Blogging The Boys
The Dallas Cowboys’ defense is bad. It’s a weird spot to be in, considering they were a top-five unit just a couple of years ago. In fact, they finished in the top seven in points allowed in all three of the years that Dan Quinn was the defensive coordinator. However, since Quinn’s departure, the Cowboys’ defense hasn’t been able to collect its bearings and has been a liability. Last season under Mike Zimmer, and through five games this season under Matt Eberflus, the Cowboys’ defense is in the bottom five in both points scored and yards allowed. That’s not ideal.
This season, the Cowboys’ defense has had trouble getting off the field as well as being susceptible to big plays. They are the worst in the league in the following categories…
Currently, they are fourth-worst in the league, surrendering 30.8 points per game.
On the other side of the ball, we are witnessing an offense that is moving up and down the field with relative ease. The Cowboys lead the league in yards. They are top three in passing yards and top four in rushing yards per attempt. They are balanced. No team in the league has more first downs than the Cowboys. They are fourth-best in the league, scoring 30.2 points per game.
Unfortunately, all the issues on defense hinder all the great things on offense, and the Cowboys find themselves with a .500 record after five games. If the team is to turn a corner, it must find a way to improve on defense.
Some of the issues on defense are expected. With a new defensive coordinator, there will be an adjustment period. The team also traded away its top defensive player in Micah Parsons, and his absence has definitely been felt along the defensive line. The big question for this team is how much of their problems are attributed to the learning curve of the new coaching staff, and how much comes from a lack of talent?
Breaking down the talent on the team, this group is better than how they’re playing. There are some gaps, but it’s not so different from what Quinn had at his disposal. Starting at defensive end, there are some good players within this unit. Dante Fowler and Sam Williams have been effective, rookie Donovan Ezeiruaku has shown up frequently, and free agent signing James Houston continues to be a huge surprise. Currently, he has the third-best splash-play rate in the league, just a couple of tenths ahead of someone Cowboys fans are all too familiar with.
As much talent as they have, the edge group has still underperformed to this point. They have a pass-rush win-rate in the bottom quartile at just 36%. They did show life on Sunday against the New York Jets as they sacked Justin Fields five times. Making stops and getting out in front certainly...
