Weekend News: Amari talks Lamb, helmet rankings, Diggs speaks out
Sometimes it’s best to remain quiet, while other times it’s best to speak out. Cowboys corner Trevon Diggs believed the latter was in order as Madden rankings were revealed and he feels his exclusion from the top-CB list had to do with a fake stat. Meanwhile former Dallas wideout Amari Cooper spoke out as well, but in support of his former teammate CeeDee Lamb. Coop spoke of Lamb’s readiness to take on the No. 1 WR mantle, and also threw a shot at his former OC.
Meanwhile the offensive line is in the headline again as Zack Martin gets top-10-across-the-league kudos and ESPN thinks the group is the team’s strong point heading into 2022. There’s nothing more footballish than looking down the line of scrimmage and seeing five OL helmets in unison, and for one game this year the Cowboys will don throwback skull protectors. How snazzy are they? Alternate helmet rankings are here. Dive into the weekend’s news and notes.
Cowboys CB Trevon Diggs challenges PFF over his 2021 season :: Cowboys Wire
Diggs thinks that PFF is fake news and this looks at why he’s probably right.
The best position group for all 32 NFL teams: Strongest units and top depth charts for 2022 :: ESPN
Link (paywall)
Offensive line
While the offensive line is not as strong as it has been with the defections of La’el Collins and Connor Williams, the Cowboys don’t have another position group with a 1-2 like Tyron Smith and Zack Martin.
First-round pick Tyler Smith should slot in nicely at left guard for the short term, Terence Steele was much-improved at right tackle last year while covering for Collins and Tyler Biadasz is still young with room to grow. Connor McGovern is solid interior depth and could functionally be the backup for all five positions with Smith stepping in at tackle if need be.
Released Cowboys OT La'el Collins missing start of Bengals training camp :: Cowboys Wire
Collins’ issues that led to his departure from Dallas centered around his unavailability based on his own doing, not injury. His first training camp with the Bengals seems to be off on similar footing.
What issues are the Cowboys facing as camp approaches? :: ESPN
Todd Archer talks Dak’s health, Schultz’ prove-it year and WR possibilities.
2021 Receiving Plus/Minus: Cooper Kupp Cleans Up :: Football Outsiders
No Cowboys’ receivers were at the top or bottom of the plus-minus rankings, but Dalton Schultz ranked second among tight ends. The stat looks at:
Receiving plus/minus is a stat we annually track to help provide context to catch rate. Given the location of a receiver’s targets, it compares his catch rate in each area to historical baselines. This stat does not consider passes listed as “Thrown Away,” “Tipped at Line,” “Miscommunication,” or “Quarterback Hit in Motion” by Sports Info Solutions charting. The odds of a pass being completed are based on the pass distance, the distance required for a first down, and whether the ball was thrown to the left, middle, or right side of the field. This is a counting stat, so more targets are obviously a great thing for the purposes of what we’re talking about here.
PFF: Cowboys RG Zack Martin ranks top-10 in NFL heading into 2022 :: Cowboys Wire
Martin joins Tyron Smith and Micah Parsons on the top-50 list.
Amari Cooper was just on the air with @dfwticket. Asked if CeeDee Lamb is ready to step into the Cowboys’ WR1 spot, I thought his answer was very interesting. For multiple reasons. pic.twitter.com/3vR0ZADfnn
— David Helman (@davidhelman_) July 22, 2022
Ex-Cowboys WR Amari Cooper to @dfwticket on CeeDee Lamb's readiness to be No. 1 WR: "CeeDee's been ready. [laughs] CeeDee's been ready. Again, it's just about opportunity. I think if Kellen (Moore) decides to feature him, he's definitely ready to step up. CeeDee is a playmaker."
— Michael Gehlken (@GehlkenNFL) July 22, 2022
Ranking new alternate helmets: Cowboys bring back classic look, Bengals' white tiger instant hit :: CBS Sports
Dallas ranks first in the throwback category.
