Cowboys: Will The Cowboys Bypass A QB For A DE?

After the Denver Broncos defensive performance in Super Bowl 50, will the Dallas Cowboys draft a defensive end?

There is an old saying in the NFL that “defense wins championships”. This message has been preached for decades, until the NFL became offensive friendly, where quarterbacks routinely pass for 400 yards a game. Further, quarterbacks pass for 5,000 yards per season on a regular basis and wide receivers have over 100 receptions a season.

Pittsburgh Steelers wideout Antonio Brown led the league with 136 receptions to go along with 10 touchdowns. I remember when it was a big deal for a receiver to catch 100 passes. That’s the norm in today’s NFL, where quarterbacks and receivers put up video game-like numbers.

However, if you watched the Denver Broncos defense manhandle  Cam Newton and the Carolina Panthers in Super Bowl 50, you probably believe the old adage that defense wins championships. Broncos outside linebacker Von Miller forced two fumbles that set up two of Denver’s touchdowns.

Miller and former Cowboys franchise-sack-leader DeMarcus Ware frustrated Newton throughout the game to deliver future Hall of Famer Peyton Manning his second Super Bowl ring. Also, Super Bowl MVP Miller had 2.5 sacks to go with two forced fumbles.

Miller led a Broncos defense that recorded a Super Bowl record-tying seven sacks and forced four turnovers. Superman Newton’s MVP season came to a crashing halt. Newton lost two fumbles, threw an interception and Newton didn’t score a touchdown for the second time this season.

The Broncos defense dominated the Panthers high powered offense. This is the Panthers, who had the highest scoring offense in the league.

Wow.

The Broncos 24-10 victory was won by the defense. Manning had one of the worse games of his illustrious career as he passed for a measly 141 yards and committed two turnovers. Normally, a pitiful performance of that nature lends itself to a loss, even with a dominant defense leading the way.

It puts in perspective the dominance of the Broncos defense.

Plus, the Broncos defense allowed 16, 18, and 10 points to quarterbacks Ben Roethlisberger, Tom Brady, and Newton, respectively. Miller recorded 2.5 sacks against Brady in the AFC Championship game. It’s one thing to stop one or two Pro Bowl quarterbacks, but to limit all three of them speaks volumes about Miller and the rest of his defensive teammates.

Since the Broncos victory, the question is whether the Cowboys will go defense or quarterback with their high draft in April?

Some of my colleagues believe its a no brainer to draft Ohio State’s defensive end Joey Bosa. Bosa is a beast, very talented and versatile. Bosa can play on either left or right defensive end. Bosa stands 6’5 and weighs 275. What makes Bosa special is his ability to stop the run, in addition to his pass-rushing abilities.

I like Bosa because he’ll be a great addition to Rod Marinelli’s defense, a Cover-2 scheme that relies heavily on front four-pressure. This front four-pressure is supposed to create turnovers, something the Cowboys defense lacked in 2015.

I can see Bosa starting opposite defensive end Demarcus Lawrence and rotating with second year defensive lineman Randy Gregory. The plan is the trio will lead the league with a total of 66 sacks(playoffs included) like the Broncos defense, which led the league in sacks.

If not, the trio will at least dominate their NFC East opponents and make Cowboys owner/general manager Jerry Jones feel like a football genius. Knowing egotistical Jones, he’ll lean towards drafting Bosa because Jones is reading the tea leaves like the other 31 teams who didn’t win the Lombardi trophy.

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The sudden belief is that pressure bursts pipes and the only way to do that is with a dominant pass rush. I agree 100-percent that a dominant pass rush wins championships. However, in the Cowboys case, they don’t lack defensive pass rushers. Yes, the Cowboys need to improve their pass rush, but it’s not as if the talent isn’t already there.

Defensive stud Greg Hardy didn’t live up to expectations as the sack-artist the Cowboys believed him to be. However, Hardy hadn’t played football in almost two years and he was dealing with the aftermath of a domestic violence case he brought upon himself. His lack of production had more to do with mental stress and lack of repetitions more than anything.

Hardy’s presence alone helped Lawrence record a career-high eight sacks last season. Lawrence was missing like a lost pair of keys before Hardy returned to the lineup after serving a four-game suspension. Lawrence recorded those sacks because of the double teaming of Hardy.

There is a good chance the Cowboys won’t re-sign Hardy, something Dallas needs to think long and hard about. I’m not sure Lawrence will command a double team just yet. That remains to be seen.

Furthermore, Hardy, Lawrence, and Gregory are all young. The Cowboys will evaluate the talent on their roster before taking Bosa. If the winds blow a certain way in Dallas, we all know Jones will take Bosa. Jones will take Bosa because he’ll will be a prisoner of the moment just like everyone else.

Ironically, before the Panthers lost to the Broncos, everyone was talking about Newton being the ideal quarterback because of his size and his being a dual threat to run and pass. Newton put the Panthers on his back and went 17-2 while winning the NFL MVP award.

Speaking of quarterbacks, the Cowboys definitely need one after Tony Romo suffered his third broken clavicle in his career (second last season). Quite frankly, Romo is one hit away from being removed from the game because he has a surgically repaired back, too.

Defense does wins championships, as the Broncos proved in Super Bowl 50.

Next: Dallas Cowboys Draft: DE Joey Bosa's a No-Brainer

So do quarterbacks, just ask Hall of Famer Troy Aikman.

Now that’s something Jerry Jones and company can think about come April.