Jerry Jones' Word Salad On Cowboys' Lackluster Pass-Rush Sounds Like a Major Cope

Jerry Jones is trying to find an explanation for why the Dallas Cowboys' pass-rush has been so bad over three games.

Dallas Cowboys owner Jerry Jones on the field before a game against the New York Giants at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brad Penner-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

One area the Dallas Cowboys were hoping to improve with all of their moves in 2026 was the pass-rush.

Dallas' 2025 pass-rush struggled badly, with the team posting just 35 sacks, tied for the seventh-fewest in the NFL.

Well, things have been worse in 2026, with the Cowboys posting just two sacks in three games, the third-fewest in the NFL. That puts Dallas on pace to finish with even less sacks than it did in 2025.

Cowboys owner Jerry Jones touched on the subject during his latest interview on 105.3 The Fan on Friday and sounded like he's trying to cope with the fact that the resources the team dumped into the pass-rush, which included the trade for Rashan Gary, the draft selection of Malachi Lawrence and the signing of Von Miller, hasn't panned out at all.

“What you’re seeing is a pursuit of and a goal of having the closing part of the pass rush. Actually getting the sacks," he stated. "What you’re seeing is let’s do that and pursue that and at the same time check the run first … and earn the right to get a pass rush.

“What you’re seeing is a real effort to get that balance as close as we can with very competent players.”

I mean, OK.

The failure to finish

Football - NFL - Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - September 27, 2026 Dallas Cowboys' Von Miller poses for a photo with fans before the match REUTERS/Sergio Moraes | REUTERS

The Cowboys' attempt at finding that balance has failed miserably, as the Cowboys sport the second-worst run defense in the NFL.

The Cowboys have been getting decent pressure, with 43 over the first three games, according to Pro Football Focus, but Dallas just hasn't been able to get home. What's more frustrating is the fact that the Cowboys have only gotten a half of a sack from their EDGE group, with that coming from Donovan Ezeiruaku.

Meanwhile, Miller, Gary and Lawrence have combined for 13 pressures but no sacks. Gary in particular has not taken the quarterback down since Week 8 of last season.

This issue is even more glaring when you consider just how poorly the Cowboys have covered pass-catchers. That's not all the fault of the pass-rush, but the inability to sack the quarterback has no doubt played at least a sizeable role.

Football - NFL - Baltimore Ravens v Dallas Cowboys - Estadio Maracana, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - September 27, 2026 Dallas Cowboys' Rashan Gary looks dejected after the match REUTERS/Sergio Moraes | REUTERS

While Dallas will likely have to wait for an opportunity to add to the group, at least the team was able to acquire Joey Porter Jr. in a trade with the Pittsburgh Steelers on Wednesday night.

The Cowboys can only hope Porter's presence improves the coverage and aids the pass-rush with more time to get home. Porter might be able to do that as soon as this week, as it looks like he'll play against the Houston Texans.

If Porter doesn't make that kind of impact, it's might continue to be nothing but pain for the Cowboys' pass defense, which has been woefully disappointing.

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