Blogging The Boys
In this episode of Between the Lines we flip the attention to the defensive line, where chaos meets strategy. This is where the Cowboys’ games are won and lost so let’s dive in.
(2025 Stats: 325 Total snaps, 21 Total Tackles, 3 TFL, 20 Pressures, 1 Sack)
Grade: 55.3
(2025 Stats: 247 Total snaps, 18 Total Tackles, 2 TFL, 8 Pressures, 0 Sacks, 1 PD)
Grade: 61.8
(2025 Stats: 365 Total snaps, 16 Total Tackles, 2 TFL, 23 Pressures, 2 Sacks)
Grade: 58.9
(2025 Stats: 89 Total snaps, 3 Total Tackles, 0 TFL, 2 Pressures, 0 Sack)
Grade: 46.4
(2025 Stats: 56 Total snaps, 2 Total Tackle, 0 TFL, 0 Pressures, 0 Sack)
Grade: 28.6
We start as always with the Cowboys’ interior core. Kenny Clark is the anchor while Osa Odighizuwa brings the jolt, and Solomon Thomas has been one of the league’s most efficient run stuffers. Thomas currently sits first among defensive tackles in Run Stop Win Rate (48%), which says he really needs to be getting more snaps.
At the team level, the Cowboys defensive line rank sixth in Run Stop Win Rate at 32%, where the Cardinals offensive line sits at mid-level ranking 15th in Run Block Win Rate, which is why interior wins and gap discipline have to set the tone early. Odighizuwa’s stat line is modest in sacks but steady in disruption, and Clark has already chipped in on the sack sheet.
Arizona’s front is bigger and more organized than a year ago. The projected interior is Evan Brown, Hjalte Froholdt, and Isaiah Adams with none of them ranking in the top-30 on PFF in Pass Blocking grade. On the edges, Paris Johnson Jr. and Jonah Williams round out a group that’s right at league-average in pass protection and run blocking. The translation here is that the Cardinals offensive line can hold up if the game stays on schedule, but when a defensive line can lean down on them with consistency, then they fall apart.
So what does Dallas need to emphasize inside to take advantage of this weakness? Win first down is the first answer. Make those early downs with Clark anchoring in the A-gaps and Odighizuwa using his burst and quick snap get-off to force runners back into traffic. Get Arizona into 2nd-and-8 instead of 2nd-and-4, and the Cards’ average pass protection becomes more vulnerable.
With Kyler Murray sidelined and Jacoby Brissett taking over, life in the middle gets a little less chaotic for Dallas. Murray is a true escape artist and he’s given Arizona 173 rushing yards and a rushing score in just five starts this season, which works out to 35 yards per game on the ground, and defenses have to treat him like a running back once the play breaks down. Brissett is a different assignment. He’s more of a planted passer and through four appearances he’s thrown for 599...
