This Dallas Cowboys sack stat is shocking

A revealing statistic about the Dallas Cowboys current roster should shock fans and will likely change their focus during free agency and the NFL Draft.

There has been so much focus on the Dallas Cowboys quarterback position recently, that the media and fans could have missed what might just be the Cowboys actual biggest offseason need. Lost in the clamoring for better quality depth behind 35-year old starting quarterback Tony Romo, is the fact Dallas still have a severe lack of pass rushers.

Maybe it’s because it’s an issue the Cowboys have had for several seasons now that the need has become white noise. Maybe it’s the glimmer of the quarterback position that attracts far to much attention, and draws the focus off the real problem. Or maybe it’s because despite the Cowboys questionable efforts, like signing a controversial player defensive end Greg Hardy last year, a lack of pass rush is a problem Dallas just can’t seem to fix.

Regardless of the reasons, the following statistic provided by DallasCowboys.com staff writer David Helman should help remind fans and media alike just what the team’s biggest need is going into 2016.

"“This is a stat I’ve repeated ad nauseam since the season ended, but it bears repeating: as it stands right now, only one Dallas defensive end under contract for 2016 has ever recorded an NFL sack,” wrote Helman on the team’s official website Thursday. “This much is clear: this roster is painfully thin on edge rushers, and I think the Cowboys would do well to address the situation in both free agency and the NFL draft.”"

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The fact only one defensive end on the Cowboys current roster has ever recorded a sack is shocking and scary. That one player, of course being DeMarcus Lawrence, who led the team in sacks last year with 8.0. The only other defensive ends on the Cowboys roster as of today are Randy Gregory, Efe Obada and Ryan Russell. None of whom have recorded a sack in a regular season game.

The Cowboys have three defensive ends scheduled to hit free agency next month. Those are Jack Crawford, Jeremy Mincey and the aforementioned Hardy. The latter recorded just 6.0 sacks last season in an underwhelming effort. Hardy’s issues, lack of production and price tag likely means he’s played his final game as a Cowboy already.

Crawford recorded 4.0 sacks and is an improving, younger player who should be retained. And the 32-year old Mincey is coming off one of his worst seasons as a professional. The nine-year veteran failed to record a single sack for the Cowboys in 2015, after leading the team in the statistic with 6.0 the year before.

The fact that only one defensive end on the Cowboys current roster has recorded a sack should re-enforce the fact that Dallas needs to find an effective edge rusher this offseason to pair with the young Lawrence and Gregory.

In free agency, names like Miami’s Olivier Vernon and Derrick Shelby, New York’s Jason Pierre-Paul and Robert Ayers and Los Angeles’ William Hayes are ones to watch. In the upcoming draft, expect to hear a lot about Ohio State’s Joey Bosa, Clemson’s Shaq Lawson and Eastern Kentucky’s Noah Spence.

It’s repetitive, I know. But the Cowboys need more pass rushers in 2016. It may not be as glamorous as the quarterback position, but it’s likely a bigger need in Dallas.

Next: Cowboys 2016 NFL Draft: Scouting Myles Jack

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