Blogging The Boys
Where do you think the Cowboys have improved on defense over the offseason?
There have been big changes this offseason for the Dallas Cowboys. With the addition of new coaches and players, this team will have a distinct look this upcoming season. That’s a welcoming thought when you consider they didn’t perform up to snuff last year.
What the team ultimately looks like is a big unknown, so to gain a better understanding, we are examining the starters to see which areas have improved and which have declined. On Tuesday, we did the offense, so today we’ll finish it off with the defense.
Parsons is one of the top pass-rushers in the game, and soon he’ll be paid like one. There is nothing to see here. Parsons has been great, and he’ll continue to be great.
Status: No Change
This is a little tricky. We want to be clear, DeMarcus Lawrence has always been a very strong player for this defense, despite not always getting the credit he deserves. Losing a player like that can’t be swept under the rug. However, Lawrence was hurt last season, and his spot was mostly occupied by the combination of Carl Lawson and Chauncey Golston.
Fowler is better than both of them. He’s coming off double-digit sacks and has proven that he’s a quality pass-rusher. So, while he doesn’t offer the same dynamic playmaking as Tank, the EDGE2 should still be an improvement this year, especially in pass rush.
Finally, while this article is about the starters, the edge-rushers are sort of a group package with guys constantly rotating in and out. When you factor in those other guys, there is a clear upgrade over last season.
Status: Slight Improvement
It’s so satisfying to report no change to this position as it means the team retained one of the better defensive players, Odighizuwa. His bank account is much bigger now, and the team will gain more years of service from their long-armed 3-tech defensive tackle.
Status: No Change
This one is tough because, much to the denial of many, Smith is gradually progressing. He had 42 tackles last year, the most by a Cowboys nose tackle since 2015. And one might expect Smith to continue to get better as he’s just 23 years old. But for now, we don’t want this exercise littered with wishful thinking, so we’ll just say Mazi is Mazi and list this as no change.
Status: No Change
The rookie linebacker from Notre Dame has a solid first year in the league. He played in all 17 games and compiled 50 tackles. He also added 1.5 sacks. Liufau flashed some of that playmaking ability we saw in college, and we can see why the team was excited to get him in the third round. Spending a year working alongside veteran Eric Kendricks was valuable,...
