Blogging The Boys
Dallas Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer said changes are coming for the team, which is coming off an ugly loss to the Denver Broncos. So, in the spirit of the coach’s words, this weekly column will change for one week only. Writing about the same takeaways and theme of horrible defense gets tough. Instead, in the words of Dez Bryant, let’s try to “fix this — Rich.”
The Cowboys and Cincinnati Bengals have been parallel to one another, with two of the NFL’s worst defenses despite having talented players on offense. After Sunday’s loss to the New York Jets, Ja’Marr Chase sounded fed up in the locker room with his defense.
For two years in a row, the Bengals’ offense has had to pick up the slack for their defense, and they have lost a lot of games because they were never at the same level. For Dallas, you wonder when the dam breaks and an offensive player has a candid conversation with the media like Chase did, throwing the defense under the bus. Schottenheimer wants to build “the best culture in sports.” To make sure what he’s built to this point doesn’t fall apart, both the coaches and front office have to make some moves on defense—and no, one of the moves will not be firing Matt Eberflus (sorry).
Here are five things the Cowboys can do to right the ship.
At some point, it’s okay to wave the white flag. I was one of the very few left who still held out hope for Mazi Smith to become the player the front office envisioned when they drafted him in the first round. Three defensive coordinators later, and no one has been able to unlock his potential.
With the Cowboys struggling to stop the run at an alarming rate, acquiring a player who’s three years into a rookie contract or a veteran who’s been around for multiple seasons should be an upgrade from what Smith has been able to show to this point.
Harrison Phillips (New York Jets), Bryan Bresee (New Orleans Saints), Calais Campbell (Arizona Cardinals), or T’Vondre Sweat (Tennessee Titans) would be players to consider. Bresee came out the year Smith was drafted, so he would have a year and a half on his rookie deal with a fifth-year option pending. His price tag to trade might be a little higher, considering he’s a younger player with a few years left before free agency. Sweat would also fall under the same guidelines, but it might be flipped for a fifth-round pick. Maybe Jalen Tolbert could be thrown in the mix if needed.
Either way, having a rotation of Osa Odighizuwa, Kenny Clark, Solomon Thomas, insert name from above, and a healthy Perrion Winfrey would sound much better.
Dallas’ secondary has taken an enormous health hit this year, losing...
