Cowboys Corner: Dak or Lamar? The biggest defensive concern? Time to add a running back?

The Dallas Cowboys looked so good on Opening Day, so tough in most phases, that it was easy to start feeling optimistic. The NFC looked pretty wide open. They looked ready to advance.

But their crushing loss in their home opener to the New Orleans Saints put an end to that.

It wasn't just that they got beat 44-19. After all, the Cowboys have a history of losing big, humiliating losses just when they're starting to feel good about themselves. But this time was different. No one thought the Saints were a dangerous team — until they scored touchdowns on each of their first six possessions. They ran all over the Cowboys' defense.

It may be too early to worry, but there were certainly plenty of issues raised for discussion in Dallas, even as Jerry Jones — and everyone else in the organization — tried to preach calm.

But don’t panic (yet). On this Week 2 edition of Fox Sports’ Cowboys Corner, NFL writers David Helman and Ralph Vacchiano break down Dallas’ biggest problems and potential solutions, and take a look at their dangerous home game against the winless Baltimore Ravens on Sunday afternoon (4:25 p.m. ET on FOX):

1. Heading into Sunday's matchup in Dallas, which team is more worrisome with its Week 2 loss: the Cowboys or the Ravens?

Hem: I’ll say the Cowboys. It must be frustrating how the Ravens find ways to blow leads in the fourth quarter, but that can be fixed with better play calling and execution. It’s much harder to fix what we saw from Dallas’ run defense. Once again, we saw the Cowboys’ defensive tackles fumble the ball to the Saints, giving Alvin Kamara miles of open space to run before the linebackers could get to the play. Maybe Mike Zimmer can fix it to some degree, but this seems like a personnel issue that’s been going on since 2021. Remember the Arizona and Buffalo losses last year? They looked awfully similar. I’m guessing Derrick Henry is watching last week’s game film with a smile on his face.

Vacchiano: There's no question that the Cowboys' loss is the most concerning, by a lot. I mean, it's bad enough that they got blown out in their home opener, but to see their defense crumble the way it did? That defense was supposed to be their strong point. To see them give up so many big plays and be so completely incapable of stopping the run in just the second game under new defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer, how can you not be concerned? At least the Ravens came close to winning in Week 2. Their main concern isn't that loss, but that they're 0-2. But the Cowboys were humiliated by the Saints, and some of their old issues resurfaced. Stopping the run and running the ball were also issues last season. Did they not do enough in the offseason to fix that? Are they just not adjusting to Zimmer's scheme? It's all cause for concern, and we haven't even gotten to Dak Prescott and the offense yet.

2. Jake Ferguson He's expected to play against Baltimore after sitting out Week 2. Is he the most important individual X-factor in Dallas' offense?

Vacchiano: I'm not sure he is, but he certainly could be. Ferguson is one of the most underrated tight ends in the league, and he could be a major asset to the Cowboys' offense. He proved that last season when he was, at times, their best weapon on the field (not counting CeeDee Lamb). And that's what the Cowboys' offense desperately needs: a second option. Brandon Cooks isn't consistent enough. Jalen Brooks isn't reliable enough — yet. And the running backs… well, let's just say no defense cares about the duo of Ezekiel Elliott and Rico Dowdle. Ferguson has the skills. He'll be a valuable X-factor if the Cowboys let him go.

Hem: If we learned anything from the Dallas offense last week, it's that they lack power. CeeDee Lamb is an incredible player, obviously, and he gives you a chance to score points. But without Jake Ferguson on the field, the Cowboys' other options were slim. Brandin Cooks all but disappeared again. Jalen Brooks missed a key block in the red zone and slipped on his route on an eventual interception. The Cowboys' running backs failed to gain more than seven yards. It was tough. The real X-factor of this offense is Lamb, but the Cowboys desperately need Ferguson to lift the rest of this group behind Lamb.

3. Which quarterback would you pick to start a playoff game: Dak Prescott or Lamar Jackson?

Hem: This take is going to make me scream, because Lamar Jackson has a better overall body of work than Dak. But if we’re talking about the playoffs, Dak has been the substantially better quarterback to this point in their careers. Pick whatever numbers you want. Dak’s cumulative passer rating in all playoff starts is 91.8, compared to Lamar’s 75.6. Dak is completing 65% of his passes in the playoffs to Lamar’s 57%. Dak has 18 playoff touchdowns against seven playoff turnovers, compared to Lamar’s nine touchdowns and nine turnovers. Dak’s teams have also averaged 24 points per game in the playoffs, compared to Lamar’s 16. There’s plenty of time left in both of their careers, but Dak has been the better postseason player to this point.

Vacchiano: Is there a third option? I'm kidding. Probably. But look, we're talking about two of the best quarterbacks in the NFL. Both were MVP candidates late last season and one, obviously, won. But their playoff success has been… lacking. They're also different styles of quarterbacks running completely different offenses, which makes the comparison difficult. But if you force me to make a choice, I'd probably go with Prescott. Like Dave said, he's been the better postseason passer. But I also think he's the better overall passer. I know he's old school, but I value the way Prescott can sit in the pocket and pick apart a defense. He can create off-schedule if he has to, but he doesn't do it that often. That makes it easier for the receivers, the offensive line, the offensive coordinator. Jackson may have more big-play potential, but I'll go with consistency. Honestly, though, I'd pick either of these two over 25 other starting quarterbacks in this league.

4. Which position group deserves the most blame for the Cowboys' terrible defensive performance against the Saints, and do you hope it gets fixed?

Vacchiano: I have a few on my list, but I’ll probably start with the defensive tackles. The worst part is that the Cowboys knew this was going to be a problem. You could tell because they panicked near the end of the summer and quickly added Linval Joseph and Jordan Phillips. It was like they forgot this was a problem they needed to address all offseason. Obviously, they should have. Phillips didn’t show up on the stat sheet Sunday and is now on injured reserve. Joseph had two tackles. They got a decent game from Osa Odighizuwa. But remember Mazi Smith, the DT the Cowboys drafted in the first round last year? Big zero from him on Sunday. If their defensive tackles are so useless, it shouldn’t be surprising that their opponent runs for 190 yards. And it puts pressure on the rest of the defense, too, which could be seen in the amount of time Saints quarterback Derek Carr had in the pocket. I can find plenty of faults with the rest of the defensive backs, the linebackers and the secondary as well, but the root of the problem was in the middle of the defensive line.

Hem: I mentioned it before, but it's worth mentioning the defensive tackle issues once again. Jordan Phillips and Linval Joseph were late additions during training camp, so hopefully they can play and put in better performances as the season progresses. It would also be great to get more out of Mazi Smith (stop me if you've heard that before). I think Mike Zimmer can find ways to make improvements, because it can't get much worse. However, I'm not sure this problem will ever really go away.

5. Is there a particular running back you would target on the draft or via trade to help with their running game?

Hem: The options aren't all that exciting. At one point I would have said Miami's Jeff Wilson, but the Dolphins have major injury problems at running back and that seems unlikely. Houston's Joe Mixon also got hurt the other night, so I'm not sure the Texans want to trade Dameon Pierce. I'd be willing to send a late-round pick to New York for Israel Abanikanda, who is wasting away at the bottom of the Jets' depth chart. He may not revitalize the running game, but he has fresh legs and legitimate speed.

Vacchiano: There really aren’t that many options — none of them good, anyway. Whoever is on the waiver wire right now isn’t going to be much help, and teams aren’t going to be willing to part with their top two running backs, given how injury-prone that position tends to be. I mean, if you want a picture of what’s out there, consider that the Cowboys recently signed what’s left of Dalvin Cook. Maybe, just maybe, one running back to keep an eye on is Miles Sanders of the Carolina Panthers. He’s behind Chuba Hubbard on their depth chart, and the Panthers drafted Jonathan Brooks in the second round. He’ll be out for the first four games, and since he’s recovering from ACL surgery, there’s no guarantee he’ll be ready to return anytime soon. But if he’s close, maybe the Panthers would be willing to part with Sanders. He hasn't done anything since leaving the Eagles after the 2022 season (474 ​​yards on 3.3 yards per carry in 18 games at Carolina). But he has proven capable of playing behind a good offensive line. And the trade shouldn't be too costly, because the Panthers are an organization even Jerry Jones could rip off. At least he'd be a top-notch player. Just don't expect him to be a savior.

Ralph Vacchiano is an NFL reporter for FOX Sports. He spent the previous six years covering the Giants and Jets for SNY TV in New York, and before that, 16 years covering the Giants and NFL for the New York Daily News. Follow him on Twitter at @RalphVacchiano.

David Helman He covers the NFL for FOX Sports and hosts the NFL on FOX podcast. He previously spent nine seasons covering the Cowboys for the team's official website. In 2018, he won a regional Emmy for his role in producing “Dak Prescott: A family reunion” about the quarterback's time at Mississippi State. Follow him on Twitter at @davidhelman_.

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