FRISCO, Texas -- Not much has gone to plan for the 3-7 Dallas Cowboys, who are off to their worst 10-game start since 2020 when they also started 3-7.
They are in the midst of a five-game losing streak, their longest losing streak since the 2015 season. That's the year prior to Dallas drafting running back Ezekiel Elliott and quarterback Dak Prescott. One of the biggest things that has gone wrong for the Cowboys has been their defensive line depth, particularly at their edge rusher position. The team let both Dorance Armstrong (three years, $33 million) and Dante Fowler Jr. (one year, $3.25 million) walk in free agency, and both followed former defensive coordinator Dan Quinn to the Washington Commanders where he was hired as the head coach. The Cowboys' thought was that 2022 second-round pick Sam Williams and 2024 second-round pick Marshawn Kneeland would fill their shoes behind four-time Pro Bowler DeMarcus Lawrence and three-time All-Pro Micah Parsons.
Williams ended up tearing his ACL in training camp, and Kneeland returned to the Cowboys walkthrough Wednesday as a limited participant after missing Dallas' past five games with meniscus injury in his knee. Lawrence remains on injured reserve with a foot injury he suffered in Week 4 at the New York Giants are part of why the Cowboys' scoring defense went from being the fifth-best in 2023 (18.5 points per game allowed) to the second-worst in 2024 (29.3 points per game allowed). McCarthy hopes for the best for his former players -- except for when he faces them in Week 12 on Sunday and in Week 18. Fowler's eight-and-a-half sacks this season rank as the fourth-most in the NFL this season, and he is on pace to eclipse his career-high sack total of 11.5 set five years ago with the Los Angeles Rams.
"Those guys went with an opportunity that they felt they needed to do," McCarthy said of Armstrong and Fowler on Wednesday. "Everybody's situation is different. I'm proud of those guys. They're playing very well. Dante's off the charts. DA is so damn consistent in the way he's played. The video I've seen of him, I've been very impressed. That's how this game works. The financial component, it changes your team every year. That's why this is always such a challenge. It changes the dynamic. I'm happy that they got a great opportunity, and I hope they play like shit Sunday."