Dallas Cowboys bold prediction: A possible defensive MVP

After Sunday’s bold prediction on offense, it’s time to look at the other side of the ball and make a prediction for one of the young stars on this team.

Sunday started a string of upcoming bold predictions I will be making for the Dallas Cowboys over the next few weeks. What do I think about this year’s offense? It’s going to be the bee’s knees. You cannot just have a great offense though. There must be balance.

Enter today’s second bold prediction for the 2019 season. The Dallas Cowboys will have a defensive player compete for the league MVP award. Leighton Vander Esch, Jaylon Smith and DeMarcus Lawrence are all legitimate candidates. The biggest problem they will all have may be competing against each other. Either way, the Dallas Cowboys win from such competition.

Vander Esch is the most versatile of the linebackers which could help him pad enough stats to get a real look. In the mold of Brian Urlacher, the defensive MVP of 2005, LVE will be looking to improve on an already stellar rookie year. Smith, however, could be the most talented. All he has done since being drafted is get better and better. Last year, he was finally 100% healthy again after that gruesome injury in his final college game.

In 2018, Smith forced two fumbles, recovered two more taking one to the house. He posted 121 tackles, with four sacks, six tackles for loss and six quarterback hits. If he improves on all of those numbers, certainly not out of the realm of possibility, Smith’s hat will be in the MVP ring.

Lastly, you have the game wrecker in Lawrence. Over the past two seasons, Lawrence has 25 sacks and almost 50 quarterback hits. In both of those years, his running mate produced no more than seven. This year, the guy on the opposite side is a bona fide quarterback killer as well.

With the signing of Robert Quinn, it should only boost Lawrence’s numbers. Quinn is two years removed from an eight and a half sack season with 15 in the last two years and nearly 30 quarterback hits.

Now with a threat on the other side, teams will be forced to pick their poison. If given enough one-on-one opportunities, Lawrence’s numbers will go through the roof. He also happens to be an excellent run defender so his all around game could make him a MVP candidate.

For my money, Jaylon Smith is the one with the best shot. He was a sure fire top five talent in 2016, prior to the injury. The talent is obviously there and the production isn’t far behind. Prepare to see one of these names in the top three of the MVP balloting.