Blogging The Boys
It was an ugly performance for the Dallas Cowboys in week one of the preseason. Joe Milton and the Cowboys offense struggled to find any consistency and the defensive struggled to stop the pass and the run from the Stetson Bennett led offense for the Rams.
One of the more concerning stories coming out of the game was the struggles the defensive line showed in throughout the game. With Osa Odighizuwa and Solomon Thomas in street clothes, the Cowboys struggled to rush the passer and stop the run along the interior. Rookie seventh-round pick Jay Toia, Ernest Brown IV, and Perrion Winfrey received the most run. Winfrey was the top performing interior defender, but Toia and Brown IV struggled to get off blocks, provide push up front, and maintain good gap integrity in the running game. Mazi Smith received limited snaps, but showed struggles in limited snaps.
In the Cowboys week one 31-21 loss, the Rams running game was able to run the ball for 181 yards and two touchdowns, averaging 4.8 yards per carry on the ground. Given the Cowboys issues stopping the run in previous seasons, the early returns of the Cowboys 2025 defense did not give many fans optimism heading into the season that they improved on their run defense struggles from previous seasons.
Despite Jerry Jones speaking to the fans to kickoff training camp about the work they did to address the run defense, the interior of the defensive line showed similar results in week one of the preseason that they did in the 2024 season. At this point in the offseason, the Cowboys will struggle to add a difference maker in the front seven to improve the run defense woes, but early returns show they need help. Whether that comes internally or externally is the big question with the regular season less than a month away.
