5 case studies that give the Dallas Cowboys defense hope

Todd Bowles

Most of the credit in Tampa Bay right now is going towards Tom Brady. You can’t blame the narrative as what he is doing is really special. As the team gets ready to play in Super Bowl 55, the forgotten man in all of this is defensive coordinator Todd Bowles.

Bowles was part of Bill Parcells staff when he coached here in Dallas but more importantly, Bowles was hired to be the head coach of the New York Jets back in 2015. Bowles was previously the defensive coordinator of the Arizona Cardinals and was hired to fix the Jets defensive woes.

After four seasons, he was fired by the team who thought he was the person to turn around the franchise. Surprising fall for a man who just four years earlier was one of the hottest coaching candidates in the league.

His defensive rankings as Arizona’s defensive coordinator varied a bit but his overall defense, especially scoring defense, improved enough for the Cardinals that it thrust him into the coaching spotlight. His number one ranked rush defense in his first year in Arizona is eerily similar to what he is doing now.

After being relieved of his head coaching duties by the New York Jets, Bowles was hired to become the Defensive Coordinator in Tampa Bay. It should not come as a surprise that Tampa has boasted the league’s best-run defense two years in a row now.

That should be very impressive considering last year than Tampa quarterback Jameis Winston habitually placed the defense in bad field position when he threw 30 interceptions that year.

The path Bowles has taken has been a familiar route in the NFL which should give Dallas Cowboys fans hope for the upcoming 2021 NFL season.