The Biggest Early Season Story Lines for the Dallas Cowboys

It's only Week 3 and there is panic amongst the Cowboys collective: Dallas was dominated by the Seahawks in a 27-7 blowout.

They sit at 1-1 for the season and will have one week to lick their wounds before taking on the Buccaneers.

But before we take off down that rocky road, there are a few story lines that have developed since Sunday, believe it or not.

Here are the biggest story lines in Dallas heading into Week 3.

Will the Cowboys Cut Felix Jones?

This question emerged in the offseason after Jones failed his conditioning test when camp first started.

Now he starts the season with no impact on the Cowboys offense and handed the Seahawks a freebie on Sunday by fumbling away the opening kickoff.

Jones is in the last year of his contract and is trying to prove that he belongs in Dallas. Right now, the challenge is just to hang onto his job.

I do not think that the Cowboys will cut Jones, but we may not see as much of him as we have in the first two games.

Jason Witten

I'm really interested to see the trek that Jason Witten's season will go through.

He injured his spleen against the Raiders in preseason and dropped three passes on Sunday against the Seahawks.

Before that, it was expected that Witten would miss some time due to the injured spleen, but he actually started in the season-opening game against the Giants.

What's next for the 10-year pro?

Where Is Dez Bryant?

I was all set for Bryant to have a breakout season. There is still time for him to have a major impact, but his year has started out slow.

Bryant hasn't scored a touchdown and only has seven catches for 102 yards.

Is he being taken away by the opposing defense or is Bryant just getting lost throughout the game? My hope is that it isn't the latter as Bryant has struggled within the Cowboys offense in the past.

He'll have his opportunity to redeem himself on Sunday against the Bucs, but the clock is ticking.

Let's just say that Dez goes through the season without making any noise. What happens to his status with the team?

He won't be cut, but it will be interesting to see what Garrett will do with him if he fails to provide any offensive spark. 

Bryant's progress is worth keeping an eye on.

Cowboys Receiving Unit

Kevin Ogletree returned back to earth this past weekend. He had a breakout game against the Giants, where he had 114 receiving yards and two touchdowns, but went back to being the Kevin of old against the Seahawks.

I won't blame him for having a bad game as the entire team failed to show up against Seattle. He caught one pass and was not targeted for the rest of the game.

Miles Austin is having an OK start to the season. He caught five balls for 63 yards and one touchdown on Sunday, but did nothing to light up the offense.

We talked about Bryant and Witten, but there has been no consistency.

Will that return against the Bucs?

The Cowboys' Schedule

Dallas' schedule has really come into play with their loss to the Seahawks.

Over the next five weeks, this is who the Cowboys will face: Bucs, Bears, Ravens and Panthers.

There is a really good chance that the team could be 1-4 heading into their Week 7 visit to Carolina.

If that happens, their chances of making the playoffs will dim. So will Jason Garrett's head coaching tenure in Dallas.

I'm not predicting a run of losses for Dallas, but keep an eye on their schedule. The Giants appear in Week 8, the red hot Atlanta Falcons pay a visit in Week 9 and then it's off to the Linc to play the Eagles in Week 10.