Dallas Cowboys News: Mike McCarthy says Dalvin Cook is “impressive”

'Phenomenal feet': Practice squad player Dalvin Cook gets compliment from Dallas Cowboys coach – Aaron Kasinitz, LoneStarLive.com

Given the RB capacity in Dallas, a running back by committee won't be a problem.

On several occasions during recent practices, Dallas Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy has turned his attention to four-time Pro Bowl running back Dalvin Cook.

Cook remains on the Cowboys' practice squad after signing with the team in late August and was not activated to play in Sunday's season-opening win over the Browns. But the 29-year-old earned compliments from his coach on Wednesday.

“I'm glad he's here,” McCarthy said of Cook during a midweek press conference. “Impressive. Phenomenal feet. I've had the opportunity to watch him a lot. He looks really good. He fits the room really well.”

It's unclear if Cook will be included in the roster for Sunday's Week 2 game against the New Orleans Saints. After the ball carrier spent the offseason working out on his own, McCarthy still believes he – and other free agents signed in August – will benefit from more training with the team.

“When you look at his time frame and how long he's been here, I think the most important thing is that we can hopefully get a full week of work in this week and next week,” McCarthy said. “That's only going to help the guys that came in late.”

The Cowboys can sign a practice squad player like Cook for three games before having to sign him to the full roster or place him on the waivers list.

“Dalvin looks great. He fits in,” McCarthy said. “I'm excited about him.”

Mailbag: How did Mazi impress Cleveland? – Nick Eatman, Mickey Spagnola, DallasCowboys.com

Some Cowboys writers weigh in on Mazi Smith's impact in Week 1.

What did you think of Mazi Smith in the game against the Shades of brown? I haven't heard his name often, but I know that doesn't always tell the whole story when it comes to defensive tackles. – Les Hoffman/Pell City, AL

Nick Eatman: While Aaron Donald was the exception to the rule, you really shouldn't hear much from the defensive tackles. I know some of them can be playmakers and disrupt the game, but for the most part, the Cowboys just need Mazi to hold his own up the middle and not get pushed back to create running lanes. Anything beyond that is a bonus. The name you heard was Eric Kendricks, and often the DTs like Mazi and Jordan Phillips and Osa Odighizuwa would take over blocks, freeing up the linebacker to make plays — and they did. That's the real job of Mazi Smith and the defensive tackles. They stopped the run and created space for the edge rushers and linebackers to get to the ball.

Mickey Spagnola: After digging through Mazi's play in the season opener, I discovered the following. First, in that game with the Browns, he only played 23 snaps in as many nickel formations and threw the ball 45 times. He's not a great pass rusher yet, but he did a good job of pushing the pocket. And while he didn't make any tackles in his role as nose tackle, he held his position well, took double coverage, leaving the linebackers free to make plays, and plugged gaps against the run. So far, so good.

The Dallas Cowboys proved the doubters wrong in Cleveland – Mario Herrera Jr., InsideTheStar.com

People in Cowboys Country were happy with Dallas' season opener.

Newbies

One of the biggest concerns heading into the Cleveland game was the fact that three Cowboys rookies were thrown in at the deep end as starters in Week 1 and a fourth was slated to be a key contributor to the defensive line rotation.

Tyler Guyton

In addition to the pressure of his first start at left tackle, Guyton had the added pressure of blocking the reigning NFL Defensive Player of the Year for the majority of the game. Myles Garrett is an absolute monster on the edge, and Guyton was able to hold his own with a little help from the occasional chip block from the running back.

At the end of the day, Garrett was credited with three pressures and a sack that resulted in a forced fumble. Whether it was a fumble or an incomplete pass is irrelevant. The point is that Garrett only touched Dak Prescott once in the entire game when Guyton was the primary blocker.

Cooper Beebe

Beebe, with his proud parents in attendance, allowed no pressure in pass coverage, an impressive stat considering he faced players like Dalvin Tomlinson and Shelby Harris for most of the game.

Dalvin Tomlinson managed to hit the ball in the middle of the line and sack Prescott with a helmet on his chest, but the film showed that Zack Martin was actually responsible for Tomlinson on this play.

As Beebe continues to grow in his new position, even more good things are ahead for him.

Our Offense vs. Their Defense: Dallas Cowboys – Luke Hubbard, CanalStreetChronicles.com

Dallas will be a huge improvement over the Saints' previous opponent.

Wow. I'll be honest, I expected that New Orleans Saints to win last weekend, but I don't think anyone predicted that. The offense looked fresh and the defense just as good, if not better.

But don't get too excited. The Saints have to go from a home game against one of the worst teams in the league to an away game against one of the best teams in the league this weekend. Dallas Cowboys also a smooth first week. They decimated the Shades of brown 33-17, but without the late touchdown it would have been 33-10.

Derek Carr had one of his best games as a Saint, completing 19 of his 23 pass attempts for 200 yards and three touchdowns. He didn't have to do much, especially when they had a big lead, but he made some incredible throws, like the touchdowns to Rashid Shaheed and Juwan Johnson.

On the other hand, the Cowboys defense did a really good job of keeping Deshaun Watson in check, but admittedly, he's just not that good anymore. Watson threw for 169 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions while completing just over half of his pass attempts. The Cowboys have two ball-hunters in Daron Bland and Trevon Diggs, so Carr will have to be careful with the football this weekend.

The Cowboys had a lot of fun attacking Watson. He was sacked six times for 32 yards and was credited with 40 (!) pressures. As you can imagine, Micah Parsons was the leader of the attack, finishing with 11 pressures, six hurries, four QB hits and a sack.

The Saints offensive line may have played well against Carolina, but Dallas is a whole new caliber. Their performance in Week 1 gave me a little more hope that they might be able to contain the Cowboys pass rush, but the truth is, I don't know if they can.

Here is Wednesday's injury report for the Cowboys and Saints.