Dallas

Cowboys' Defense Prepares for Multiple Redskins Offensive Weapons

Washington Redskins quarterback Kirk Cousins had a breakout season in 2015 with over 4,000 yards passing and 34 total touchdowns.  But that success did not come against the Dallas Cowboys, as Cousins struggled in his first matchup with Dallas in the regular season, and played sparingly in the final game.

That didn’t stop Cowboys players from praising the Washington quarterback in preparation for the NFC East matchup Sunday at FedEx Field.

“Cousins had an unbelievable year last year,” Cowboys linebacker Sean Lee said.  “A smart guy, and when he’s rolling and he’s hot, he’s tough to stop.”

One of Cousins’ favorite targets is one of the top pass-catching tight ends in the NFL in four-year veteran Jordan Reed.  In the Redskins week one loss to the Steelers, Reed hauled in seven catches for 63 yards.  In 2015, Reed had 87 receptions, eleven of which went for touchdowns.

The Cowboys are expected to line up former first round draft pick Byron Jones on Reed.  The second-year safety out of Connecticut bulked up in the offseason and matched up often with Cowboys tight end Jason Witten in training camp, leaving the veteran impressed with his progress.

“I’ve enjoyed working with Byron,” Witten said.  “He’s a great competitor, wants to learn, extremely athletic, and that will be a great matchup for him.  I have a lot of confidence in Byron.”

Both the Cowboys and the Redskins enter Sunday’s matchup with an 0-1 record.  Dallas is trying to avoid its first 0-2 start since 2010.

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