Grading the Cowboys defensive position groups midway through the 2022 season
Linebackers
The linebacker group for the Cowboys has been probably the weakest link of the defense, but that’s more a testament to how well everyone is playing rather than the unit playing poorly. Headlined by Parsons yet again, he has been all over the field making plays that he’s essentially doing the job of a linebacker despite lining up in a three-point stance part of the time.
Other than No. 11, Leighton Vander Esch has played very well this season. While he isn’t the fastest guy on the field, he is one of the surest tacklers on the team. He is second on the team in tackles with 57 and also has two tackles for loss, a forced fumble, and a pass deflection. He also has missed just 3.4% of his tackles.
An underrated aspect of this Cowboys defense is just how reliable of a tackler Leighton Vander Esch has been. Here is his missed tackle percentage throughout his career:
— Dan Rogers (@DannyPhantom24) October 31, 2022
2018 = 6.7% (All-Pro season)
2019 = 15.3%
2020 = 16.7%
2021 = 9.7%
2022 = 3.4%
Aside from LVE and Parsons, newcomer Anthony Barr has been solid as well, totaling 31 tackles, one tackle for loss, a pass deflection, and a fumble recovery along with five pressures. Damone Clark also made his way onto the field in Week 8 and played 40 snaps, providing a lot of speed on the defense.
The linebacker group is actually shaping up quite nicely. They are still seen as the weaker part of the defense, but the fact that they are still playing at the very least a league-average level tells the story of how good this defense is.
Grade: B-