Dallas Cowboys: Who will replace David Irving?
By Carl Daley
The Dallas Cowboys will be looking to replace one of their key defensive players for the first quarter of the season. Who is the most likely step up?
The Dallas Cowboys will head into the season without one of their breakout pass rushers as defensive lineman David Irving has been suspended for the first four games of the regular season.
This means that the team will need to figure out a new rotation for their defensive line while Irving is out. There are some productive players who are already on the roster who can replace Irving’s lost production and one of those players may be the youngest pass rusher on the roster.
Rookie pass rusher Taco Charlton may be one of the first players with a chance to replace Irving in the lineup as he is looking to be a productive member of the Cowboys defensive line for years to come.
While it is still early and he has yet to take an official NFL snap, Charlton is expected to be on the field quite a bit for the Cowboys this season. If he can make an impact during training camp the coaching staff could give him a solid number of snaps during the early part of the season.
Charlton is not the only player who could benefit from seeing some extra snaps, newly signed pass rusher, Damontre Moore should also have an opportunity to earn a bigger role during training camp.
Moore has been pretty inconsistent throughout his time in the NFL, however, he has an opportunity to really earn a big role in this defensive unit. He has only 10 sacks over his five-year career and was thought of as a depth addition when he was signed.
If the Cowboys can unlock Moore’s potential like they did with Rolando McClain (for a season or two). Moore’s best performance came during the 2014 season when he was playing for the New York Giants. He recorded 5.5 sacks and that at the very least is his ceiling.
Then there is Benson Mayowa who has already spent a year with the franchise. In that year he recorded six sacks and played a big role in generating pressure for this unit. Mayowa may be the most effective pass rusher on this list at the beginning of camp.
He should be able to be more consistent rushing opposing quarterbacks now that the team has given him some help along the edge. Mayowa has had his best season with the Cowboys defense and it is likely that his production will continue to rise.
Finally, there is Charles Tapper who missed all of the 2016 season with an injury. Now he will be looking to make up for lost time as the Cowboys originally expected him to play a big role in rebuilding the team’s pass rush. Tapper is a strong and quick pass rusher who should make an impact early on in training camp.
Tapper has had a year to study the Cowboys defensive scheme, now it is time to put what he knows into practice. Tapper may have the highest upside of any pass rusher heading into training camp as he is looking to be an explosive addition to this defensive unit.
While it may not seem like a lot, four games is a big chunk of the NFL season. While Irving’s suspension may not be back breaking, the team must come up with a new rotation for their defensive linemen and that could mean moving some of the interior defensive linemen to the edge.
Next: The all-time best defenders to wear the Star
The situation could be worse as the team is facing some struggling offenses to open the season especially when it comes to the passing game. The Cowboys will take on the New York Giants during Week One and that should be a war but then the team faces three teams who struggled to get their passing attacks going last season (Arizona Cardinals, Los Angeles Rams, Denver Broncos).
Irving should be eligible to return just in time for the team’s first big test, a date with the Green Bay Packers in Week Five.