemen who can move. Most importantly they appear to like diversity in their play calling. Their familiarity with various running concepts make them more adaptable than most. If the Cowboys' young offensive line is better in some concepts than they are others, Schottenheimer, Adams and Riley are able to adapt to play to the strengths of the line. It just so happens the Cowboys running back room also supports such adaptability. Consisting of Javonte Williams, Miles Sanders, Jayden Blue, Phil Mafah, Hunter Luepke and Deuce Vaughn, there is no clear RB1 the scheme must fit. Who gets the carries in 2025 could come down to which RB best matches the Cowboys' best blocking scheme. Advertisement In general, NFL offenses are all fairly diverse in their run blocking schemes. It's important to mix it up to keep defenses playing honest. But the Cowboys' specific trinity of coaches indicate their rushing attack is particularly diverse and particularly focused on developing and discovering the strengths of their linemen. It explains the modest investment in the RB position this offseason and explains why Tyler Booker was the first draft pick they made in April. The Cowboys invested heavily in offensive line-focused coaches this offseason and it should pay off in efficiency and resiliency. You can follow Reid on X @ReidDHanson and be sure to follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans! This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Cowboys well-rounded coaching staff means opportunistic rushing attack
Yahoo
10-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Hype growing for 3rd-string Cowboy, and for good reason
The Dallas Cowboys are never short on hype this time of year. Hopes and expectations are through the roof. Prior disappointments are but a distant memory. And optimism just seems to reign supreme under the summertime vibes of "anything's possible." Typically, hype like this will center around star players, new coaches, or high variance rookies. Those elements of the team bring the highest upside and have the most influence. But in this particular case the hype revolves around an undrafted, second-year player who sits No. 3 on most everyone's preseason depth charts, tight end Brevyn Spann-Ford. Advertisement Like a few tantalizing TE prospects who came before him, Spann-Ford is captivating the fanbase. The 'what if's' are running rampant as Spann-Ford's immense potential fuels daydreams of finding yet another diamond in the rough for this exceedingly lucky franchise. Physically, Spann-Ford stands head and shoulders above the competition. His 6-foot-7, 280-pound build is a noticeable upsize to Jake Ferguson (6-foot-5, 244-pounds) and Luke Schoonmaker (6-foot-5, 250-pounds) and his career trajectory signals an undetermined ceiling for his future. Spann-Ford is already arguably the Cowboys' best blocker. His mammoth frame and physical skillset give him an obvious advantage. The Cowboys' renewed focus on improving the running game makes that blocking dynamic an especially valuable trait heading into the new season. Both the offensive coordinator, Klayton Adams, and the offensive line coach, Conor Riley, demand strong blocking contributions from their TEs. Playmaking downfield is obviously important too, but inline blocking is a staple that gets extra pull from this coaching staff. In Spann-Ford's first season, he saw an increase in snaps as the season progressed, even exceeding that of Schoonmaker late in the year. While it's extremely unlikely he'll leapfrog into a starting role in 2025, it's not absurd, and almost expected that he'll challenge for second most snaps at the position this season. With Ferguson a free agent after the season and Schoonmaker just a year behind him, Spann-Ford is under team control the longest of the top three. It gives the coaching staff the incentive to groom and invest in the 25-year-old. Advertisement As one can see, there are a few valid reasons fans are abnormally bullish on this young and ascending player. He plays a high impact position of need, packs truckloads of potential, fits the coaching staff perfectly and is under inexpensive team control for multiple years. It's ok to be excited about this guy. You can follow Reid on X @ReidDHanson and be sure to follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans! This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: There's a good reason this third string Cowboys player is getting hype
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
$2.7 million fan favorite facing roster extinction after free agency flood at his position
Dallas Cowboys fans felt like their team had uncovered a golden nugget following the 2023 NFL draft. T.J. Bass, an Oregon product, was two-time First-Team All-Conference player in the Pac-12. He received $150,000 worth of guarantees as one of the team's premier undrafted free agents, then went out and proved his worth, making the initial 53-man roster as a rookie. Bass started two games as a rookie, and another three in his second season, but entering his third year he's going to have to prove himself to a new regime. The head-coaching switch from Mike McCarthy to Brian Schottenheimer means there's a new staff of position coaches, and Klayton Adams and Conor Riley went out and found several new bodies to work in the potential scheme change. Advertisement RunDown Position: Offensive Guard Age: 26 Height: 6-foot-4 Weight: 325 pounds Hometown: Deming, WA High School: Mount Baker College: Oregon (Film Study Video) Draft: 2023 Undrafted Free Agent Acquired: UDFA Contract: Three-year contract (2023), $2.7 million 2025 Base Salary: $1 million Career Earnings: $1.6 million (per Over The Cap) Profile October 8, 2023; Santa Clara, California, USA; Dallas Cowboys guard T.J. Bass (66) warms up before the game against the San Francisco 49ers at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Kyle Terada-USA TODAY Sports Not only did Dallas sign Robert Jones, Saahdiq Charles and Hakeem Adeniji, they also used a first and sixth-round pick on the interior of the line with Alabama's Tyler Booker and Bass' former teammate Adeniji Cornelius. The latter is going to be moved inside. The team also brought back ERFA Brock Hoffman, who beat out Bass for the primary interior backup role last summer. Advertisement All of these players will be significant competition for the former Duck as he'll have to swim upstream to make the roster again in 2025. Follow Cowboys Wire on Facebook to join in on the conversation with fellow fans! This article originally appeared on Cowboys Wire: Dallas Cowboys player profile: No. 66 OG T.J. Bass
Yahoo
28-06-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Cowboys Insider Predicts 'Shocking' Improvement From New Attack
Cowboys Insider Predicts 'Shocking' Improvement From New Attack originally appeared on Athlon Sports. FRISCO - Want to hear some Dallas Cowboys good news in terms of a review out of Bristol? Or, better ... want to hear two doses of good news? Advertisement Marcus Spears, the former Cowboys standout, is offering up his prediction for the Dallas offense. And he's talking up the fifth-round rookie running back Jaydon Blue and how he might succeed in a "shocking'' way behind this rebuilt offensive line. First, ESPN's Spears on the O-line ... 'I think the Dallas offensive line is going to be one of the more physical and athletic offensive lines when it comes to zone schemes and as far as getting running backs in lanes and allowing them to use speed,' Spears said. Our three-pronged take? New coach Brian Schottenheimer has announced a commitment to the running game. His coaching staff now features gurus in that department, led by offensive coordinator Klayton Adams. And Dallas used its premium first-round pick on a blocker in "Day 1 starter'' Tyler Booker from Alabama. Advertisement So the right moves, on paper, are being made upfront. And what about Blue? Said Spears: 'I'm looking forward to this rookie maybe shocking a lot of people. A lot of good stuff coming out on him when he was there for rookie minicamp and OTAs. The speed jumps off the page at 4.38. He could be an unsung guy that we could talk about a lot.' "Unsung'' might be the wrong word choice here, but we get it. And so does Blue, who is visualizing a plan and putting it into words. "I'm trying to take my receiver game to the next level,'' Blue said, "so I can be the next great back to come out of Dallas.'' Pro Football Focus thinks Dallas has the worst collection of running backs in the NFL. So not everybody sees it the way Spears and Blue do. Advertisement But the truth? A more muscular O-line can really happen. And something short of Blue immediately joining the greats Emmitt Smith, Tony Dorsett and Ezekiel Elliott to simply "shock'' as a rookie? That can happen, too. Related: Pickens Apology Due As Camp Issues Major Statement About Cowboys Star Related: Cowboys Fan Favorite May Face Brutal Truth On 53-Man Roster Get more Cowboys inside the Fish Report here! This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 28, 2025, where it first appeared.
Yahoo
18-05-2025
- Sport
- Yahoo
Jaydon Blue Is Better Than Tony Pollard?
The Dallas Cowboys selected running back Jaydon Blue with the 149th overall pick in the 2025 NFL Draft. ... amid high hopes. How high? Read on ... The explosive Blue had a fairly productive year with the Texas Longhorns last season, putting up 730 yards and eight touchdowns on the ground while adding 368 yards and six touchdowns through the air. Advertisement Blue's skillset from the running back position compares favorably to former Cowboys running back Tony Pollard in the eyes of one expert. In fact ... Former NFL scout Bryan Broaddus believes Blue projects as a better player than Pollard. 'Better player, I think. Better player,' Broaddus said on the G-Bag Nation show on 105.3 The Fan. Blue adds immediate value as a third-down back, and new offensive coordinator Klayton Adams should design plays and packages that will allow Blue to utilize his blazing speed in space. Blue ran a 4.38 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine and it figures that he will thrive as the change-of-pace back in Dallas. Advertisement But what about more? Could Blue eventually take on a full workload and become the full-time starter? Sure, but sharing reps early in the season with the likes of veteran newcomers Miles Sanders and Javonte Williams would give Blue time to acquaint to the NFL game. As someone who struggled with ball security and injuries during his time at Texas, let's not put too much on the plate of a potential home run talent like Blue too early. Maybe it's not far-fetched to suggest Blue will be a better player than Pollard but it cannot be ignored that Blue is 5-9, 196 pounds while Pollard - who cashed in with the Cowboys and moved to Tennessee via free agency - stands 6-0, 215 pounds. Advertisement Time will tell if Blue can be a true workhorse at that size and if he develops to be a Pro Bowl level talent; let's get him on the roster first. Related: Cowboys George Pickens Vows To 'Grow Up' After Blockbuster Trade Related: Cowboys Build Perfect 'Thunder and Lightning' Backfield With Blue and Mafah
