- Joined
- Apr 7, 2013
- Messages
- 120,353
The Cowboys don’t need their defense to be the ’85 Bears to be successful.
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory (94) takes a knee between drills during a minicamp practice at The Star on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, in Frisco.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
By John Owning
9:00 AM on Jun 14, 2021
The Dallas Cowboys offense and defense are almost polar opposites of each other.
As noted Friday, the offense is one of the best in the league and is filled with proven commodities at every position. The defense, on the other hand, is in the midst of a complete rebuild under new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. And, as you will see, the grades for each positional unit reflect that.
Given the likely dominance by Dallas’ offense, the team doesn’t need the defense to be the ’85 Bears to be successful, it just needs the defense to creep back toward average after a dreadful 2020 season.
Is that still too much to ask? Well, let’s grade each position group and find out:
Interior defensive line
Grade: D+
While the linebacker position received more public criticism for the defense’s woes last season, I believe Dallas’ interior defensive line played much, much worse. Arguably one of the worst position groups in the entire league, the Cowboys’ interior defensive line was totally overmatched against the run and pass.
To be fair, the Cowboys did make some moves toward improving this unit during the offseason, signing Brent Urban and Carlos Watkins while drafting Osa Odighizuwa and Quinton Bohanna.
While I’m not too bullish on Watkins, I do think Urban’s presence will help bolster Dallas’ sketchy interior run defense from a year ago. Drafting Osa Osighizuwa should prove to be wise as well, as I think he helps bolster the interior pass rush immediately and, as he develops, will become a starting-caliber contributor in the future. It was nice that the Cowboys finally drafted a big, 320-plus pound nose tackle to clog the interior run lanes, but Quinton Bohanna fell to the sixth round for a reason, and sixth-rounders don’t usually make big contributions their rookie year.
Even though the overall talent, on paper, is better this year than last, the Cowboys still don’t have a Pro Bowl talent on the interior defensive line. Second-year defensive tackle Neville Gallimore probably has the best shot to become that player after showing some serious (and very exciting) development down the stretch of last season, but it’s probably not going to happen this year.
While I do believe that the scheme change and offseason acquisitions have this unit headed in the right direction, it’s hard for me to give it a passing grade until I see it has sustained periods of, at least, moderate success.
It’s worth noting, however, that a “D+” level contribution from the interior defensive line in 2021 would be a notable improvement from the “F-” level play that Dallas was hamstrung with for long periods last year.
Edge defender
Grade: B+
Based on my appreciation for DeMarcus Lawrence’s impact and what I think Randy Gregory can become in Dan Quinn’s defense, I wanted to give Dallas’ edge defender group an “A.” However, the absence of a full-season sample of the two playing together made me drop them down to a “B+.”
Still, it’s easy to see that Dallas’ edge defender group is filled with promise behind its established star.
Lawrence is an elite edge talent who is equally dominant against the run and pass. Don’t let the middling sack numbers fool you, Lawrence is still an excellent pass rusher who has been forced to deal with steady streams of double teams and average pass coverage behind him. Additionally, Lawrence is simply one of the three best run defenders on the edge in the entire league.
This year, Gregory has the opportunity to establish himself as one of the NFL’s up-and-coming edge defenders. He was outstanding in a limited role last year, and it’s going to be interesting to see if he can sustain his effectiveness while playing starting-level snaps each week over a full season. I have high expectations and expect him to prove to be an upgrade over Aldon Smith’s contributions last year.
While Gregory and Lawrence can be a great duo, the Cowboys made sure to bolster the depth behind them as well this offseason, signing Tarell Basham and drafting Chauncey Golston.
Both have received positive reviews for their work during the media portion of OTAs and minicamp, but for 2021, Basham is especially intriguing, as I think he has a chance to be a very effective cog in Dallas’ edge defender rotation if he makes some small technical adjustments. Golston’s position versatility could earn him a role early too, as he proved to be an effective interior rusher at Iowa.
In addition, it’s important to not forget Dorance Armstrong and Bradlee Anae, either. Armstrong has proven to be a solid run defender in his NFL career, and Anae has the pass-rush skill to make a difference if given an opportunity.
Overall, I’m very bullish on Dallas’ edge defender group and believe it’s easily most talented unit on Dallas’ defense. If the Cowboys defense can’t right the ship in 2021, it won’t be because of the edge defenders.
Off-ball linebacker
Grade: B
Even though Dallas’ interior defensive line played worse, no positional unit on the Cowboys underperformed more than the linebacker group. Jaylon Smith had his worst season as a professional and Leighton Vander Esch didn’t play any better when healthy, which wasn’t often.
Still, new additions to the linebacker group and an improved interior defensive line have made me intrigued and kind of excited about what this linebacker group can contribute under Dan Quinn. The group possesses a ton of talent and excellent depth, as there are five linebackers who could make legitimate arguments for playing time this season.
Vander Esch and Smith are still on the team, and while we have all focused on their struggles in 2020, there’s a reason why many thought they were going to be among the best entering that season, as they have played at an elite level together before.
Am I confident we are going to see that again? No, but I also don’t think they will play as bad as they did last year, either.
The Cowboys also added Keanu Neal through free agency along with Micah Parsons and Jabril Cox through the draft. Neal provides great depth at the WILL (weakside) LB position and should factor in heavily when Dallas is in nickel (four DL, two LBs, five DBs) and other subpackages. Parsons, who is easily the most talented of the group, could factor in myriad areas, including starting MIKE (middle) LB, and should bring a playmaking element to the second level of Dallas’ defense thanks to his rare athleticism and size. Cox might be the best of the bunch in coverage, which could earn him a role in passing situations at some point during his rookie season.
While the stench of the 2020 season prevents me from giving a higher grade, the additions of Parsons, Neal and Cox in addition to Vander Esch and Smith creeping back toward the median give me confidence that this unit will be improved in 2021.
Cornerback
Grade: C-
Coming into the offseason, it appeared as though cornerback would be the position that saw the most change. However, after re-signing Jourdan Lewis during free agency, the only real difference between this year’s CB group and last year’s is that the team replaced Chidobe Awuzie with Kelvin Joseph, which is a short-term downgrade that will hopefully turn into a long-term upgrade.
Even with Joseph in tow, Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis (slot) project as the Cowboys’ starters at CB, which isn’t terrible but also doesn’t knock anyone’s socks off.
Diggs’ development should get expedited under a defensive coordinator and scheme that fits his skill set like a glove. His size, length and ball skills pair well with what he’ll be asked to do in Dan Quinn’s Cover 3-heavy scheme.
Brown is a veteran who can play inside or outside. He has size and speed but has just lacked week-to-week consistency over his career. If Joseph shows some development, don’t be surprised if he supplants Brown as one of the team’s starting outside CBs before the year is over.
Lewis is coming off a tough year from a coverage perspective. However, he continues to show development in other areas that enabled him to still contribute. Lewis is one of the best tacklers in Dallas’ secondary and he’s not afraid to stick his nose into the fray to make a play, which is a big reason why I’ve wondered aloud if Lewis’ best spot would actually be at safety instead of CB. Still, if he can return to his pre-2020 coverage form combined with his development against the run, then he can be an above-average slot corner for the Cowboys defense this year.
It’s also worth noting that the much-maligned third-round pick Nahshon Wright has received positive reviews every time the media has been allowed to watch practice this offseason. So there’s a chance he could vie for some playing time as well, especially if injuries start to pop up throughout the season.
Overall, the Cowboys are young and filled with promise at cornerback, but they’re not striking fear into any of the WR corps they face. Maybe one day this group will develop beyond a slightly below average grade, but I’ll have to see it first.
Safety
Grade: D+
The safety on the Cowboys roster with the most starting experience is coming off a torn Achilles (Damontae Kazee) and the safety with the second-most starting experience in Darian Thompson, who was benched for poor play last year and might not even make the 53-man roster this year, which should tell you all you need to know about where the team stands at the safety position.
I am bullish on Kazee’s potential impact on the Cowboys defense, as I think he can prove to be an upgrade over what Xavier Woods contributed to the free safety position in 2020. Kazee is smart, takes good angles and has great ball skills — all things that are important at the free safety position. However, there are always going to be durability concerns coming off a torn Achilles. There’s also the question as to how much the torn Achilles has sapped his notable athleticism. So while I’m optimistic about his potential contributions, it’s nowhere near an assured thing.
Newcomer Jayron Kearse is likely to compete with incumbent Donovan Wilson for the starting strong safety position next to Kazee.
Wilson really came on strong and was certainly one of Dallas’ most impressive defenders down the stretch of last season. It took him a couple weeks to get his feet wet, but once he got comfortable in his starting spot, he was impressive, especially for a second-year safety who was drafted in the sixth round. Wilson is a bit of an interesting case, as he has the size of a free safety (6-foot-1, 207 pounds) but playstyle of a much bigger strong safety. He thrives around the box, showing no fear in throwing his body around in the run game, whether it’s taking on blocks from blockers who outweigh him or meeting ball carriers in the running lane one-on-one. He just needs to get better keying and correctly diagnosing the opposing offense, which will improve with experience.
Kearse, on the other hand, is built like he was derived from a comic book, standing at 6-foot-4 and 217 pounds. Much like Wilson, Kearse thrives in and around the box, where his size enables him to play off blocks in the run game and stay attached to tight ends and running backs in the pass game. With Wilson dealing with a sore knee during offseason work, Kearse has been getting most of the strong safety run with the first-team defense, though it will be interesting to see if that holds during training camp. Kearse has yet to be a full-time starter in his career, as the 503 snaps he played in Detroit last year were the most of his career.
Behind them, Thompson, who was benched in favor of Wilson last year, just isn’t someone who can be trusted on the backend, and if he makes the team, it’s either because the young safeties didn’t develop or his special teams ability earned him the spot.
Rookie Israel Mukuamu and Tyler Coyle are very intriguing players who both could have future viability. Mukuamu probably has more viability on defense thanks to his size (6-foot-4 and 205) and coverage versatility while Coyle has the traits to be a special teams ace if he displays enough “want to.”
Look around the NFL and you’d be hard-pressed to find a safety group with as many question marks as the Cowboys have. The Cowboys constantly ignoring the safety position early in the draft has drained the talent level of the position as a whole, which is why the grade so low.
Dallas Cowboys defensive end Randy Gregory (94) takes a knee between drills during a minicamp practice at The Star on Tuesday, June 8, 2021, in Frisco.(Smiley N. Pool / Staff Photographer)
By John Owning
9:00 AM on Jun 14, 2021
The Dallas Cowboys offense and defense are almost polar opposites of each other.
As noted Friday, the offense is one of the best in the league and is filled with proven commodities at every position. The defense, on the other hand, is in the midst of a complete rebuild under new defensive coordinator Dan Quinn. And, as you will see, the grades for each positional unit reflect that.
Given the likely dominance by Dallas’ offense, the team doesn’t need the defense to be the ’85 Bears to be successful, it just needs the defense to creep back toward average after a dreadful 2020 season.
Is that still too much to ask? Well, let’s grade each position group and find out:
Interior defensive line
Grade: D+
While the linebacker position received more public criticism for the defense’s woes last season, I believe Dallas’ interior defensive line played much, much worse. Arguably one of the worst position groups in the entire league, the Cowboys’ interior defensive line was totally overmatched against the run and pass.
To be fair, the Cowboys did make some moves toward improving this unit during the offseason, signing Brent Urban and Carlos Watkins while drafting Osa Odighizuwa and Quinton Bohanna.
While I’m not too bullish on Watkins, I do think Urban’s presence will help bolster Dallas’ sketchy interior run defense from a year ago. Drafting Osa Osighizuwa should prove to be wise as well, as I think he helps bolster the interior pass rush immediately and, as he develops, will become a starting-caliber contributor in the future. It was nice that the Cowboys finally drafted a big, 320-plus pound nose tackle to clog the interior run lanes, but Quinton Bohanna fell to the sixth round for a reason, and sixth-rounders don’t usually make big contributions their rookie year.
Even though the overall talent, on paper, is better this year than last, the Cowboys still don’t have a Pro Bowl talent on the interior defensive line. Second-year defensive tackle Neville Gallimore probably has the best shot to become that player after showing some serious (and very exciting) development down the stretch of last season, but it’s probably not going to happen this year.
While I do believe that the scheme change and offseason acquisitions have this unit headed in the right direction, it’s hard for me to give it a passing grade until I see it has sustained periods of, at least, moderate success.
It’s worth noting, however, that a “D+” level contribution from the interior defensive line in 2021 would be a notable improvement from the “F-” level play that Dallas was hamstrung with for long periods last year.
Edge defender
Grade: B+
Based on my appreciation for DeMarcus Lawrence’s impact and what I think Randy Gregory can become in Dan Quinn’s defense, I wanted to give Dallas’ edge defender group an “A.” However, the absence of a full-season sample of the two playing together made me drop them down to a “B+.”
Still, it’s easy to see that Dallas’ edge defender group is filled with promise behind its established star.
Lawrence is an elite edge talent who is equally dominant against the run and pass. Don’t let the middling sack numbers fool you, Lawrence is still an excellent pass rusher who has been forced to deal with steady streams of double teams and average pass coverage behind him. Additionally, Lawrence is simply one of the three best run defenders on the edge in the entire league.
This year, Gregory has the opportunity to establish himself as one of the NFL’s up-and-coming edge defenders. He was outstanding in a limited role last year, and it’s going to be interesting to see if he can sustain his effectiveness while playing starting-level snaps each week over a full season. I have high expectations and expect him to prove to be an upgrade over Aldon Smith’s contributions last year.
While Gregory and Lawrence can be a great duo, the Cowboys made sure to bolster the depth behind them as well this offseason, signing Tarell Basham and drafting Chauncey Golston.
Both have received positive reviews for their work during the media portion of OTAs and minicamp, but for 2021, Basham is especially intriguing, as I think he has a chance to be a very effective cog in Dallas’ edge defender rotation if he makes some small technical adjustments. Golston’s position versatility could earn him a role early too, as he proved to be an effective interior rusher at Iowa.
In addition, it’s important to not forget Dorance Armstrong and Bradlee Anae, either. Armstrong has proven to be a solid run defender in his NFL career, and Anae has the pass-rush skill to make a difference if given an opportunity.
Overall, I’m very bullish on Dallas’ edge defender group and believe it’s easily most talented unit on Dallas’ defense. If the Cowboys defense can’t right the ship in 2021, it won’t be because of the edge defenders.
Off-ball linebacker
Grade: B
Even though Dallas’ interior defensive line played worse, no positional unit on the Cowboys underperformed more than the linebacker group. Jaylon Smith had his worst season as a professional and Leighton Vander Esch didn’t play any better when healthy, which wasn’t often.
Still, new additions to the linebacker group and an improved interior defensive line have made me intrigued and kind of excited about what this linebacker group can contribute under Dan Quinn. The group possesses a ton of talent and excellent depth, as there are five linebackers who could make legitimate arguments for playing time this season.
Vander Esch and Smith are still on the team, and while we have all focused on their struggles in 2020, there’s a reason why many thought they were going to be among the best entering that season, as they have played at an elite level together before.
Am I confident we are going to see that again? No, but I also don’t think they will play as bad as they did last year, either.
The Cowboys also added Keanu Neal through free agency along with Micah Parsons and Jabril Cox through the draft. Neal provides great depth at the WILL (weakside) LB position and should factor in heavily when Dallas is in nickel (four DL, two LBs, five DBs) and other subpackages. Parsons, who is easily the most talented of the group, could factor in myriad areas, including starting MIKE (middle) LB, and should bring a playmaking element to the second level of Dallas’ defense thanks to his rare athleticism and size. Cox might be the best of the bunch in coverage, which could earn him a role in passing situations at some point during his rookie season.
While the stench of the 2020 season prevents me from giving a higher grade, the additions of Parsons, Neal and Cox in addition to Vander Esch and Smith creeping back toward the median give me confidence that this unit will be improved in 2021.
Cornerback
Grade: C-
Coming into the offseason, it appeared as though cornerback would be the position that saw the most change. However, after re-signing Jourdan Lewis during free agency, the only real difference between this year’s CB group and last year’s is that the team replaced Chidobe Awuzie with Kelvin Joseph, which is a short-term downgrade that will hopefully turn into a long-term upgrade.
Even with Joseph in tow, Trevon Diggs, Anthony Brown and Jourdan Lewis (slot) project as the Cowboys’ starters at CB, which isn’t terrible but also doesn’t knock anyone’s socks off.
Diggs’ development should get expedited under a defensive coordinator and scheme that fits his skill set like a glove. His size, length and ball skills pair well with what he’ll be asked to do in Dan Quinn’s Cover 3-heavy scheme.
Brown is a veteran who can play inside or outside. He has size and speed but has just lacked week-to-week consistency over his career. If Joseph shows some development, don’t be surprised if he supplants Brown as one of the team’s starting outside CBs before the year is over.
Lewis is coming off a tough year from a coverage perspective. However, he continues to show development in other areas that enabled him to still contribute. Lewis is one of the best tacklers in Dallas’ secondary and he’s not afraid to stick his nose into the fray to make a play, which is a big reason why I’ve wondered aloud if Lewis’ best spot would actually be at safety instead of CB. Still, if he can return to his pre-2020 coverage form combined with his development against the run, then he can be an above-average slot corner for the Cowboys defense this year.
It’s also worth noting that the much-maligned third-round pick Nahshon Wright has received positive reviews every time the media has been allowed to watch practice this offseason. So there’s a chance he could vie for some playing time as well, especially if injuries start to pop up throughout the season.
Overall, the Cowboys are young and filled with promise at cornerback, but they’re not striking fear into any of the WR corps they face. Maybe one day this group will develop beyond a slightly below average grade, but I’ll have to see it first.
Safety
Grade: D+
The safety on the Cowboys roster with the most starting experience is coming off a torn Achilles (Damontae Kazee) and the safety with the second-most starting experience in Darian Thompson, who was benched for poor play last year and might not even make the 53-man roster this year, which should tell you all you need to know about where the team stands at the safety position.
I am bullish on Kazee’s potential impact on the Cowboys defense, as I think he can prove to be an upgrade over what Xavier Woods contributed to the free safety position in 2020. Kazee is smart, takes good angles and has great ball skills — all things that are important at the free safety position. However, there are always going to be durability concerns coming off a torn Achilles. There’s also the question as to how much the torn Achilles has sapped his notable athleticism. So while I’m optimistic about his potential contributions, it’s nowhere near an assured thing.
Newcomer Jayron Kearse is likely to compete with incumbent Donovan Wilson for the starting strong safety position next to Kazee.
Wilson really came on strong and was certainly one of Dallas’ most impressive defenders down the stretch of last season. It took him a couple weeks to get his feet wet, but once he got comfortable in his starting spot, he was impressive, especially for a second-year safety who was drafted in the sixth round. Wilson is a bit of an interesting case, as he has the size of a free safety (6-foot-1, 207 pounds) but playstyle of a much bigger strong safety. He thrives around the box, showing no fear in throwing his body around in the run game, whether it’s taking on blocks from blockers who outweigh him or meeting ball carriers in the running lane one-on-one. He just needs to get better keying and correctly diagnosing the opposing offense, which will improve with experience.
Kearse, on the other hand, is built like he was derived from a comic book, standing at 6-foot-4 and 217 pounds. Much like Wilson, Kearse thrives in and around the box, where his size enables him to play off blocks in the run game and stay attached to tight ends and running backs in the pass game. With Wilson dealing with a sore knee during offseason work, Kearse has been getting most of the strong safety run with the first-team defense, though it will be interesting to see if that holds during training camp. Kearse has yet to be a full-time starter in his career, as the 503 snaps he played in Detroit last year were the most of his career.
Behind them, Thompson, who was benched in favor of Wilson last year, just isn’t someone who can be trusted on the backend, and if he makes the team, it’s either because the young safeties didn’t develop or his special teams ability earned him the spot.
Rookie Israel Mukuamu and Tyler Coyle are very intriguing players who both could have future viability. Mukuamu probably has more viability on defense thanks to his size (6-foot-4 and 205) and coverage versatility while Coyle has the traits to be a special teams ace if he displays enough “want to.”
Look around the NFL and you’d be hard-pressed to find a safety group with as many question marks as the Cowboys have. The Cowboys constantly ignoring the safety position early in the draft has drained the talent level of the position as a whole, which is why the grade so low.