Cowboys: Once Again, The Pass Rush Is A Concern

 With Demarcus Lawrence having off season surgery and Greg Hardy not returning, the pass rush becomes another priority for the Dallas Cowboys.

The Cowboys are already sitting on the fence as it relates to drafting a quarterback with its number four draft pick. When you talk to owner and general manager Jerry Jones, he believes there is no need to draft a quarterback. Jones believes starting quarterback Tony Romo will play forever, or maybe four more years.

Whatever the case may be, the quarterback situation will work itself out, whether it be in April or in free agency.

However, one of the most pressing issues facing the Cowboys right now is its pass rush. Starting defensive end Demarcus Lawrence had off season back surgery to fix a nagging injury, an issue that plagued him throughout the 2015 season. Even with the injury, the second-year veteran found a way to lead the Cowboys defense with eight sacks.

The other problem is that sources are saying the Cowboys will not be re-signing troublesome defensive end Greg Hardy. Hardy didn’t live up to the high expectations, only recording six sacks following a four-game suspension to begi nthe ’15 regular season. As a team, the Cowboys recorded only 31 sacks last season. The Cowboys defense ranked 27th in the league in sacks.

To put that in perspective, the Denver Broncos’ defense led the league in sacks with 52. We all know the Broncos have two dominant pass rushers in Cowboys franchise sack-leader DeMarcus Ware and sack artist Von Miller.

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If the Cowboys elect not to re-sign Hardy, then their pass rush will need an upgrade. Although Lawrence increased his sack total to eight, the former Boise State pass rusher will be coming off of back surgery.

Rookie Randy Gregory didn’t record one single sack this past season. Tyrone Crawford had five sacks and Jack Crawford had four, respectively. These were career highs for both of the defensive tackles.

Although Hardy recorded a total of six sacks last season, his presence alone made everyone else better. If you don’t believe Lawrence didn’t benefit from Hardy’s presence, you are absolutely wrong. Lawrence recorded most of his sacks at the tail end of the season. This  is when opposing offenses started double teaming Hardy.

As much potential as Lawrence has, which is plenty, this marks the second time in his short professional career where he has had to have surgery. During training camp of his rookie campaign, Lawrence missed time because of a foot injury.

Furthermore, Lawrence seems to pick up his sack total towards the end of the season. In the 2014 playoffs, Lawrence recorded two sacks and forced a fumble on the second one to seal a victory over the Detroit Lions. Finally, Lawrence had done something worthwhile after not doing anything in the regular season.

Lawrence was nowhere to found in the first four weeks of ’15. In fact, Lawrence didn’t record his first sack until the fourth game of the season against the New Orleans Saints.

With a top-five pick in April’s draft, the Cowboys might be forced to draft a defensive end instead of a franchise quarterback, which is something they need. However, that’s a different discussion for a different day.

Even if the Cowboys were to draft a defensive end with their top pick, like Joey Bosa of Ohio State, that doesn’t automatically translate to 52 sacks like the Broncos this season. The Cowboys will have a stable of young and talented edge rushers in Lawrence, Gregory, and Bosa, but Lawrence will be the most experienced out of the trio in just his third season.

Keep in mind defensive end Jeremy Mincey is a free agent, and its unlikely the Cowboys will re-sign the veteran journeyman. There is the possibility the Cowboys can go the free agent route and look at Pro Bowler Mario Williams of the Buffalo Bills. The Bills are rumored to be cutting ties with the ultra talented pass rusher this offseason.

Finally, with the Cowboys having money to spend in free agency, it makes financial sense to look at Williams. The former first-overall draft selection in 2006 is a four-time Pro Bowler, has 96 career sacks and the Cowboys can probably afford him, although they shouldn’t step up to break the bank unless there’s lingering concerns about Lawrence and obviously no more Hardy.

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I’m suggesting the Cowboys find a way to fix their pass rush without Hardy. If not, Dallas will find themselves in a familiar spot, losing games because the opposing quarterback had all day to throw.