3 questions the Dallas Cowboys need answered in Oxnard

2. How does the defense look under Dan Quinn?

The first box the Cowboys needed to check after their Week 17 loss in the Meadowlands was, who will be the next defensive coordinator? Mike Nolan had to go. At the end of the season, Dallas was ranked 28th in total defense around the league. Nolan was out, and on Jan. 11, the Cowboys hired former Atlanta Falcons head coach Dan Quinn.

The Jones family made an effort this offseason to sign free agents for their defense. None of them were high-profile acquisitions, except for Keanu Neal, who will transition to play linebacker, and the hiring of Quinn as a proven defensive coordinator. Besides that, the rest of the players will be rotational pieces with a potential ceiling to start.

The Cowboys 2021 draft class is loaded with the hope of future starters on defense. First-round pick linebacker Micah Parsons and second-round pick defensive back Kelvin Joseph are looking to make a name for themselves this summer.

Look out for these players and the other new additions on defense when the Cowboys take the field in Oxnard. The media will make it known very quickly if the defense has taken a step forward at the start of training camp.