Here are some snap count observations from the Dallas Cowboys win over the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, and we will review this in more detail on film. But for now, here are some immediate takeaways. 

The Dallas Cowboys’ snap counts don’t tell the whole story, but a handful of them stood out against the Eagles. From a sixth offensive lineman to a new green dot on defense, Dallas made some choices worth tracking.

Broderick Jones was a run-game weapon

We saw the Cowboys turn to Broderick Jones as a sixth offensive lineman. He finished with nine snaps, and the Cowboys ran the football on every single one of them.

The results were hard to argue with. With six offensive linemen on the field, Dallas picked up 81 yards on nine attempts, good for a 67% success rate.

What I liked most was the variety. The Cowboys lined Jones up next to the right tackle, next to the left tackle, and sometimes with tight ends between him and the rest of the line. That forced Philadelphia’s defense to solve a difficult puzzle. Jones was often asked to block an inside linebacker, and that was a mismatch every time. It was a smart way to counter the Eagles’ five-man fronts.

To be fair, I’m not sure the Cowboys can keep spamming this. Defenses will adapt and be ready for it. Still, it’s nice to see Dallas has this ace up its sleeve to get the run game going, and it worked on Monday.

Ryan Flournoy outsnapped George Pickens

Ryan Flournoy played 78% of the offensive snaps. George Pickens played 60%.

That gap seems to come down to run blocking. The Cowboys clearly wanted Flournoy involved in the run game, and he even picked up a couple of snaps at fullback. One of them came on Javonte Williams’ 34-yard gain. Flournoy ran to the opposite side of the formation and took nickel defender Cooper DeJean with him, removing DeJean from the front side of the run.

I don’t think Pickens is in the doghouse. But Dallas likes Flournoy as a run blocker, and the team admittedly has questions about Pickens in that department.

Shemar James wore the green dot

On defense, Shemar James led the Cowboys with 58 snaps. According to Kristi Scales on the Cowboys’ pregame show, James wore the green dot in this one, while Dallas rotated DeMarvion Overshown and Jaishawn Barham.

I want to go back and review James’ film. For now, my read is that the Cowboys used him to reduce the workload for third-round rookie Barham, whose snap count dropped to 32%.

With Overshown back, we saw a lot less of Barham. The consensus was that he and Overshown would share the field often. Instead, it feels like Dallas wants Barham in a more specific role rather than at middle linebacker. Over the last couple of weeks, the rookie struggled in space and in coverage. He needs the game to slow down.

With someone else handling green dot duties, the Cowboys can play Barham more at outside linebacker. That was part of the plan all along, capitalizing on the edge rusher experience he gained in his final college season at Michigan.

Cobie Durant’s slot usage raises questions

Cobie Durant didn’t play much in his first game back, logging a 36% snap count. I’d assume the Cowboys were easing him back into the defense after he missed multiple games with a hamstring injury.

Here’s the thing about his usage, though: he played 16 snaps in the slot and seven at outside corner. So what is the plan once the secondary is fully healthy? Do the Cowboys want Durant to eat into Caleb Downs’ slot snaps?

It doesn’t seem that way yet. Downs had 36 snaps in the slot, seven at free safety, and 11 as a box safety. Maybe Dallas wants to move Downs around more, and I wonder how Durant fits into that. Hopefully he plays more next week. That would be good for the Cowboys.

The safety picture could change quickly

Alijah Clark played 61% of the defensive snaps, well ahead of Marquise Bell’s 24 snaps (36%). With Clark back, Dallas appears willing to figure out who the better backup safety is.

Hopefully that doesn’t matter for long. The Cowboys activated PJ Locke’s practice window last week, and they are expecting him back very soon. Jalen Thompson is also eligible to return from injured reserve as soon as next week, although his status is unclear.

Last but not least, Juanyeh Thomas played 76% of the special teams snaps and made multiple plays there. He’s become a featured player on Nick Sorensen’s unit. I don’t expect his roster spot to be temporary. When Locke and Thompson return, I expect Thomas to potentially steal a spot from Clark or Bell. We’ll see if it happens.