Pass Rushers: The Dallas Cowboys Wanted List
The Dallas Cowboys picked Byron Jones and Randy Gregory in the opening rounds of the 2015 draft. But will they draft a pass rusher early on in 2016?
The Dallas Cowboys picked defensive players in the opening two rounds of the 2015 draft. On top of Byron Jones and Randy Gregory they made the controversial decision to add defensive end Greg Hardy to the roster.
| DEFENSIVE STATS | 2015 | 2014 |
| SACKS | 31 | 28 |
| INTERCEPTIONS | 8 | 18 |
| RUSHING YARDS ALLOWED | 1931 (22nd) | 1650 (8th) |
| RUSHING TOUCHDOWNS ALLOWED | 16 (28th) | 18 (31st) |
| RUSHING YARDS PER GAME ALLOWED | 120.7 (22nd) | 103.1 (8th) |
| PASSING YARDS PER GAME ALLOWED | 227.3 (5th) | 251.9 (26th) |
The improvement on the defensive side of the ball wasn’t as vast as many predicted or hoped for. Cowboys Vice President Stephen Jones counts Hardy among the disappointments.
"“You hope to have a lot of production when a guy is making that kind of money. Did we hope to have better? Probably we did.” – Stephen Jones on Greg Hardy"
In two seasons the Cowboys have picked off the quarterback 26 times; the Carolina Panthers made 24 interceptions in 2014 alone. The team is desperate for a sack machine. 8 sacks from DeMarcus Lawrence as the weaksided defender was solid, but the rest of the defensive line produced just 15 more. It’s just not enough, and the Jones family know that.
"“I do think we have some good players at that position, but we don’t have the dominant right end that we’ve been fortunate enough to have before whether it be DeMarcus Ware, whether it be Charles Haley.” – Stephen Jones on the Cowboys pass rushers"
With the Combine this week, there’s a chance for coaches and scouts to get a closer look at the players available in April’s draft. Byron Jones jumped his way up boards after putting up record breaking numbers.
While test numbers are great, just what are we looking for in the future dominant pass rushing sack monster for the Dallas Cowboys?
Next: The Wanted