Dallas Cowboys: 3 who stepped up, 3 who stepped down

Every season, there are some players that have stepped up while others don’t play as well as we expect. Who on the Dallas Cowboys fits into either category?

Great football teams are usually led by players that take a big step up in their game. When those that we don’t expect to do that well take that leap, it has a huge effect on the team.

When a team has a player that they would believe is a crucial part of the team and they don’t perform as expected, it can have a toll on the team’s performance. Who on the Dallas Cowboys have stepped up, and who has taken a step back?

Step Up: Robert Quinn, DE

On March 29th, the Dallas Cowboys acquired defensive end Robert Quinn for a 2020 sixth-round draft pick. He was coming off his first full season after three years of shortened seasons. He only had 6.5 sacks last season, the lowest in a full 16-game season for him.

He was 28-years old and it looked like his play was diminishing along with his health. Sure when he was healthy with the Los Angeles Rams he played well, but the down year with the Miami Dolphins raised some questions as to if his Pro Bowl play would return.

During the offseason, the Cowboys were informed by the NFL that Robert Quinn would be suspended for the first two games of the season. It was for violating the league’s performance-enhancing substances policy. He was already questionable for Week 1 with a hand injury.

In Week 3, defensive end Tyrone Crawford was held out due to a lingering hip injury. Quinn’s return has come at the perfect moment. Week 3 against his former team in the Dolphins, he picked up his first sack.

So far in five games, he has 6.0 sacks and 11 tackles. This pace would have him end the season with 19.0 sacks and 35 tackles. That is the Pro Bowl form that owner Jerry Jones was hoping Quinn would return to.

That sixth-round pick is looking like an absolute steal for the price of Quinn right now. All in all, he counts as a player that has stepped up for the Cowboys.