Cowboys: Can Quinton Coples Fix Pass Rush?

The Dallas Cowboys have serious issues facing a pass rush that’s too weak for contention and defensive end Quinton Coples could be a potential fix.

The term ‘good defense’ has eluded the Dallas Cowboys for several seasons now. Ever since former defensive coordinator Rob Ryan’s two seasons spent convincing this franchise that the 3-4 alignment finally had to go, the Cowboys have yet to build a unit that’s ready to separate itself from anything resembling average to awful.

The shift back to the 4-3 was three seasons ago, and the Cowboys are still trying to figure out essentially who replaces franchise sack-leader DeMarcus Ware, who’s now a Super Bowl champion with the Denver Broncos.

While 2014 second-round draft choice Demarcus Lawrence started to break out a bit last year with his first eight sacks during his brief two-year career, there’s still more needed up front in defensive coordinator Rod Marinelli’s version of the 4-3 alignment. Frankly, it wouldn’t matter if we were talking about the same playbook run by former Dallas assistant coach Dave Wannstedt, the architect of the Cowboys’ world championship in 1992. The reality is that America’s Team is missing that force upfront who can serve the same purpose Ware and Hall of Fame pass-rusher Charles Haley once did.

To this point, 2015 second-round draft choice Randy Gregory has exactly what Lawrence had following his rookie season the year before – nothing. Further, being suspended now for the first four games of 2016 means an even greater setback for Gregory and a defense that was really counting on his skills entering his sophomore season.

It doesn’t seem like the Cowboys have much interest in bringing back lightening-rod defensive end Greg Hardy, although I can’t really see how Dallas has much choice in the matter. According to Brandon George of Dallas Morning News, the book might not be completely closed on Hardy.

If I’m owner and general manager Jerry Jones, I’m looking at 2012 first-round selection Quinton Coples, a player chosen 16th-overall by the New York Jets who was released prior to the end of last season. I’m probably looking to add both Coples and Hardy, as a matter of fact.

For this discussion, Coples is a player that would probably fit the Dallas scheme quite well and he could play either outside at defensive end or inside at defensive tackle.

Coples was misplaced during his second season by former Jets head coach Rex Ryan, who after a year spent at defensive end in the 3-4 alignment, was moved to outside linebacker. While Coples had pass-rushing skills to bring to the table, it’s not like he was built to play the more athletic role of linebacker, thus making him a liability in coverage and also taking him out of the maximum number of plays in which he was called upon to only rush the passer.

Statistically speaking, Coples might not have lived up to the hype of a sixth-overall selection, but it’s not like the Jets ever seemed too sure about where to play him. Further, it’s not like Coples is Vernon Gholston, at least not where first-round bust status for the Jets is concerned.

To be clear, there’s no denying that Coples is a defensive lineman, period. He stands over 6’5” and weighs around 290 pounds. You could argue that this former standout from North Carolina needs to play inside at defensive tackle – this is why I’d be looking to place Coples on the inside right next to Hardy on the outside on as many plays as possible.

Coples was rumored to have been released from the Jets last season following an incident on the flight back home to New York following a loss to the Houston Texans. According to people on the inside, there wasn’t anything unusual or fatal about whatever happened and the lack of productivity from Coples previously was why he was released. Most stories out of the Big Apple get magnified many times beyond what they actually are.

Let’s remember that we are talking about the Jets here.

Regardless of what happened, it doesn’t appear that Coples is a guy that can’t get along with teammates in the locker room. There’s no dramatic off-the-field incidents that linger which might make Coples some kind of liability for the next team that gives him a shot.

Playing Coples inside at tackle could be a new element that Marinelli could utilize with great pleasure. As a coordinator that’s known as a defensive line specialist, this assistant coach has forged a fantastic reputation for putting together a rather simple approach to defense that gets the most out of his ‘rush men,’ as he likes to call them.

Well, Coples fits the description quite well, and his addition might be a huge boost regardless of whether or not the Cowboys add a blue-chip pass-rushing prospect like Joey Bosa of Ohio State or Emmanuel Ogbah of Oklahoma State in the first round of the 2016 NFL Draft next month. There’s not likely to be a rookie in this draft class that’s going to push for double-digit sacks in ’16, so there needs to be as many weapons as possible on a front seven that is truly desperate for playmakers.

Oh, and just in case you were thinking that free-agent Chris Long might be a better solution, he’s no longer an option. According to David Moore of DMN, Long skipped dinner with head coach Jason Garrett on Tuesday to sign with the New England Patriots.

Next: Cowboys: So Many Needs, So Little Free Agents

Say what you might about Coples, who has struggled either in the wrong system or the wrong position, but if you think that Lawrence is going to cure Dallas’ poor sack totals over the last couple of seasons you should prepare to be disappointed. The Cowboys can’t really be choosy about who’s going to rush the passer next season. On the contrary, Dallas needs just about anybody available who might be able to do it.