Players Prepare to Battle for Cowboys Linebacker Position

Dec 15, 2013; Arlington, TX, USA; Dallas Cowboys linebacker

(57) in action against the Green Bay Packers at AT&T Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

As if they aren’t already, the world will definitely be watching and talking about the Dallas Cowboys as the OTA’s (Official Team Activities) begin on May 27^th. With seven new draft picks added to the defense, it will probably be the area focused on the most. Head coach Jason Garrett often mentions the importance of creating competition for roster spots this time of year. Fans often hate to see a favorite player released, waived or traded, but players understand that the NFL is a business first. Be prepared to see plenty of new faces as the Dallas Cowboys prepare for the 2014 NFL season.

My current area of focus is on the Dallas Cowboys collection of linebackers. Three of them have name recognition. There’s Sean Lee, Bruce Carter and DeVonte Holloman. Very few remember that Justin Durant was the third starting linebacker. It’s unfortunate, but it goes to show how little impact he had on games. Bruce Carter is infamous for the wrong reasons. Carter was torched by the San Diego Chargers’ Danny Woodhead for two touchdowns then lost his starting job and was blasted by the media and Cowboy Nation. Definitely not the way to make a name for yourself.

I know that one game shouldn’t make or break a career. Yet, I took time to watch the defensive plays from the Cowboys season finale against the Eagles. The game film only ignited my passion to see more of DeVonte Holloman on the field. In his first start, he led the team with 11 total tackles (6 solo), 2 sacks, 2 tackles for losses and 2 quarterback hits.

Justin Durant, the forgotten linebacker, missed that game because he was placed on injured reserve. Sean Lee was out due to a sprained neck. Holloman made the most of his playing time and I see him gaining a starting spot.

The other starting spot goes to Sean Lee. When healthy, he is worthy of the hype. I was lucky enough to attend the last Cowboys game in Chicago. There are things I’ll never forget about that trip: the temperature of 8 degrees with a wind chill of -9; the insane price of the hot chocolate in Soldier Field; Mike Ditka‘s number retirement (he was a Dallas Cowboy); and the pain of hand warmers stuffed in my boots. My favorite memory though was a comment by the announcer.

It was Sean Lee’s first night back from injury and he played like a man possessed. The announcer kept saying, “Tackle by Sean Lee. Tackle by Sean Lee. Tackle by Sean Lee.” Unfortunately, the scoreboard didn’t show how many tackles Sean Lee had at that point. After one defensive play, the announcer said, “Tackle by the Cowboys. I’m not sure who made that tackle, but it was probably Sean Lee.”

Who knows who will play in the third linebacker spot as starter. This is where it gets fun. There were two linebackers selected in the draft – Anthony Hitchens, 4^th round draft pick from Iowa and Will Smith, 7^th round draft pick from Texas Tech. Plus two undrafted rookie free agent linebackers: Dontavis Sapp from Tennessee, Keith Smith from San Jose State. Remember, with the Cowboys, undrafted players have a way of making the team so you can’t discount anyone.

The players with an asterisk (*) haven’t played in the NFL yet, so their stats are from their last year of college. Martez Wilson played with the New Orleans Saints last year.

If you like training camp competitions, this is definitely the group to watch. It’ll be interesting to see if Will Smith or Anthony Hitchens will allow the Cowboys to release Bruce Carter and Justin Durant this year. I wouldn’t be surprised.

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