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Pulling rank on Cowboys' defense
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- With or without DeMarco Murray, the Dallas Cowboys figure to have one of the better offenses in the NFL in 2015.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports put together his top-100 players of the NFL last week and the Cowboys had six representatives -- all on offense. And that shouldn’t be surprising. Last year, they had eight Pro Bowlers from the offensive side of the ball: Murray, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Tyron Smith. The lone non-offensive player was long snapper L.P. Ladouceur.
In Prisco’s ratings, Bryant was the highest, checking in at No. 11 overall. Not that he needs any help in his contract talks, but Prisco has Bryant as the highest rated wide receiver.
The rest of the Cowboys checked in like this: Romo at No. 38 (No. 7 quarterback), Smith at No. 46 (No. 3 tackle), Martin at No. 61 (No. 3 guard), Frederick at No. 71 (No. 1 center) and Witten at No. 82 (No. 4 tight end)
If you want to treat these rankings as gold -- and I’m a Prisco fan -- then you can see why the Cowboys should still have a top-ranked offense in 2015.
If not for injuries, Sean Lee would be a viable candidate to make some top-100 lists. Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports
But what about the defense.
The Cowboys don’t have a player in the top 100 and I don’t think you can make an argument for a player to be in the list.
But what about next year?
Greg Hardy, Sean Lee, Orlando Scandrick and Tyrone Crawford could garner consideration based on how they fare in 2015.
Hardy’s inclusion is likely tied to how many games he will play in 2015 once a ruling is made on the appeal of his 10-game suspension. If he misses six to eight games instead of 10 and becomes a central figure in the Cowboys’ pass rush, then he should move onto the list. It would also help him gain a big contract as a free agent after this year. Remember, the Cowboys cannot put the franchise tag on Hardy in 2016 to retain his rights.
If not for injuries, I’d bet Lee would be in Prisco’s top 100. Of course, he might be in a lot of top 100 lists if not for injuries. Moving to the weak-side linebacker position this year, Lee will have more of a chance to make plays. The defense revolves around the Will linebacker and the under-tackle.
So that puts Crawford in this list as well. The Cowboys believe they have a cornerstone piece in Crawford and teams might know how good he is, but he remains something of an unknown to many. He had three sacks and 29 quarterback pressures last year after learning how to play the position on the fly. If he can play a big role in the success of the Cowboys’ defense this year, he should gain more attention.
Scandrick’s value is in his flexibility. He can play outside and inside. His case for being on these lists has been hampered by a lack of interceptions. He had two last year, which was a career high. He would need to double that this year. There’s no reason to think he can’t get four picks, especially if the Cowboys play him at left cornerback this year. But where Scandrick really excels is in the slot and it’s difficult for slot corners to get a lot of picks because they aren’t facing the quarterback as much.
Todd Archer, ESPN Staff Writer
IRVING, Texas -- With or without DeMarco Murray, the Dallas Cowboys figure to have one of the better offenses in the NFL in 2015.
Pete Prisco of CBS Sports put together his top-100 players of the NFL last week and the Cowboys had six representatives -- all on offense. And that shouldn’t be surprising. Last year, they had eight Pro Bowlers from the offensive side of the ball: Murray, Tony Romo, Dez Bryant, Jason Witten, Travis Frederick, Zack Martin and Tyron Smith. The lone non-offensive player was long snapper L.P. Ladouceur.
In Prisco’s ratings, Bryant was the highest, checking in at No. 11 overall. Not that he needs any help in his contract talks, but Prisco has Bryant as the highest rated wide receiver.
The rest of the Cowboys checked in like this: Romo at No. 38 (No. 7 quarterback), Smith at No. 46 (No. 3 tackle), Martin at No. 61 (No. 3 guard), Frederick at No. 71 (No. 1 center) and Witten at No. 82 (No. 4 tight end)
If you want to treat these rankings as gold -- and I’m a Prisco fan -- then you can see why the Cowboys should still have a top-ranked offense in 2015.
If not for injuries, Sean Lee would be a viable candidate to make some top-100 lists. Matthew Emmons/USA TODAY Sports
But what about the defense.
The Cowboys don’t have a player in the top 100 and I don’t think you can make an argument for a player to be in the list.
But what about next year?
Greg Hardy, Sean Lee, Orlando Scandrick and Tyrone Crawford could garner consideration based on how they fare in 2015.
Hardy’s inclusion is likely tied to how many games he will play in 2015 once a ruling is made on the appeal of his 10-game suspension. If he misses six to eight games instead of 10 and becomes a central figure in the Cowboys’ pass rush, then he should move onto the list. It would also help him gain a big contract as a free agent after this year. Remember, the Cowboys cannot put the franchise tag on Hardy in 2016 to retain his rights.
If not for injuries, I’d bet Lee would be in Prisco’s top 100. Of course, he might be in a lot of top 100 lists if not for injuries. Moving to the weak-side linebacker position this year, Lee will have more of a chance to make plays. The defense revolves around the Will linebacker and the under-tackle.
So that puts Crawford in this list as well. The Cowboys believe they have a cornerstone piece in Crawford and teams might know how good he is, but he remains something of an unknown to many. He had three sacks and 29 quarterback pressures last year after learning how to play the position on the fly. If he can play a big role in the success of the Cowboys’ defense this year, he should gain more attention.
Scandrick’s value is in his flexibility. He can play outside and inside. His case for being on these lists has been hampered by a lack of interceptions. He had two last year, which was a career high. He would need to double that this year. There’s no reason to think he can’t get four picks, especially if the Cowboys play him at left cornerback this year. But where Scandrick really excels is in the slot and it’s difficult for slot corners to get a lot of picks because they aren’t facing the quarterback as much.
