The Cowboys’ D-Line Could Surprise You

By Gerverus Flagg

Gerverus Flagg
Jul 20, 2017 · 5 min read

With arguably the NFL’s best offensive line protecting sophomore sensations Dak Prescott and Ezekiel Elliott, the ageless wonder, Jason Witten, commanding the middle of the field, and star wide out, Dez Bryant, leaving secondaries in his wake, the Cowboys’ offense has the firepower to carry the team in a shootout against any of the NFL’s best offenses. However, if Jerry Jones wants to hoist another Lombardi Trophy, the Cowboys’ defense must make drastic improvements.

Over the course of the last several seasons, many in Dallas have lamented the Cowboys’ poor pass rush, particularly in playoff games. In the 2014 Divisional Round, a hobbled Aaron Rodgers carved up the Cowboys’ defense for 316 yards and 3 TDs. This past season, the Cowboys defense ranked 13th with 36 sacks on the season, allowing opposing quarterbacks a 67% completion percentage, and it was Rodgers who again handed the Cowboys an early exit from the playoffs. Many will look at the Cowboys’ first round selection of Taco Charlton in the 2017 NFL Draft and say that the defense still hasn’t fixed its pass rush problem. While there are still many questions regarding who will emerge as the Cowboys’ dominant pass rushing threat from the right defensive end spot (RDE), there are many more question marks in the secondary. With Morris Claiborne, J.J. Wilcox, Brandon Carr and Barry Church all leaving the secondary during free agency, Rod Marinelli has a huge void to fill in the defensive backfield. With the Cowboys having to rely on a recent influx of young talent to take significant snaps in the secondary, the defensive line has quietly become the defense’s strongest unit.


No, the selection of Charlton doesn’t give the Cowboys a bona fide RDE in the mold of a Demarcus Ware, who can roll out of bed and give you a 10+ sack season, but he is another important cog in Rod Marinelli’s group of rushmen. With players like Taco Charlton, Demarcus Lawrence, David Irving and Tyrone Crawford, the Cowboys’ defensive line has transformed into a unit full of long, position-less defensive linemen who can make an impact from several positions along the defensive front. According to multiple reports, Charlton has spent time at both end spots during minicamp and off-season training activities (OTAs). Demarcus Lawrence has taken snaps at left defensive end (LDE) and RDE during his career. This past season, we saw Irving wreak havoc against opposing offensive lines, playing both defensive end and tackle. Over the course of his career, Crawford has bounced back and forth between defensive end, and his more natural spot as a 3-technique defensive tackle, who is primarily responsible for quickly penetrating the offensive line and stuffing running lanes, as well as pressuring opposing quarterbacks. This position flexibility will be most impactful on third and long situations, where Marinelli will employ a subpackage comprised of his best pass rushers to get after the opposing quarterback. In these situations, I foresee Charlton and Lawrence starting at LDE and RDE respectively, with Irving playing nose guard and Maliek Collins as the 3-tech. Charles Tapper, who missed his entire rookie season with a back injury, Benson Mayowa, the team leader in sacks a year ago, and free agent newcomer, Damontre Moore, will also compete for snaps with this unit because of their pedigrees as pure pass rushers.


In Rod Marinelli’s 4–3 defensive scheme, the 3-tech is the most important lineman. Prior to the 2015 season, the Cowboys gave Crawford a five-year $45 million-dollar extension, largely due to his propensity to pressure the passer and because of their belief that he was a soon-to-be star at the position. Fast forward to 2017 and Crawford may be backing up Maliek Collins at the position. With the hype surrounding Ezekiel Elliott and Dak Prescott and the anticipation of a healthy Jaylon Smith, Maliek Collins is often the forgotten man from the 2016 draft class. As a rookie, all Collins did was finish second on the team with 5 sacks — an even more impressive feat considering he missed all of training camp with a foot injury. It’s still early in his career, but Collins may already be the Cowboys best defensive lineman. That’s how dominant he was in his rookie season.

Unfortunately, the Cowboys have become all too familiar with missing defensive linemen at the start of the season due to suspension. This year is no different. David Irving has been suspended 4 games by the NFL for PED use. This has given free agent acquisition, Damontre Moore, a great opportunity to earn snaps early in the season. Reports from Cowboys minicamp and OTAs state that Moore, a former 3rd round pick out of Texas A&M in 2013, has done nothing but impress. Of all the Cowboys’ defensive linemen, Moore may have the greatest pedigree as a pure pass rusher. Moore has embraced working against the best offensive line in football every day in practice, a task many other players fighting for a roster spot would find daunting. More reports from OTAs suggest Moore was the only defensive lineman that gave perennial All-Pro, Tyron Smith, some trouble in pass protection situations. Moore has bounced around the league quite a bit since 2013, but with the Cowboys desperately needing a RDE to emerge, he may be in the best possible situation to prove himself as a capable player in this league.


The Cowboys aren’t yet sure who will start along the defensive line when they host the Giants for their season opener, but I’m not sure it matters. Marinelli’s defensive philosophy is predicated on all-out effort and intensity from every guy on the field. We will see eight to nine defensive linemen take snaps every game, as Marinelli loves to rotate linemen in order to keep them fresh throughout games. With a young, talented and surprisingly deep unit up front, the Cowboys will send waves of energized pass rushers after the quarterback over the course of a game. An improved pass rush will also be significant in aiding the young defensive backs as they become accustomed to the rigors of the NFL. If the Cowboys make it to U.S. Bank Stadium in February, it will be because this unit exceeded expectations.

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Gerverus Flagg

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Writer • Creator of All Things Football blog • Follow us on Twitter @Best_of_ATF 🏈

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