Blogging The Boys
Is it all slowly coming together for this Dallas rookie class? If the Washington game is anything to go by then it was a slam dunk by the Cowboys rookies as they really played above expectation. Let’s dive into it and see how each rookies performed in the huge Week 7 victory.
(Game stats- Snaps: 67, Pass Blocks: 38, Pressures: 2, Sacks: 0, Penalties: 1)
Dallas’ offense roared to life again against the Commanders because the interior never panicked. With Tyler Booker back at right guard, the Cowboys kept the pocket clean and the run game on schedule. The proof is in the stats here with just one sack allowed on 30 pass attempts. When they needed a yard, Booker helped deliver the power when Washington tried to heat things up.
Washington’s Daron Payne got his hands on some throws, but he didn’t wreck the pocket from Booker’s gap at right guard. Bookers inside hand stayed firm, the base stayed wide, and the bull rushes and twists turned flat for Washington. That steadiness is why Dallas was so eager to get him back on starting line. It was a solid return for Booker and he made statement in this game as to why he was deserving of the first-round draft pick, and take over the Zack Martin position.
(Game stats- Snaps: 37, Total Tackles: 4, Pressures: 3, Sacks: 1, TFL: 2)
From the first third down of the game, Donovan Ezeiruaku looked like a rookie who’s figured out how to pair burst with technique. He varied his get-off, and the result wasn’t just almost pressure, it was real, drive-shaping heat. He hurried throws on a couple of clean wins that flushed Jayden Daniels off his spot, and used textbook lane integrity that kept the quarterback bottled instead of bailing into explosives.
On one third-and-medium, he walked the tackle back with speed-to-power, forcing a checkdown short of the sticks. Later, a twist with the 3-tech cracked open the B-gap and got him square to the backfield to force a throwaway. You could feel his first sack coming all night, in fact, it’s been coming for a couple of weeks.
The payoff finally landed in the fourth quarter. Ezeiruaku aligned wide, sold pure speed, then stabbed with his inside hand to freeze the tackle. The tackle overplayed the arc, he snapped back underneath with a rip, and the pocket collapsed inward like a folding chair. It was no fluke what he was doing, just a clean, square finish through the ribs for his first NFL sack. Expect more to come now he has the taste for it.
(Game stats- Snaps: 15, Rush Attempts: 7, Rush Yards: 29, Avg: 4.1)
On a night the script didn’t hand Blue many chances, he made his carries look like auditions for a bigger role. He pressed the front side with patience, put his foot in the ground, and got north/south like a guy who...
