Dallas Cowboys stock report: Jourdan Lewis, DaRon Bland lead the way

On By Littum

As Sunday night’s Dallas Cowboys game drew to a close, NBC’s Cris Collinsworth had a good point. The former wide receiver noted that what he saw from Dallas might have been the best plays ever played by a secondary. His words, not mine.

It was a remarkable performance from the group, and that it didn’t have Trevon Diggs as a part of it makes it harder to believe. Serious credit goes to Al Harris as usual, but also to Mike Zimmer for how they had this group ready to play.

While the secondary may have stolen the show, the reality of Sunday night’s win is that there were a number of people who were significantly involved. This is our stock report after the win, and it’s full of nothing but green arrows because we just saw one of the finer Cowboys games this season as a whole.

Let’s begin.

Stock Up: Jourdan Lewis

We’ve been praising Jourdan Lewis all season, and Sunday night he proved exactly why. Players like Jourdan feel like once-in-a-era type cowboys who find a way to scrape, scratch, fight, whatever you want to call it, and make an impact during a tenure that we can’t believe lasted as long as it did. He is number eight this year and gives his absolute all in a game where the Cowboys were just eliminated from the playoffs.

I mean this in the most complimentary way possible, Lewis has always reminded me of Orlando Scandrick in this sense. He will not disappear, whether it is from the team in general or in relation to the player he is guarding. He was the “second” cornerback taken in his draft class. He is one of a kind. What a player.

Stock Up: DaRon Bland

The Cowboys played most of this season without DaRon Bland, and while we have yet to see a selection from him, we may have had one of the most incredible turnovers of all time that he was responsible for.

Just as it looked like everything was going to fall apart for Dallas, Bland called the game.

This moment was all DaRon Bland wanted it more than Rachaad White. That’s what we love about football at its core, isn’t it? We love that a player can make a decision and act on it and carry out their will in a way that beats someone else.

Stock Up: Donovan Wilson

At one point in the game, Cris Collinsworth also compared Donovan Wilson to Ronnie Lott. Yes, it really happened.

Sunday night, however, was something of a struggle for Wilson. Always an enforcer-type player for Dallas, he was unleashed again and again and again throughout the contest. It’s a bit of a hit or miss (no pun intended) skill, but on Sunday night it hit everywhere.

Stock Up: CeeDee Lamb

Think back to when the Cowboys were wiped out Baltimore Ravens. It was a tough scene all around, but the talk surrounding CeeDee Lamb wasn’t great among Cowboys fans. People questioned his body language and all that kind of stuff.

Now remember how Lamb has played over the last six weeks or so. Without his quarterback, with a shoulder ailment, on the heels of the team being mathematically eliminated from the playoffs, he gave it his all as if it all depended on it. Oh, and this all happens to be happening after the front office absurdly delayed his contractual negotiations so far that they bypassed all of Oxnard.

Stock Up: Jake Ferguson

It’s been a while since Ferguson had a moment to shine, but on Sunday night he showcased the elusive contact-seeking player we’ve come to know throughout his career to date. Expectations were high for Ferguson entering the year, and while those things didn’t fully materialize, he has exemplified the no-quit attitude that surrounds the team right now.

Stock Up: Marist Liufau

The Cowboys may have uncovered another defensive stud in the making. Marist Liufau is playing as good football as anyone on the team right now.

Liufau has an aggression and physicality that is simply unlike anyone else. He seeks chaos and is often successful in creating it. Dallas dominated Tampa so significantly in large part because of the effort he offered.

Stock Up: Jalen Tolbert

Several things can be true.

It may be true that the Cowboys need to learn some things and admit to them about the state of their roster so they don’t rely on players who are unlikely to make the jump to where the team needs them. At the same time, it may be true that someone like Jalen Tolbert can certainly contribute to the team’s success in his own way. It’s good to see him have his moments.

Stock Up: Nick Vigil

One of the more significant moments leading up to this game for the Dallas side was Eric Kendrick’s name appearing on the inactive list. His absence prompted Nick Vigil to step up and lift the occasion.

He did that and then some.

This is why football is so great (besides the DaRon Bland stuff at the top). The moment called for Nick Vigil to be big and Nick Vigil was great. How awesome is THAT?!

Stock Up: Chauncey Golston

The narrative has caught up with the idea that Osa Odighizuwa has played really well this season and is going to be paid handsomely in the offseason. But you know who else was taken in the third round 2021 NFL Draft of the Dallas Cowboys, that is also have a good year? Chauncey Golston!

Golston has been great all season and had a nice sack (thanks in part to Carl Lawson) on Sunday night that made things even sweeter.

Stock Up: Mike McCarthy

That’s totally fine if you want the Cowboys to move on from Mike McCarthy. There is logic, reason and data to support that case. But at least you have to tip your hat to the man after what we’ve seen from this team lately.

They were 3-7 after an absolute shellacking on Monday night football in the hands of a somewhat fraudulent team i Houston Texas and McCarthy could have very easily wrapped it up and accepted that the season was effectively doomed from the start. Heck, he could have waved the white flag after the very start that set them up so badly in the offseason.

They have won four of their last five games and are one rating away from winning all five. It’s okay to say they’ve been doing a good job lately.