Just because the Dallas Cowboys' defense wasn't the biggest issue in their crumbling Week 8 loss to the Arizona Cardinals doesn't mean it's a non-issue. Christian Parker's unit still has leaps and bounds to make if they want to be competitive every week, and both coaching and personnel are to blame.
But at the crossorads of coaching and personnel is who Dallas decides to trot out there.
And while the defensive tackle room has hardly been to blame for the Cowboys' rough start, thanks in large part to the stellar play of Quinnen Williams and the run-stopping prowess of Otito Ogbonnia, that doesn't mean that Parker can't still tweak things on the interior.
Elijah Garcia has emerged as a legitimate option for the Dallas front, and he is deserving of more snaps after a few weeks of solid play, particularly in the past two games. But those snaps have to come at the expense of someone. That someone should be veteran Kenny Clark.
Elijah Garcia's arrival should earn him more snaps in Cowboys' DT room
Garcia pretty much came out of nowhere for the Cowboys, as he bounced around between five NFL teams after going undrafted out of Rice in 2022. But his quiet arrival on the practice squad in Dallas after roster cutdowns has paid off, as Jonathan Bullard's injury paved the way for him.
Since Week 4, Garcia has played 83 total defensive snaps, and his share has grown in pretty much every game. With that opportunity, he has blossomed, making plays both against the run and as a pass-rusher from multiple alignments for the Dallas defense.
Although Garcia mainly lines up as a 3-tech, he can do everything from two-gap as a nose tackle to lining up over or even outside the tackle. And his diverse skill set has allowed him to thrive, no matter where he is set up pre-snap. This versatility also allows him to slide around and confuse offenses.
Against the Cardinals, Garcia had several great reps against the run while lining up in the B gap, shedding blocks and wrapping up ball carriers. He also had a snap where he set up as the 1-tech and took on a double team effectively, which let Shemar James get downhill and make an easy play.
Believe it or not, he also has some pass-rush juice on the edge. Garcia lined up outside the left tackle on one snap against the Cardinals and bent around the edge to hit Jacoby Brissett as he threw. Brissett also narrowly got rid of the ball before a Garcia sack on another play.
Yes, Garcia has logged a sack, four total pressures, 10 tackles, and six stops across the last three games, but he does the little things too, which makes life easier for everyone around him. It's no coincidence they've begun to play better in recent weeks.
Garcia deserves more snaps in the coming games as Dallas tries to hone its defensive identity.
Kenny Clark should be the Dallas DT to lose snaps for Elijah Garcia
Clark was a big selling point in the Micah Parsons trade, and while he's been a good player for the Cowboys, he hasn't exactly been a difference-maker this season. In fact, when it comes to impact per play, Garcia clears Clark by a mile.
When it comes to getting after the quarterback, Garcia has four pressures and 1.0 sacks in 41 pass-rush reps, whereas Clark has 15 pressures and 1.0 sacks in 209 pass-rush snaps. One of those is a higher rate than the other - I'm sure you can guess whose.
In 116 more run defense reps, Clark has just three more stops than Garcia and two more solo tackles. The veteran clears Garcia by just eight tackles this season despite playing 284 more snaps than him. It's not like Clark has played poorly, but he just hasn't done a ton to affect the game.
He hasn't missed any tackles, nor is he getting penalized at a high rate. And Clark also has the ability to move around the defensive front quite a bit as well. But Garcia carries some of those traits, albeit to a way less refined and experienced degree, and he's had more production and impact in fewer snaps.
As the trade deadline approaches and the Cowboys' season borders on going off the rails, the focus should be on a youth movement in Dallas. That could even mean trading off an aging but valuable piece like Clark, or just giving more reps to the younger Garcia as the year moves along.
Whatever happens in the coming weeks, though, Garcia has earned more snaps. And Quinnen Williams and Otito Ogbonnia have played too well to have their roles reduced, so Garcia's reps need to come at the expense of Kenny Clark.
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