Mailbag

I'm all for getting KaVontae Turpin more touches, but do you think those touches will take away from some of his return abilities? I'm a little concerned we might tire him out. 

This game against the Giants will be regular-season game No. 1,000 for the Cowboys. What moment or moments from the team's regular-season history would you most like to see repeated on Sunday afternoon? For me, I'd like to see Jaydon Blue's rendition of Tony Dorsett's 99-yard touchdown run.

I really thought we would see more production from George Pickens and Jake Ferguson during the opening game. CeeDee Lamb is a great player, but they seemed to go his way too often. Do you think that's because of scheme design, Dak Prescott's confidence in CeeDee, or was CeeDee the only open player? 

Including trades, free agents and rookies, which offseason additions do you think made the biggest impact at Philadelphia? Kenny Clark looks to be a very nice addition, and if the weather was better, I think George Pickens would have racked up at least 70 to 80 yards receiving. Who made the biggest impressions on you?

One positive from the Eagles game was the improvement in pre-snap penalties. The false starts on the offense and offsides on the defense did not occur during this game, which is a vast improvement from previous years. Did you notice anything in training camp they specifically worked on to reduce these penalties? 

Is the Super Bowl hangover a thing? Yes, Dallas opens at the NFL champions, but the Eagles played four more games than the Cowboys last season. Plus, it seemed like several Cowboys were injured last year as well, so players like Dak Prescott have spent even less time getting beaten on by another team. And you can also throw in there’s no film on Brian Schottenheimer and Matt Eberflus’ schemes. Given all that, do you think this gives Dallas a better chance in the season opener? 

Hey guys, I live right in the heart of Eagles country. Everyone here seems to think Jalen Hurts is a great quarterback, but I'm always defending Dak Prescott as the better QB. Hurts is more of a running back who happens to play quarterback. His passing skills are nowhere near Prescott's. Your thoughts? 

No single pass rusher on the Cowboys is seemingly going to provide the same production as Micah Parsons. But with that being said, do you think his production can be replaced in the aggregate by this current group of pass rushers?

I know people are hating this trade of Micah Parsons to the Packers, and I get it. However, I’m fine with it. You can’t pay everyone generational money and still field a full team. This is an offensive-driven league, and sometimes you need to take a step back in order to move forward. Your thoughts? 

Are there any under-the-radar players on the roster now who you see carving out a role for themselves? Not necessarily big numbers but someone who cements himself as a guy who needs to get on the field. 

Last year during OTAs, minicamp and training camp, the coaches kept praising how everyone was buying into coordinator Mike Zimmer's defensive philosophy. Based on the defense's performance early in the season and Zimmer himself admitting he should have done things differently, how does Matt Eberflus and his staff prevent a repeat of the slow start everyone suffered through last year? 

When the Cowboys make their cuts, what position-group castoffs do you see other teams grabbing and therefore Dallas won’t be able to bring them back to the practice squad? Example: The tight end group looks pretty deep, and we know they can't keep that many.

In your opinion, what are the biggest questions that need to be answered in the last preseason game? 

The fact that the Cowboys’ backups were blown out by the Rams and Ravens’ backups has me concerned that depth is a real problem for this team. And I’m not just talking about at quarterback. Your thoughts? 

Since the wide receiver room has good depth, would it make sense to look at trading someone like Jalen Tolbert for a defensive tackle or cornerback? Is there any other position group deep enough to use in a swap? 

When the quarterback is struggling, how difficult is it to evaluate the other players on offense in these preseason games? 

I’ve been reading that the Cowboys hold all the leverage in their negotiations with Micah Parsons, but what if he decides to not play? What does Dallas look like then without maybe the best defensive player in the NFL? Does that carry any leverage? Could this be Emmitt Smith all over again? 

The Rams rushed for more than 180 yards in the first preseason game and reportedly had no trouble running the ball in the earlier scrimmage when the starters played. We’ve been told we shouldn’t be too worried at this point, but we've been talking about this for what seems like years and here we are again. So yeah, I’m worried. Is there a fix for the run defense? 

I'm loving everything about Brian Schottenheimer, but I'm also a realist. It took Dan Campbell two years to truly implement his culture in Detroit and get the Lions to buy in. Is too much being asked of Schottenheimer in his first year? Or will the team be ready to compete now? 

Were you surprised Tyler Booker didn’t play in the first preseason game, the only healthy first-round pick in the NFL who didn’t? I get they want to protect their starters, but doesn’t he need experience before the games really matter?