Can the Dallas Cowboys field an elite defense in 2018?

2017 showed the team that even though they have as strong a starting line-up as anybody, depth was missing and played a huge role in the teams’ regression. Depth is a key component to team-building in a violent sport such as football and the team was spoiled by extraordinary health in 2016.

The offensive line remained healthy all year and Sean Lee was magically able to play 15 games with the only exclusion being the Week 17 game where his benching was a coaches decision and not due to injury.

2017 painted a picture of what the team looked like when its offensive and defensive anchors were not up to standard. And while the team plugged a majority of the holes in the secondary, its lack of depth on the first two levels of the defense did its toll.

So what has the team done this offseason to remedy that?

Drafting Leighton Vander Esch at linebacker was an immediate boost in terms of depth, but also in terms of the future of the group. He should be an instant fix to the worries about injuries and depth at the second level.

Byron Jones move from safety to corner put him back in his natural position and allows him to focus on the things he is very special at, man to man coverage on tight ends and big receivers. He no longer has to be exposed for average back-end instincts and can use his size and athleticism to be the big physical outside corner that new passing game coordinator Kris Richards loves.

This also pushes cornerback Anthony Brown back to the role he thrived in as a rotational slot corner with the versatility to push outside occasionally. With that, the cornerback revamp is complete with the best four corner line-up the team has had on paper in years.

On the defensive line, the return of a fully healthy and eligible David Irving to complement defensive end DeMarcus Lawrence, and the maturation of Taco Charlton should be immediate boosts. Anything the team gets from defensive linemen Charles Tapper, Jihad Ward, Dorance Armstrong, Kony Ealy, and even Randy Gregory are an added boost to an already talented and versatile line.

In terms of the free safety and one-technique positions, the team does not have obvious fixes on the roster. But they do in free agency.

I am confident the team will add one of the three remaining veteran safety options in Eric Reid, Tre Boston, and Kenny Vaccaro. All of whom have played at a pro-bowl level at some time in their young careers (no one in this group is older than 27). This will give the team a proven player who can do the job until either Xavier Woods is ready, or Earl Thomas is a Cowboy either this year or next.

As for the one-technique position, a familiar face is available to plug the hole literally and figuratively.

In 2016, Terrell McClain played a significant role in Dallas’s number one ranked rush defense. Nicknamed ‘the dancing bear’, McClain displayed the quickness and power defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli loves for that position. After a failed stint in Washington where the team tried to make him a 3-4 nose guard, McClain was released and is back on the market. Even Will McClay mentioned the possibility of a reuniting of the team and McClain recently.

Next: Dallas Cowboys: 15 best first-round picks of all-time

With a few manageable moves left, the Dallas Cowboys can complete a defensive overhaul that was long overdue. On paper, the defense has the potential to have no glaring weakness if everything clicks. Hopefully, it all finally comes together.