Dallas Cowboys defense will employ group effort over war daddy
Although the Dallas Cowboys proclaimed their need to find a premier pass rusher this offseason, getting to the quarterback will be a group effort in 2017.
Similar to landing that franchise quarterback, finding a premier pass rusher has become a high priority for NFL teams. For the Dallas Cowboys, the search for a defensive war daddy has been going on for years. So it was no surprise when owner and general manager Jerry Jones announced his team’s need for one earlier this year.
Unfortunately, the Cowboys refused to pursue any dominate pass rushers via free agency. And owning the 28th selection in the 2017 NFL Draft, it was always unlikely they would find one so late in the first round. At this point in the offseason, it appears Dallas is all but satisfied to once again make up for not having a dominate pass rusher by using heavy substitutions.
Instead of facing a premier edge rusher like Denver’s Von Miller on every down, the Cowboys will throw players like Benson Mayowa, DeMarcus Lawrence and Taco Charlton at opposing quarterbacks again this season. Therefore hoping that a constant rotation of fresh players can overcome increasingly fatigued offensive lineman as the game plods along.
It’s a strategy that worked last season, allowing the Cowboys to sack opposing quarterbacks 36 times, the 13th highest total in the NFL in 2016.
"“What is amazing is that they got to 36 sacks last year without any one player exceeding six,” responded Dallas Morning News’ Special contributor Bob Sturm to a recent mailbag question. “In fact, only Benson Mayowa had six and only Maliek Collins got to five. Think about that: The top two pass rushers combined for 11 and the rest of the group accounted for 25 more! That is pretty remarkable, and I am guessing likely the best in the league at that (subtracting the top two rushers from each team’s pass rush total).”"
Could Charlton end up being the war daddy the Cowboys covet? Certainly. But it does not appear they will play him that way. At least not in his first season in Dallas. Instead, Taco will simply be another cog in the heavy rotation, hopefully developing with every precious snap.
That’s the great thing about the Cowboys depth along their defensive line right now. They have several players poised to post solid numbers in 2017. And the sum total could end in postseason victories.
Players like Mayowa, Lawrence, Cedric Thornton and Tyrone Crawford should provide quality veteran play. While youngsters like David Irving and Collins are budding superstars. Then you add in free agents Damontre Moore and Stephen Paea, and this Dallas front seven has the potential to be special.
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If Dallas cracks the top ten in sacks in 2017, it will unlikely be because of a war daddy-type performance from one particular Cowboys player. Instead, pass rushing in Big D will once again be a group effort. And considering their powerful offense, that may be enough to accomplish the Cowboys postseason goals.