Current rookies, Tetairoa McMillan, Jimmy Horn Jr., and Mitchell Evans, stepped up in the win against the Dolphins. To do so again this weekend will mean facing off against former first-round corners. The Panthers highlighted the challenge of Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland this week.
But Kaiir Elam—who primarily plays when the Cowboys are in nickel— did not allow a single reception across 27 coverage snaps and four targets faced in coverage during the Cowboys' Week 5 win over the Jets. Elam was matched up with Garrett Wilson just three times, but was targeted on two of those matchups.
"Obviously good corners," said McMillan of the Cowboys unit. "Good ball skills, you know, very experienced and sound corners, and obviously rangy. So just being able to come back to the ball, just being able to be quarterback friendly, and you know, it's either I get it or no one gets it."
In theory, Young might have an easier time getting the ball out to his receivers, following the trade this offseason that sent Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers. But when Canales looks at this Cowboys defense, he sees a group that can still get after the quarterback.
"The structure is similar," explained Canales. "It's a four down starting point, a 4-3 defense, and with a couple of different players that they've added to their team, some veteran players—and then, of course, Kenny Clark, Dante Fowler—and it's a group that's just figuring out how to play together.
"It's very similar to the combination of guys that we've had come in and play as well, so I understand the challenge to get a group to play really good football together, but this is a group that has a lot of good faces and a lot of good names over there, and so I expect their best, and we always do every week, every Sunday we're playing against pros. We prepared that way and we're expecting their best."