How many sacks can the Cowboys new-look defense get in 2020?

Sack predictions for this year’s rookies and Aldon Smith:

• Neville Gallimore, Trysten Hill, and Bradlee Anae – 4.0 sacks
• Aldon Smith – 4.0 sacks

I think these are reasonable predictions, and they bring the sack total up to 37.5. As of now, I’m assuming that Dallas rolls with Gallimore and Hill at the three-technique position instead of acquiring another veteran. (They might change their minds later, but remember, they’ll still have to pay McCoy as he sits injured.)

Between the two young D-tackles and Anae, four sacks makes sense. Aldon Smith is tougher to peg. He hasn’t played in four years. Still, he used to be one of the best, and he’s in excellent condition, so I’m guessing he has some gas left in the tank.

Finally, I’m going to make the following adjustments to returning players and Everson Griffen:

• Tyrone Crawford – 2.0 sacks more (for a total of three)
• Linebacking corps – 1.0 sack more
• Jourdan Lewis – 1.0 sack less
• Everson Griffen and DeMarcus Lawrence – the same, but more for Lawrence and less for Griffen.

I think a healthy Crawford should make at least three sacks, plus a healthy Vander Esch should bring at least one more sack to the linebacking corps. On the other hand, Lewis made four sacks as a cornerback, which was amazing and not likely to happen again.

Finally, Lawrence had a down year, while Griffen is getting older, so I figure a wash between the two makes sense. All of this brings our total to 39.5 sacks, half a sack more than last year. I promise, I didn’t do that on purpose. This is my genuine analysis.

The one factor I haven’t brought up is the coaching. Let’s think about that for a second. Like many, I wasn’t impressed with the coaching of defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli and passing-game coordinator Chris Richard last year. The defense looked predictable.

New D-coordinator Mike Nolan should be better over the long term. But he’s also bringing in new ideas, and dealing with a lot of new players. I’m going to say this will be a push for 2020. I’m sticking with my prediction of 39.5 sacks for the year.

The rookies and Aldon Smith are really the wild cards. So is the play of Lawrence, and the scheming of Nolan. Consequently, I wouldn’t be surprised if the 2020 Dallas defense does better. But I also wouldn’t be that surprised if they fell a little short. But I think close to forty sacks is still my best educated guess.

As a final comment, if Dallas still had a healthy McCoy, I definitely would have predicted a higher total. But this is a violent sport. The show must go on.