Three Dallas Cowboys who have to put up or shut up in 2020

Here are three Dallas Cowboys that must steal the wheel to alter the fate of this franchise

The offense in Big D gets all the buzz these days. Yeah, quarterback Dak Prescott is chasing a big payday with the Dallas Cowboys. You know, the ‘Boys drafted some guy named CeeDee Lamb. Somehow, Ezekiel Elliott, for better or worse, is popping in and out of the news media.

But nobody chats up the defense. Like nobody. Need I remind you: America’s Team has purged the old staff and ushered in a wave of new folks. This alone has me feeling 10 years younger.

Let’s face it: The Dallas Cowboys were stale on the defensive side of things in 2019. Turnovers? Probably better that you bought a lottery ticket. Sacks? At least the NFL registers “pressures” on the stat lines. They still hand out ribbons for that.

Yes, head coach Jason Garrett was let go. (Apply your claps, now.) He’s dancing in the Big Apple with the New York Giants. So, this has to mean that the Cowboys will be dancing in Tampa Bay in early 2021, right?

Well, let me offer you three members of the Dallas Cowboys who control the steering wheel in 2020. Two of the three received new contract deals in 2019, so there are no more excuses. It’s time these elite men put up, or you know, shut up!

DeMarcus Lawrence

Speaking about sacks. The 28-year-old defensive lineman has to prove that the 2019 season was a fluke. The Dallas Cowboys bet big on the former second-rounder, paying out a $105 million deal, $65 million in guarantees, over five years.

Lawrence slipped in 2019. He registered only five sacks. In 2017 and 2018 combined, the Boise State product recorded 25 sacks.

That’s a big drop off. If anyone needs an operating system upgrade and computer reboot in 2020, it’s DeMarcus Lawrence. Fortunately, Lawrence and the rest of the “Hot Boyz” have a new defensive line coach to lead a new charge in 2020.