Cowboys free agent strikes on the defensive position present they’re severe about taking the ball away

The protection of the Dallas Cowboys took a pleasant step ahead when Dan Quinn arrived in 2021. Throughout his time with the staff, the protection was one of many higher squads within the NFL in producing stress and taking the ball away. Quinn left for a head teaching job in Washington and the staff changed him with former Cowboys defensive coordinator Mike Zimmer. Beneath Zimmer, the protection performed admirably contemplating how decimated they have been with accidents. It was a combined bag with each excellent and atrocious play by the protection final yr.

The Cowboys have once more modified out their defensive coordinator and introduced again one other former Cowboys coach, Matt Eberflus, who was their linebackers coach from 2011-2017. Eberflus will attempt to make this protection stronger. Just a few weeks in the past he was asked by the Cowboys media how he may get the defensive position to a championship degree.

“It’s actually about getting the depth that we’d like. We’ve had some free brokers depart us during the last couple of years. There are some good items which might be there to work from. It’s thrilling to have the ability to take a look at that sooner or later by way of the draft and buying different gamers which might be particular expertise guys and we’re excited to get that achieved.”

It’s good to see Eberflus acknowledge how depth alongside the defensive position has introduced some challenges for Dallas lately. The Cowboys had seven defensive linemen with not less than two sacks in 2023, and 4 of these gamers weren’t out there final yr.

• Dorance Armstrong (free company)
• Dante Fowler (free company)
• Sam Williams (harm)
• Jonathan Hankins (free company)

And attrition is at work once more this yr. The Cowboys had six defensive linemen with not less than two sacks final yr, and 4 of them are usually not on the staff this yr.

• DeMarcus Lawrence (free company)
• Chauncey Golston (free company)
• Carl Lawson (unsigned)
• Linval Joseph (unsigned)

Not like final yr, the Cowboys aren’t sitting on their fingers in free company to interchange the gamers they’ve misplaced. We’re just one week into free company and the Cowboys have already made the next additions.

• Signed Dante Fowler to a one-year deal
• Signed Solomon Thomas to a two-year deal
• Signed Payton Turner to a one-year deal

Add within the four-year, $80 million deal that Osa Odighizuwa bought per week in the past, and immediately the Cowboys have some our bodies. And don’t neglect that Sam Williams returns after sitting out all final yr with a knee harm.

The Cowboys have assortment of cross rushers, however creating stress hasn’t been the difficulty for this protection. After all, it helps when you’ve probably the greatest defensive gamers within the league in Micah Parsons on the roster. The Cowboys have completed within the prime three in sacks in two of the final three years. What’s spectacular about that stat is that a kind of years was final yr, the place they needed to attain deep down the depth chart to get assist.

Whereas the cross rush was nonetheless there, the Cowboys have seen a drop off in creating turnovers during the last two years. In 2021 and 2022, the Cowboys protection led the league in takeaways, however in every of the previous two seasons, they’ve completed outdoors the highest 10. That’s one thing the protection would like to get again. Eberflus was requested what idea or philosophy is the hallmark of his protection and he was fast to reply.

“It’s fairly easy. We take the ball away. That’s what we do.”

And once you take a look at the items they’ve mixed with the items they’ve added, that’s not simply lip service. It seems they’re making a concerted effort to have gamers who not solely can get to the quarterback, however have the power to assault the ball and jostle it unfastened.