3 NFC East rival signings that could be problematic for the Cowboys
By Randy Gurzi
2. Bobby Okereke, LB, New York Giants
In Dak Prescott’s rookie season, he lost two games to the New York Giants. Since then, they’ve won 10 in a row with him as the starter — although one of those was when he broke his ankle and Andy Dalton led them to a late win, but Prescott still has the stat by his name.
This past season, he beat them on Thanksgiving with a two-touchdown performance as Dallas won 28-20. In Week 3, Cooper Rush was under center and led them to a 23-16 win. He was aided by Tony Pollard gaining 105 yards on the ground and Ezekiel Elliott going for 73 and a touchdown.
They each put up solid numbers in the second win, with Pollard gaining 60 and Zeke netting 92 yards. Even with the strong performances from the quarterbacks and running backs, Dallas still won by just one score in each game.
New York knows they’re close and while the Parris Campbell signing helps, an even better move for them was adding Bobby Okereke, also from Indianapolis.
A veteran linebacker, Okereke agreed to a four-year, $40 million deal and now New York has a stud for the middle of their defense. In his four-year career, Okereke has 420 tackles with 151 coming last year alone. The Giants saw firsthand how good he can be when he recorded 17 tackles, with two going for a loss, when they faced the Colts in Week 16.
Dallas has to be aware of Okereke when they’re on offense since he has the ability to slow down the run game and is solid in pass coverage as well.