Will Cowboys Draft a Defensive Lineman in the First Round?

Dec 14, 2014; Philadelphia, PA, USA; Dallas Cowboys defensive end

(92) celebrates his sack with teammates against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field. The Cowboys defeated the Eagles, 38-27. Mandatory Credit: Eric Hartline-USA TODAY Sports

Sing it with me – It’s the most, wonderful time of the year! Usually, that Andy Williams song is used for commercials. For me, it’s the beginning of “speculation season”. When my colleagues and I attempt to predict the off-season moves the Dallas Cowboys will make with educated guesses. I also get to be entertained by the amount of internet chatter within Cowboy Nation that usually requests the Cowboys rush to sign old, retired players like Brian Urlacher and Johnathan Vilma.

I’m only willing to guarantee that our pro bowl wide receiver Dez Bryant will be signed to a new contract. That’s playing it safe. I don’t see the Cowboys making any splashy free agent signings during the off-season.

Last year, I felt it was the Cowboys best off-season in a decade because GM / Owner Jerry Jones managed to secure younger and experienced players at reasonable salaries (DT – Henry Melton, DE – Jeremy Mincey, LB – Rolando McClain). For the first time, the Cowboys front office also released our often injured and older players (DE – DeMarcus Ware, WR – Miles Austin).

This team has learned that the road to the championship is built through the draft. This leads to more speculation about who will the Cowboys select in the draft. The general consensus is that we need pass rushers, but the defensive line is an area the Cowboys attempted to fix.

The defensive line for 2014 consisted of:

The Non-Football Injury Group:

Whaley, a standout performer from the University of Texas, injured his ACL and will be ready to show off his skills in 2015. Okoye had a battle with anti-NMDA receptor encephalitis in 2013. He spent the year with Whaley on the teams reserve/non-football injury list.

The Injured Reserve Group:

Last year, they drafted defensive end Ben Garner from Stanford in the 7^th round. Unfortunately, he injured his shoulder and spent the year on injured reserve. Henry Melton played well, recording 5 sacks, 15 tackles, 4 passes defensed and 2 fumble recoveries. His season ended on injured reserve because of a knee injury. Jack Crawford had 2 sacks, 8 tackles and 1 forced fumble. Lavar Edwards finished the season with one tackle.

The Practice Squad:

Davon Coleman spent the season on the practice squad. This surprised me because I really enjoyed watching him play during the pre-season. His high motor and downfield pursuit should’ve pressed all of defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s buttons. If you’ve forgotten about Coleman, check out this article praising Coleman’s skillset.

The Free Agents:

With the Cowboys showing the ability to release players on the back nine of their careers, I don’t expect Anthony Spencer, George Selvie or Nick Hayden to return next year. I was surprised that neither Davon Coleman or Ken Bishop could unseat Hayden from his starting defensive tackle spot.

The Rest:

31 year old Jeremy Mincey led the Cowboys with six sacks. Mincey graded as a top ten pass rushing defensive end according to Pro Football Focus this season. He will return to lead a group of young linemen in 2015. I’m looking forward to seeing what some of these young guys can do on the field together.

My projected depth chart for the defensive line is:

Will the Cowboys shake up my prediction by drafting a defensive lineman in the first round? I doubt it – but it is speculation season and right now, your guess is as good as mine.