For several years now the Dallas Cowboys DL has been a position of weakness. The lack of a viable pass rush has been the achilles heel of this organization and in both 2014 and 2016 were a major reason the Cowboys lost to the Packers in the postseason. In response Jerry Jones and co. have invested some heavy draft capital to find themselves a “war daddy” pass rusher to solve this issue.
In 2017, Demarcus Lawrence emerged as the “war daddy” the Jones’es were looking for after recording 14.5 sacks. That performance earned Lawrence the franchise tag and if he comes close to repeating it this season he should be in line for a lucrative long-term contract. That is great news for Cowboy fans because if D-Law can stay healthy he can be one of the better all around defensive ends in the entire league.
Even without Lawrence, the Cowboys have some serious talent at defensive end this year. Tyrone Crawford is often a target for critics due to his large contract and relatively low sack total but that is completely unfair. Crawford is a crucial part of this defense. He is a team captain, he is a stout run defender, and he can can play multiple positions on the Dallas Cowboys DL. In addition to that, Crawford also has a knack for making big plays at crucial times such as his blocked FG against the Redskins and his clutch sacks against the Eagles in 2016.
Last years 1st round pick Taco Charlton disappointed a lot of fans with his minimal contribution and limited playing time. He too faced some undue criticism considering he was the 28th pick overall and rookie defensive ends typically need time to develop. I am confident that Charlton will win over some if not most fans this season. He has been praised for showing improvements during training camp and has had an impressive pre-season through the first 2 games of 2018.
Another young defensive end that has looked impressive is 4th round pick out of Kansas Dorance Armstrong. Armstrong is a player that had a breakout season in college in 2016 but followed it up with a disappointing 2017. The Cowboys staff believe that his down year could be attributed to scheme change and not ability. There are some that believe he may turn out to be a draft day steal for the Cowboys.
Randy Gregory is a name that all Cowboy fans are familiar with. He was thought to be a total bust after he was dealt an indefinite suspension from the league over a year ago. Gregory is blessed with natural ability as a pass rusher but has dealt with numerous addiction and mental health issues that nearly derailed his NFL career. It seems that against all odds, Gregory has managed to turn his life around and was reinstated by the league for the upcoming season. On Saturday he was able to see the field for the first time in almost 2 years and showed some promise in his limited snap count against the Bengals. While Cowboy fans should temper their expectations it is hard not to get excited about the upside with such a talented player.
The Cowboys will have plenty of decisions to make at defensive end. The aforementioned players will compete with 2016 4th round pick Charles Tapper, free agent Kony Ealy and returning 2016 free agent Datone Jones. Tapper has always excited fans with his athleticism and elite speed but has not been able to stay healthy in his 3 years in Dallas. Ealy was a player that has been linked to the Cowboys for many years but has never lived up to his potential other than one memorable performance in Super Bowl 50. Jones is a solid pass rusher but may be on the roster bubble with the depth the Cowboys have at the position. The addition of Randy Gregory to the roster will ultimately lead to the decision to part ways with one of these guys. Hopefully Gregory stays on his current path and the Cowboys do not regret taking another chance on him.
The Dallas Cowboys certainly do have depth at defensive end, the same cannot be said at defensive tackle. This year the Cowboys would have finally selected a DT in the 1st round of the draft but both Vita Vea and Da’Ron Payne were drafted ahead of them. Despite missing out on those guys the Cowboys did not draft a single defensive tackle in a draft that was apparently loaded at the position. This may be a decision the Cowboys front office could regret.
David Irving only appeared in 8 games due to suspension and injury. In those 8 games he filled in at 3-technique and had an immediate impact recording an impressive 7 sacks! The Cowboys chose not to sign Irving to a long-term contract and that proved to be a wise decision. Irving will serve another 4 game suspension to start the season and is now taking time off to try to get his life in order. His recent comments defending the use of marijuana as a pain killer do not inspire confidence that his disciplinary issues will disappear anytime soon.
I am a huge fan of Maliek Collins and I still hold firm in my belief that he is the best 3-technique on the roster despite his move to nose tackle last season. Collins biggest issue is staying healthy. He has had 3 surgeries since 2016 to repair what appears to be a chronic issue with his foot. Collins had played through the injury in the past but it no doubt affected his performance. I was pegging Collins for a breakout year this year but will have to put that thought on hold until I hear more positive news about his foot.
The Dallas Cowboys DT depth beyond Collins and Irving is concerning. Brian Price and Richard Ash showed serviceability last season but Ash has been cut recently. Jihad Ward was acquired from Oakland via trade. Ward is a player the Cowboys scouts were high on coming out of the 2016 draft but he was a bust in Oakland. I am not optimistic that he will all of sudden light the world on fire in Dallas. Recently signed Caraun Reid is another guy that does not excite me having bounced around from team to team during his short NFL career. Daniel Ross and Lewis Neal are a couple of unproven commodities carrying over from last year but neither has shown anything extraordinary to date.
The Cowboys are desperate for someone to show up in camp or the pre-season and really blow them out of them water at defensive tackle. That man may be the new fan favorite Antwaun Woods. Woods has come out of nowhere and impressed during training camp and in his preseason debut against the 49ers. He has a short, stout frame and excels at using his leverage. Woods has shown the Cowboys coaching staff some aggressiveness in practice, especially in his battles with Travis Frederick. The Cowboys coaches love that type of physical play and if he can continue to impress them, Woods may earn a roster spot at 1-technique.
Overall the outlook for the Dallas Cowboys DL is uncertain. The depth and talent at defensive end is something to be excited about. My concern, is that the lack of depth and talent at defensive tackle will hold the entire unit back. In the battle of the trenches, it is the interior of the line that is the most crucial. Interior pressure allows the defensive ends to get to the QB and it is the first line of defense in the run game. If you can’t stop the run, you can’t force 3rd and long situations, and your defense can’t get off the field. Hopefully the Cowboys offense is so good this year that this weakness will not be exposed.
*Photo by Kieth Allison https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0/legalcode
All Data and Statistics obtained and verified from https://www.pro-football-reference.com/