Cowboys News: Rebirth for Jaylon and Leighton? Is McCarthy’s seat already hot?

Cowboys fans who have already mentally ceded the team’s top two linebacker spots to Micah Parsons and Keanu Neal aren’t alone in their optimism for the newcomers. But don’t give up completely on Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch quite yet. There’s statistical evidence that says- based on their years- their best days may be yet to come.

And after a bad-luck debut season, head coach Mike McCarthy likely deserves a do-over. But since he won’t get one, it’s fair to ask if he’s already on the hot seat as he oversees a talented team with superstars in their prime. Lots of looking ahead to Tampa, with Dak Prescott ready to rock and roll, Tyron Smith ditching his neck roll, and a rookie defender hoping to get on a roll against the Bucs. There’s concern about La’el Collins’s status for opening night, Week 1 uniform news, details on a Cowboys watch party, and a top-dollar subplot to the Prescott-versus-Brady matchup. All that and more, in News and Notes.

What the statistical trends say about the futures of Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch :: Blogging The Boys

Link Jaylon Smith and Leighton Vander Esch were arguably the best linebacker duo in the NFL in 2018. Unfortunately, injuries and poor play have caused many to question the futures of both in Dallas, especially when the Cowboys drafted Micah Parsons and Jabril Cox back in April and turned down Vander Esch's fifth-year option. However, with Smith and Vander Esch being 26 and 25 respectively, a trend shows they could have a rebirth in 2021. -ML

Is the clock ticking on Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy? :: Dallas Morning News

Link Most Cowboys fans are willing to write off 2020 as a fluke, given the all-virtual offseason for the new coaching staff and the brutal early-season injury to Dak Prescott. This season "feels more like a beginning" for Mike McCarthy, writes Tim Cowlishaw, but "[r]ealistically, how much time does the coach have" to deliver the goods? Will he get longer than Chan Gailey's two-season experiment? Almost certainly. Will he get Jason Garrett's nine-plus-year grace period with no deep-postseason success to show for it? Almost certainly not. -TB

Cowboys tackle La'el Collins still not ready to practice, dealing with stinger :: Cowboys Wire

Link Offensive lineman La'el Collins is "in a holding pattern," according to head coach Mike McCarthy. The neck stinger that held him out of practice last week is now enough of a concern that the team has revealed a Plan B, in case he can't go versus the Buccaneers. Ty Nsekhe and Terence Steele could be seeing action much sooner than most fans would prefer. -TB

Can Osa Odighizuwa be the X-Factor Against the Buccaneers? :: Inside The Star

Link Rookie defensive tackle Osa Odighizuwa recently spoke about how Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Tom Brady wasn't that mobile and how the Cowboys pass rush has to get him off his spot. He did a good job in the preseason getting in to the backfield from the interior. With the season opener six days away, it'll be interesting to see if he can continue that momentum in his first regular-season game against a formidable offensive line in Tampa. -ML

Cowboys QB Dak Prescott animated about 'the perfect stage' in primetime opener :: Cowboys Wire

Link Dak Prescott's ankle injury happened so long ago that he's able to laugh about it now. "To be that far beyond it, I'm just excited to get back to football," Prescott said on Friday. Now he's ready for the primetime lights of the season opener, and says he's ready to pick up where he left off. "I plan to come out starting fast," Prescott told reporters. "I plan to come out better than I was last year, to be honest." -TB

Highest-paid NFL players 2021: Two star quarterbacks post records on and off the field :: Forbes

Link Thursday night's season opener will feature the two highest-paid players in the league. Dak Prescott tops the annual Forbes rankings with 2021 on-the-field earnings of $75 million (mostly his signing bonus) and another $12 million in endorsements, for a grand total of $87 million. Tom Brady comes in second with $72.5 million raked in this year. Of that, an incredible $45 million comes from endorsements and off-the-field partnership deals. -TB

Bucs' jersey choice means Cowboys will open Week 1 in blue :: David Helman (Twitter)

https://twitter.com/HelmanDC/status/1433850630888636418

The Cowboys' defense wants to be much better. How close can they come to that in 2021? :: The Athletic

Link Bob Sturm of The Athletic lays out how historically bad the Cowboys defense was in 2020, and how, if they can get to the middle of the pack in 2021, in combination with a top-tier offense, the team will see success. -ML

Cowboys' Tyron Smith feeling good, eyeing first full season since 2015 :: Cowboys Wire

Link The protective neck roll that's been a part of Tyron Smith's gameday uniform for years is suddenly gone. "It's been a while since I've felt this good," Smith said Thursday. "I finally took that off. The neck’s feeling normal now. You can throw that thing away. I don’t want memories of that thing." Now heading into his eleventh NFL season, Smith says his goal is to play in all 17 games on the regular schedule. -TB

Deep Blue: Jesse Holley's dreams became reality :: The Mothership

Link Former wide receiver Jesse Holley made the roster of the Dallas Cowboys in an unusual way, by winning the Michael Irvin-led show "4th and Long" in 2009. Now, as a part of the team's Deep Blue series, his story is told in "From Reality to Holleywood". -ML

McCarthy eager to 'be more genuine' leading up to Cowboys' opener with 'Hard Knocks' crew gone :: Cowboys Wire

Link Cowboys head coach Mike McCarthy has definitely noticed that the HBO camera crews have packed up and left. He guessed that he'll be able to be less guarded in his interactions around the team facility without the constant presence of the Hard Knocks personnel, and admitted that he was concerned about giving up some amount of competitive advantage by having the reality series embedded with the team for training camp. -TB

Dallas Cowboys hosting watch party for opener at AT&T Stadium’s new Miller Lite House :: Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Link Cowboys fans in the Metroplex can still get in on the excitement of Thursday's season opener in Tampa. The team is hosting a free watch party at the new Miller Lite House at AT&T Stadium for the Week 1 showdown. The all-ages party will feature video boards and 60-plus TV screens showing both the game and fantasy football stats. Field games, beer gardens, Cowboys alumni, and the Dallas Cowboys Cheerleaders will also be part of the evening's festivities. -TB

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