Dallas Cowboys: Defensive versatility and intensity at the heart of resurgence

All is well in Dallas Cowboys Land. Well, that’s as of right now, and hopefully, it remains that way. The Cowboys had a winnable matchup against a Carolina Panthers team on Sunday that was without their Star, a general superstar of the league, and a dynamic all-purpose back in Christian McCaffrey. However and with the Panthers being undefeated, themselves, coming into this contest, it was just as much a losable one as well and proved to be as such.

The game still had to be played and both teams still had to show up to do it though. For the Cowboys’ defense, at least the absence of CMC provided one huge point of relief, so to speak.

If they were to be the same guys that they have been through the first three weeks of the season though, then they would be prepared for any, every, and either situation. That’s exactly what they were, with or without McCaffrey on the field. Sunday was just another feather in the cap of a unit that’s come so far. Though they have to maintain this pace, the leap has been astonishing.

Dallas Cowboys: Defensive Versatility And Intensity At The Heart Of Resurgence

On how far the defense has come since last season, though only through four weeks and meaning they’ll need to keep playing at this level, there seem to be two things at the core of the resurgence. Dan Quinn seems to be the cause of it all, the only logical thought, but what are those two things that are actually seeming to show up?

First, it’s the intensity. They are playing like a classic Dan Quinn defense. They are running around, firing off, and hitting anything that they can legally hit. And they are hitting whatever it is… hard. That’s a given though. That also needs no explanation.

However and because, well, why not, Damontae Kazee is one bright example of the hitting aspect. He had a legal-looking shoulder to shoulder collision on Sunday that drew a flag. Though it wasn’t a foul hit, the flag was, almost, understandable. It was a downright nasty tackle that reflects what Quinn defenses typically do.

The next part of the equation is the part that’s a bit more nuanced, intricate, and exciting all at the same time though. The second part of what has the Cowboys defense almost nuclear, at the moment, is their versatility.

Dallas Cowboys: The Versatility Doesn’t Just Show Up In One Way Either

That’s from an overall perspective too. In this situation, that means versatility across multiple fronts, in many ways, and how they can attack you. For example, they have a ton of guys that can roam and be successful. Through the first couple of weeks, you’ve seen two guys do exactly that at a high level.

Though more have probably had similar roles, Micah Parsons and DeMarcus Lawrence have had success moving up and down the defense to attack from different spots. The versatility doesn’t begin to stop there though.

They also deploy that same kind of multipleness on their fronts. For example, the psycho–type front that led to a Micah Parsons sack late in the game against Philly. You also have the fact that they have different guys of different shapes and sizes that can all do a ton. How about this sack by an interior defensive lineman.

And yes, it goes deeper. While the front guys have only been mentioned here, they can also kill you on the backside now and especially with Trevon Diggs’s playmaking potential as a takeaway artist. If that needs explanation, take this one. This should be the example of all examples. 

This team is very good. The offense is special and has been since last year, although only for a short period with Dak upright and mostly in comebacks during those times. However, that was, largely, due to a poor defense that’s now a very good one. They, again, need to keep it up, but if they can… they can be really special and so can these Cowboys.