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By Bob Sturm
Nov 9, 2022
Today is the second day of our mid-term evaluations of the 2022 Dallas Cowboys. On Tuesday, we graded 27 players on offense and their coordinator and today we get to the 26 defenders who have played at least five snaps from scrimmage. Here was the rationale from Part 1:
Of course, when we are in the normal week-to-week schedule of covering games, their results and the pivot points for each result, we probably don’t spend enough time on the rank and file. For the next few days, let’s make it our point to go right down the list and grade these players against any sort of offseason expectations. That will be somewhat complicated with subjective analysis, but it doesn’t mean we can’t give this a try.
We certainly are not used to this around here — a defense that looks like it might be as formidable as any defense in the sport. Six opponents have been held at 19 points or less and only the Philadelphia game could be termed as a disappointment on defense and even in that one, it came down to a single drive in the fourth quarter when the Cowboys needed just one play after they were put in bad spots most of the game.
This defense has won games on its own and has pulled the offense along at times. The defense has seldom been exposed, but rather has terrorized offensive lines not in top form. They have been the best pass-rush team in the league and it really isn’t close and that has started producing turnovers on a regular basis. The only issue is that Dallas has proven susceptible in run defense, but I also have believed for some time that this is one of the modern defenses that is “inviting the run” as an actual strategy. Also, as we covered last week, the Cowboys’ best weapon is stunting their defensive line which will occasionally get caught versus the best run.
Yes, there have been some new pieces this year — Anthony Barr, Dante Fowler, Johnathan Hankins, Sam Williams and DaRon Bland — but this is largely last year’s defense that has leveled up substantially due significantly to the play of Micah Parsons, who has produced a level of magnificent production that the loss of Randy Gregory has hardly been felt at all.
Let’s look at the 26 defenders who have played more than five defensive snaps in the first eight games:
Defensive line
Osa Odighizuwa, 308 snaps: Odighizuwa has really continued his solid play here in 2022 and has emerged as probably the best defensive tackle on the roster. He is a bit undersized so he is one reason why the Cowboys can be run upon a bit, but his motor is high and he is strong at helping to collapse pass pockets, making plays behind the line of scrimmage, and is the only one in this group who can be counted upon to generate splash plays (he’s fifth on this defense). He plays about 35 to 40 snaps per game at a very solid level. C+
Neville Gallimore, 181 snaps: There was a time in late 2020 and camp of 2021 when we were pretty sure Gallimore was going to be a monster. Unfortunately, since his big injury last year, he has not been the same player. He needs to demonstrate he can either stand his ground or occasionally get into the backfields and the former third-round pick has not distinguished himself. He received the dreaded healthy scratch vs. Detroit and the trade Hankins and low snap counts are not great developments. D+
Quinton Bohanna, 166 snaps: Dallas has given him nearly 400 snaps to take a step forward, but for now, what you see appears to be what you get. He is a massive man and will not ever offer pass rush, so when you put him out there, you want him to be a real impediment to running the football. Mixed results. Still young, though. C-
Trysten Hill, 138 snaps: The Cowboys sent him to the waiver wire when they could not trade him at the deadline. He is now with the Arizona Cardinals after the Cowboys had no interest in keeping him as his rookie contract expires. Like Gallimore, there were flashes and injuries, so the sum total is just not enough splash plays to hold the interest past the rookie deal, so they move on to the next ones. They cut him at midseason, so F for the 2019 second-round pick.
Chauncey Golston, 135 snaps: His best strength is that he can play inside or on the edge, but his biggest weakness is that he may not be better than average at either spot. He is stuck at about 15-20 snaps a game and even though I have been pretty excited about his future, you fear the numbers game is starting to pass him by in Year 2. Dallas is deep enough that it doesn’t have to wait forever on the kids anymore. C-
Carlos Watkins, 55 snaps: He was cut at the end of camp in an unsurprising move and then moved to the practice squad. But, in three of the last four games, he has moved in to play his normal brand of run defense to try to offset some of the damage being done there for about 18 snaps a game. C
Johnathan Hankins, 33 snaps: So far, all we know is what we saw in the Chicago game, but we definitely know what they want from the 340-pound space-eater. Plug up the middle. Time will tell if the player acquired from Vegas with a seventh-round pick for a sixth-rounder will help them fix things. INC
Osa Odighizuwa (Jayne Kamin / USA Today)
Edge rushers
Micah Parsons, 455 snaps: There is no way to speak too highly of the work Parsons has done this season. He leads the team in splash plays and is among league leaders in sacks and overall impact on games. He has graded out as one of the best players in the NFL and generally gives us something every Sunday worthy of our conversations. He is nearly a full-time edge rusher with only 105 snaps as a linebacker and 350 as an edge rusher. He has changed positions and is arguably the best edge in football. And yes, despite having incredibly high expectations, he has exceeded them. He should be in the discussion as the best player in the NFL. A+
DeMarcus Lawrence, 335 snaps: Overall, he has been very good and productive. He has been dealing with various nagging injuries that seem to mount up over the course of his career, but he averages about 40 snaps a week and is second on the team in splash plays. He had three sacks against the Giants and just one sack against the rest of the league but is a very important part of this stunting pass rush that is leading the league, so let’s not get too caught up in the numbers. He generally grades well, but the Bears game showed rough spots versus the zone read. Overall solid. C+
Dorance Armstrong, 275 snaps: It took him until 2021 and Dan Quinn’s presence to become the force we now see, but over the past year and a half Armstrong has really stepped up a level and been rewarded for his hard work. He nearly won the Rams game by himself with some dynamic moments early and has five sacks after totaling six last season. Just another big body who can rush the passer and make the team look smart for locking him up. Based on his expectation level, this has to be a B
Dante Fowler, 180 snaps: There was little reason to expect a major contribution from Fowler, but when Quinn wanted to reunite with him, it seemed to make some sense to give it a whirl for a small amount of money. If he is your best pass rusher, you might be in trouble, but if he is your fourth-best pass rusher, you might have something great. He has four sacks and is on pace for his best year since 2019 with the Rams. B
Sam Williams, 102 snaps: He was a second-round pick, but we also knew he was a bit of a project who needed time in the oven. His explosiveness and motor speak highly about his future and while September was very quiet, he really got going in the last month and exploded with a huge performance against Detroit, before missing Week 8 with a knee injury. Still, the flashes are very exciting. B
Tarell Basham, 18 snaps: He played in Week 1 and suffered a thigh injury and has not played since. He is depth and another long body who could be useful if injuries hit. Incomplete
Sam Williams (Tim Heitman / USA Today)
Linebackers
Leighton Vander Esch, 464 snaps: Perhaps everyone was a bit hasty in writing his Cowboys obituary because Vander Esch has played in every game and has played more snaps than any player in the front seven. That is noteworthy. He is sixth in splash plays and has not really been exposed at all this season — that has allowed Parsons to basically switch positions — and been pretty good. The rough spots are sometimes apparent, but for $2 million this season, he has been huge. B
Anthony Barr, 334 snaps: Another player who has been on the field a good bit at a very low price, Barr has had to figure out his new situation without a whole lot of acclimation time. His job is to tackle and blitz and in both cases, he has done well. His work against the run has not always been there and his coverage snaps are limited to mostly zones. But, plenty passable. C
Damone Clark, 40 snaps: We are all eager to see what Clark can do in the long term — he only played in Week 8 after Barr’s hamstring made a path for him. He is very fast and, like his LSU teammate Jabril Cox, offers huge athleticism and speed for the future at linebacker. For now, both are depth options and getting their bodies right. Incomplete
Cornerbacks
Trevon Diggs, 538 snaps: I think he has played the best football of his career in almost every way. He has been tougher and less risky. He has made big plays and not given up many of them. Rough day against Cooper Kupp, but we understand his matchups every week are very difficult. Diggs is tackling well, handling his business and still going to get the ball. Splash plays are up and you will be hard-pressed to find someone with more passes defended (only Sauce Gardner has more than his 12). Diggs has been excellent. B
Anthony Brown, 544 snaps: Brown is in a tough spot because you would think that teams would want to devise ways to attack him and he still holds up pretty well in coverage. He also plays with a tough edge and gives the Cowboys everything he has. I would not say he is excellent, but I think you have to be impressed that nobody ever takes his job. He is a fighter. C+
Jourdan Lewis, 315 snaps: Lewis is gone for the year with the dreaded Lisfranc injury he suffered after an interception in Week 7 vs. Detroit. He is a limited player, but his edge off the slot is something that needs to be replaced. His tackling has slipped in the past two seasons and his man coverage has always been up and down, but Lewis being lost is no small situation. C
DaRon Bland, 116 snaps: From his first day in camp, Bland has shown a nose for the ball and knack for playing the slot. It is fitting Dallas drafted him to challenge Lewis, because now he is being asked to replace him on a very good defense. He has started two games and he was much better in Week 8 than in Week 4. In fairness, it is too early to know much, but he is already getting his hands on the ball. Incomplete
Kelvin Joseph, 15 snaps: We still know very little about Joseph despite being a 2021 second-round pick other than his poor decision-making off the field and his inability to take Brown’s gig on the outside. Because of this, he is the third option on the outside, but Brown and Diggs have not been hurt, so he has only played a handful of snaps this year and logged a full-time special teams gig that he does well. It is tough not to call a second-rounder in his sophomore year a disappointment, though, until he actually plays corner in games. D
Donovan Wilson (Jerome Miron / USA Today)
Safeties
Donovan Wilson, 496 snaps: Another member of the 2019 draft class, along with Tony Pollard, who has worked out nicely from a deep drafting position. Wilson was a star in 2020 at times with his ability to make plays from deep and then spent most of 2021 banged up and fell off the radar with Quinn bringing in his guys. But, to his great credit, his downhill style of physicality and emotion re-emerged in 2022 to show you he is probably a contract situation worth considering. He has exceeded expectations again. The question will always be whether his body can handle his style of play. B+
Malik Hooker, 399 snaps: The Cowboys’ great fortune to secure and re-sign Hooker has been an underrated reason their back end has done such a fine job. He grades exceedingly well in most every case when it comes to shutting down deep passes and ending plays from deep with proper safety play. Hooker has elite talent and injuries have always slowed him, but this year he has been very good. B+
Jayron Kearse, 281 snaps: Kearse was one of the MVPs of last year’s defensive surge, but sprained a knee on opening night this year and was lost for a month. Upon his return, there have been moments, but it still seems like we are waiting for his 2021 version to fully appear. His game against Chicago is a very good sign. C
Israel Mukuamu, 121 snaps: Second-year player Mukuamu demonstrated he can cover for Kearse during the injury and played well in stretches. Because of his frame, his run support is always going to be a question, but this was a big year to prove he can handle top reserve duties in the back, and in most cases, he has been fine. Need to see more. C
Markquese Bell, 16 snaps: He had plenty of buzz all summer as a guy the Cowboys targeted and subsequently loved. We see him inactive, so it is tough to say too much, but they definitely didn’t draft him for 2022. They are in a good position to bring him along slowly. Our hot opinions will have to wait. Incomplete
Coordinator
Dan Quinn: I think it is pretty hard to overstate how important Quinn has been to this defensive structure and build. He has consistently put this defense — without any massive investment from the front office in free agency — in a position to do well. They have grown as a unit of Cowboys draft talent and are continuing to jump levels into the league’s elite. The biggest credits to Quinn are having the plan and executing it with his vision for Parsons. I cannot estimate how many staffs would not have had the courage to move a player from what got him drafted, but I think Parsons’ story requires Quinn’s vision. Parsons’ excellence has unlocked the entire pass-rush dominance of this system which builds around that one star being nightmare fuel for opponents. Then to see the Cowboys change a lot of what they do in coverage for the second year and see another jump in improvement when they stopped playing so much man coverage and converted into a heavy zone team that does not require blitzing has been impressive. This organization is used to having a defense that “gets by” and now has one that can control games. I believe Quinn should receive most of that credit. A
I hope this two-day series has been enjoyable for you to consume and debate. On Friday, we will ask the 5 questions for Mike McCarthy’s return to Lambeau Field and get you ready for the Cowboys at Packers.
