The Dallas Cowboys have been bad across the board lately, and the defense has been getting crushed all season. But ahead of a huge division game in Philadelphia on Monday night, some much-needed help could be coming to the secondary.
Cornerback Cobie Durant is confirmed to return against the Eagles, and safety P.J. Locke may be coming with him.
Durant, who won a starting job in camp this year, has been out since Week 2 with a hamstring injury. Locke also suffered an injury to his foot that week and just returned to practice this week. Durant is expected to play in Philly, but Locke will not be activated, the team confirmed on Saturday.
You might be thinking, "These guys didn't help us in Week 1 when we lost to the Giants, so who cares?" While that is technically true, Dallas has clearly missed these veterans over the last four weeks.
Durant's return adds much-needed experience at CB
Since Durant went out, and perhaps partially because of his absence, the Cowboys traded for Joey Porter Jr. as their new top cornerback. But while Porter shined last week and looks like a legit CB1 going forward, teams have had no trouble working against DaRon Bland, Shavon Revel Jr., and the rest of the corners.
If Durant can return and be a solid outside CB opposite Porter, it may help Dallas to get Bland in a more useful role at the slot. That's where Bland started his career and excelled as a rookie. He only moved outside when Trevon Diggs was injured and stayed there after becoming the pick-six king. But over the last few years, Bland has consistently been too easily exploited.
While there was a lot of excitement around Revel coming out of camp, he clearly needs more development. Moving back into a reserve/roleplayer role will help him, taking some pressure off a second-year CB who missed so much of his rookie season.
The nice thing about Durant is that he has slot/outside flexibility, which means Dallas could put Bland and Revel in a true competition going forward. If Bland doesn't figure things out soon, Revel might be able to move back into the top three and Durant could play slot. Or, if both keep struggling, that's where Locke's return could prove valuable/
P.J. Locke could help Cowboys at both CB and S
Whether it's this Monday night or Week 8 against the Cardinals, Locke's return could help the secondary at both positions. He has slot defender versatility or can play true safety, which is huge with Jalen Thompson still out. Malik Hooker is a hit-or-miss presence, Caleb Downs is still a rookie, and Markquese Bell is still little more than a special teamer.
If nothing else, Locke playing more means Bell playing less. That alone is a positive. But it could also give Dallas a chance to play Downs more as a true safety and see if that helps the rookie be more consistent. He's done some good things in the slot, mostly as a blitzer or in run support, but has struggled in pure coverage.
Granted, Dallas may not want any of the safeties playing slot much longer if the pass rush doesn't improve. Ideally, one of the CBs should be there for improved coverage since opposing QBs aren't getting pressured enough.
Because so much of this defense still feels like a work-in-progress, if not a failed experiment, it's not entirely certain how Durant or Locke will fit back in. But these were two guys that Christian Parker handpicked for key roles his defense, so it stands to reason that thay may be able to better execute on the field than others.
Especially now that the Eagles will be without receivers DeVonta Smith and Dontayvion Wicks on Monday, Dallas getting more talent back into the secondary is quite opportune. It also means fewer excuses for Parker and the defense, who now have the "on paper" advantage.
Will Cobie Durant and P.J. Locke help get things moving in a better direction, or will their returns only make continued failure even harder to swallow?
Add us as a preferred source on Google