The Dallas Cowboys defensive line was a major area of need heading into free agency and they addressed that by signing two former Panthers defensive tackles Gerald McCoy and Dontari Poe. Both players are a little long in the tooth and both came relatively cheap but they should be an upgrade at a position that has long been neglected by the front office. What is most encouraging about these two additions, is that it is a departure from a tired philosophy that was a staple of the previous Dallas Cowboys regime.
Ever since Rod Marinelli was hired as a defensive coach, the Dallas Cowboys refused to invest draft capital or free agent dollars at the defensive tackle position. More specifically, at the One Technique or Nose Tackle spot. Rod Marinelli preferred defensive tackles that were quick and could penetrate with speed above big bodied guys that could push the pocket and occupy blockers. It was just one of many stubborn tendencies that the previous regime would cling to when evaluating talent and thus would often overlook talented players in the process. Year after year through the draft, free agency, or trade other teams would add quality players to beef up their defensive line while the Dallas Cowboys would either wait for the perfect prototypical three technique that Marinelli coveted or they would fill these spots with cheap free agents or late round draft picks. The end result was that the Dallas Cowboys couldn’t generate a consistent pass rush and were susceptible against the run. During their playoff losses in 2014, 2016, and 2018 it was the lack of pass rush and/or vulnerability against the run that sealed their fate against the Packers twice and the Rams respectively. Still every single year that followed, the Dallas Cowboys would refuse to change their approach and invest in the defensive tackle position.
The new regime under Mike McCarthy promised to depart from these stubborn ways. The new head coach and his new defensive coordinator Mike Nolan preached of adding talented players and scheming around them as opposed to creating a scheme and finding players to fit accordingly. Still, it was unclear to fans if this would impact roster decisions because the valuation of certain positions may have been a front office issue rather than coaching. After all, since the days of the undersized Nose Tackle Jay Ratliff from the Wade Philips era, the Cowboys have not invested in big men on the defensive line. Furthermore, Mike McCarthy had never been given much say in making roster decisions in Green Bay so it was still unclear how he would impact these decisions. The acquisition of Gerald McCoy and specifically the 350 lb Dontari Poe have now given Dallas Cowboy fans some clarity and a it is evident that their in fact is a refreshing change in philosophy from years past. I am among a strong contingent of Dallas Cowboys who have been clamoring to add some beef to the defensive line for years and signing McCoy and Poe is a giant step in the right direction. Now when it comes time for the NFL Draft, we can no longer write off a talented big man like Derrick Brown if he slides within range of the Dallas Cowboys 17th overall pick. If the Dallas Cowboys accomplish nothing else of significance this offseason, it is at least an encouraging sign for the future of the Dallas Cowboys and the Mike McCarthy era
*Photo by Joe Glorioso https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nd/2.0/legalcode.